June 27, 2026 12:50 am (IST)
Follow us:
Tourism ministry and Ecotourism Society of India sign MoU
New Delhi, Mar 15 (IBNS) The Union Ministry of Tourism signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ecotourism Society of India (ESOI) on Monday to augment responsible and sustainable tourism in India.
Suman Billa, Joint Secretary, Tourism and Steve Borgia, Honorary President, Ecotourism Society of India signed the MoU on behalf of their respective offices in the presence of Vinod Zutshi, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism.
The Ministry of Tourism and the Ecotourism Society of India started the process a couple of years ago when they formulated and published the Sustainable Tourism Criteria for India (STCI ) and carried it to the grass root level through series of advocacy workshops.
The Ecotourism Society of India (ESOI) was established in 2008 at the behest of the Ministry of Tourism as a non-profit organization to promote environmentally responsible and sustainable practices in the tourism industry across the country. This national body was formed by a group of eminent professionals from the tourism industry, government, parliament and environmentalists and conservationists.
ESOI has, over the past eight years, attempted to spread awareness and educate tourism service providers as well as local government officials on the urgent need to ensure sustainable tourism practices. 13 workshops have been conducted across the country in this context
ESOI works closely with both central and state government bodies as well as relevant institutions and individuals to facilitate and support synergy of policies, initiatives and activities relating to responsible travel.
The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India has officially declared ESOI as their partner in helping develop policy guidelines, code of conduct and ethical practices for sustainable tourism, to position India as a global ecotourism destination embracing responsible tourism guidelines across the various sectors of tourism & hospitality, transport, aviation etc.
As per the MoU, ESOI will prepare a 10-year road map for advocacy and certification under the Sustainable Tourism Criteria for India.
The road map will be based on regional workshops held with relevant stakeholders across the country.
ESOI, through stakeholder consultations will formulate criteria and classification guidelines for certification for the accommodation and tour/travel operators within the STCI guidelines and later develop standards for destinations, which will also be in sync with the internationally accepted Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria.
Image: Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Suman Billa and the President, ESOI, Steve Borgia signing MoU in the presence of the Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Vinod Zutshi, in New Delhi on Tuesday/PIB.
Support Our Journalism
We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism
IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.
Support objective journalism for a small contribution.
Latest Headlines
Why is India launching Air Suvidha 2.0 amid ongoing Ebola outbreak?
Fri, Jun 26 2026
Air India, Booking.com partner to offer integrated booking experiences to travellers
Mon, Jun 22 2026
Big Change for Indians in UAE: Regular visa, passport services suspended for 5 days. All you need to know
Mon, Jun 22 2026
Air India introduces 'Basic' fare option. What is it?
Wed, Jun 17 2026
Flights begin at Noida International Airport — Taj Mahal day trips now easier than ever
Mon, Jun 15 2026
The India–Thailand MICE Corridor: Why the next decade belongs to business events, conferences and experiential travel
Sat, Jun 13 2026
Everything You Need to Know About Travel Insurance for Canada
Fri, Jun 12 2026
Digha — A Place Where Waves Speak to the Heart
Mon, Jun 08 2026