Through this panel discussion we will showcase the results of the Responsible Tourism Incubator which engaged 25 rural women in tourism and hospitality lifeskills in Udupi, Karnataka. By creating jobs and building capacity in rural, semi urban areas, one can distribute economic resources. COVID19 showed us the disparity in economic and financial distribution of resources and the disproportionate volume of jobs in urban centres. We need this to change and in our attempt to build back better, we are equipping people in rural and semi urban areas to be entrepreneurs and job ready whilst providing them with immediate market linkages. The active involvement of government bodies at the local level is also critical in such programs. Our panelists range from funders to development sector professionals to government officials. We will be using zoom for the session and it will be in English.

Speakers:

• ElsaMarie DSilva, Founder, Red Dot Foundation
• Prathima Manohar, Founder, The Urban Vision
• Manira Alva, Vice President SDG’s & Advocacy, Vital Voices Global Partnership
• Akshy Sridhar, IAS, Commissioner, City of Mangalore
• Naveen Bhatt, IAS, CEO, Udupi Zilla Panchayat