Abu Dhabi: Gopinath Parayil, the 36-year-old founder and chief executive of India's leading responsible travel company, The Blue Yonder, has joined the powerful speaker platform for November's World Green Tourism Abu Dhabi conference and exhibition.
Award-winning Parayil, who set his company up in Bangalore in 2004 to create specialised tours to Northern Kerala's neglected Bharatapuzha River region, will present his experience as a case study in how low impact environmental tours can deliver social and economic benefits to local communities.
"Parayil is something of a pioneer whose innovation has now been recognised with the 2007 Condé Nast Traveller World Savers Award and the prestigious Responsible Tourism Award," explained Rick Theobald of Streamline Group Marketing which is organising the event.
"He will be able to demonstrate the proven case for socio-ECOnomics and how responsible tourism can aid heritage survival, which is important to the modernising communities of the Middle East."
The Blue Yonder's tours have created work for locals in the Bharatapuzha River region with residents now working as tour guides, folk musicians, ritualistic healers, artisans, interpreters and boatmen.
