Does policy and practise of responsibility in tourism differ in terms of what is stated and what happens on the ground? Is responsible tourism yet another buzzword or are there paradigm shifts in the way tourism planners, policy makers and the industry understand tourism’s role, and wish to position it. Going beyond the “feel good” power point presentations, it is important to face the ingredients and promises of responsible tourism and what it really hopes to deliver. The paper also questions if it is adequate to rely on celebrating individual (and no doubt laudable) initiatives or is a larger scaled-up policy and “model” level transformation the only way that tourism can be more responsible. The paper attempts to frame these questions and seek directions from experiences and realities of tourism development and impacts in India. Publisher: Equitable Tourism Options (EQUATIONS) Contact: [email protected], +91.80.25457607 Visit: www.equitabletourism.org, www.equitabletourism.org/stage/readfull.php?AID=427