TOFTigers, India’s nature stewardship alliance campaign, has just certified 6 of Madhya Pradesh Tourism’s best wilderness accommodation in Kanha, Pench, Panna and Bandhavgarh, with a pioneering new Footprint certification that is compliant with the Indian Ministry of Tourism’s  Sustainable Tourism Criteria, or ISTC.

Madhya Pradesh Tourism’s aim is to drive up standards of sustainable ‘ecofriendly’ accommodation provision across the state.

As Hari Ranjan Rao, Managing Director MP Tourism states ‘Madhya Pradesh is at the forefront of nature based tourism in India, and increasingly we need to drive all tourism down a sustainable path – so it makes perfect sense to start with our own properties, to ensure they are operating sustainably, with this independent certification and monitoring process.’

TOFTigers Chairman, Julian Matthews, highlighted the real need for such a certification tool for providers.

‘Madhya Pradesh is working hard on improving its sustainability in the travel and tourism sector, and we applaud this effort. This programme will allow all accommodation operators an opportunity to enhance their eco efficiencies, reduce waste, save water, mitigate climate change and drive the change needed to improve their businesses and profitability. With increasing calls for urgent action now being demanded by governments and consumers across the globe to mitigate climate change and ecological collapse, such monitoring tools should be obligatory for all accommodation provision on the subcontinent.’