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In 2006, Kerala tourism was short-listed along with Greece and Mexico for World Travel & Tourism Council’s ‘destination award for the year. It was reported that the finalists were selected by an international expert committee from over 100 applications from more than 35 countries. There were two reasons why Tourism groups and civil society organization in Kerala opposed the proposal. First, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) is a membership organization representing the big players in the global Travel & Tourism Industry, lobbying with Governments on behalf of Hotel and Aviation Industry. From our point of view, WTTC award was not a recognition that we actually wanted. Second, Kerala tourism according to no international standards can be considered as a role model of sustainability. The concerns were articulated in letters issued by Tourism action groups and intellectuals, artists and scientists from Kerala to WTTC and national and international media. The campaign became successful when WTTC eventually dropped the idea of bestowing the award to Kerala Tourism