Gangtok: Periyar Tiger Reserve in Kerala has been selected as one of the top 100 Green destinations in the world by a team promoting tourism sustainability.
The announcement was made by Thomas Chandy, Principal Secretary & PCCF, Forest Environment & Wildlife Management Department, at a press conference at Gangtok in Sikkim Thursday on the basis of an official e-mail received in this regard by the department.
The Top 100, selected on the basis of open calls in the social media and of a selection process by 30 international experts in tourism sustainability, is a joint initiative of the TravelMole.com, Vision on Sustainable Tourism, Totem Tourism, and Green Destinations.
The selection was made on the basis of six key criteria -- Nature, Environment, Culture & Tradition, Social well-being, Green Economy and certified Green Tourism Policy, he said.
The destinations in Asia Pacific that have been selected in 2014 Sustainable Destination Global Top 100 are Kakadu National Park and Rottnest Island in Australia, National Parks of Bhutan, Jinshanling Great Wall and Mt. Huangshan in China, Kanchenjunga National Park (Sikkim), Periyar Tiger Reserve (Kerala) in India, and Flores in Indonesia.