Tourism the largest and fastest-growing sector in the has deep-seated dependence on the environment.

In India the tiger is an iconic flagship species and the Tiger reserves receive more than one million visitors annually. A substantial number of responsible tourists look for places of stay that are environment-friendly with minimum carbon foot-prints, i.e. places of stay that have proper strategies and processes in place for waste management, energy savings, water conservation measures etc. These places of stay present an exciting opportunity for tourists to become stakeholders in conservation efforts around the Tiger Reserves.

India presently has 53 Tiger Reserves spread across the country. Some of the Tiger Reserves (TR), like Kanha TR, Ranthambore TR, Periyar TR, Bandipore TR, Kaziranga TR etc. are very popular tourist destinations with very high footfall and one of the reasons for their popularity is the availability of quality places of stay in large numbers

Government of India is involved in setting standards for different sectors in India. For example, the star rating of hotels is carried out by the Ministry of Tourism; the standards-compliance mark for industrial products in India is ISI (Indian Standards Institution) under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs; the certification mark for agricultural products in India, AGMARK, is under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, etc.

Accordingly, it would be prudent that standards, based primarily on environmental, ecological& social parameters are developed, for places of stay around Tiger Reserves. These places of stay shall then be rated and certified based on standards issued by the NTCA under the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change.

This rating and certification would give the visitors an idea regarding the meaningful efforts by the hotel/homestay towards saving our planet, by its contribution towards maintaining the environmental health and well-being of the local communities.

Certification and the degree of rating (from higher to lower) will reflect the social and environmental standards of these places.

By choosing places of stay with high ratings will instill confidence and satisfaction in the tourists regarding their contribution towards sustainable tourism.

What is required?
Certificate design for Eco Rating of Hotels/Homestays/resorts around Tiger reserves.

The certificate should preferably depict the essence of the tiger, the bio-diversity, the ethnic communities residing around Tiger Reserves, the idea of responsible tourists staying in a rated and certified place of stay, the harmony with nature etc.

The certificate will be used to display the rating (say 1 to 5), such as the “Star” in case of Hotels or electrical appliances.

The certificate, with the value of the rating, shall be handed over to the respective Place of Stay as a testimony of the rating earned by them based on their compliance with various parameters on the environment, ecology, commitment towards community and the Tiger Reserves etc. Metal replica of Certificates might also be handed over to these places of stay for display at different places.

Terms and conditions:
1. The Intellectual Property Right of all the entries for – nomenclature and certificate – shall vest with the NTCA upon their submission.
2. NTCA can, if required, change/modify or merge the concepts of the certificate.
3. The selected candidate shall be rewarded with an amount Rs 50,000/- for designing the certificate.

Click here to know more about the Initiative.(PDF 264 KB)