Limalenden Longkumer wins IRTA 2022

Limalenden Longkumer of Mopungchuket village, Mokokchung, was declared the winner of Indian Responsible Tourism Awards (IRTA) 2022 under “Grassroot Heroes” category by The Outlook Responsible Tourism Initiative at Indian Responsible Tourism Summit and Awards, held at Kannada University, Hampi, Karnataka on April 6.
Limalenden was awarded in recognition of his contribution to a “plastic-free” Mopungchuket village and his attempt to make Mopungchuket village the first zero-waste village in Nagaland. According to the IRTA citation, he has been leading on afforestation, river restoration, waste management and responsible tourism mostly without any financial assistance, for two decades.
It may be mentioned that Limalenden is leading Mopungchuket Community Tourism Society (MCTS), a body appointed by the village community to manage Mopungchuket tourism.
The IRTA has been recognising champions of ethical travel across the country since 2016.
Its goal is to inspire and motivate local fraternity, highlight replicable responsible tourism models and spread the word through digital, social and print platforms.