Kerala holiday, tailormade

Spice tours in Wayanad were initiated to support small time farmers and spice planters to find alternative, supplementary source of income. This provides a glimpse of the issues surrounding the struggles of spice farmers in terms of price crash and issues of globalization.

The boats used as well as the oarsmen are from the local communities. This makes an alternative, supplementary source of incomes to sand miners, coconut processors, and small size property owners.

Promoting the martial arts provides supplementary source of income for a non profit school that runs the ‘Kalari’ to maintain the school. Certain part of the proceeds from this go to support the school and the Kalari. Supplementary income coming to the members of the school also makes sure that they maintain their interest in the martial art forms in terms of economic viability. Evening with the folk artists is part of revival of folk art and music forms.

All the houseboats we use are eco friendly and minimises the damage to the eco system of the backwaters. We use only Bio toilets, use solar panels of Electricity and traditional lamps, Use large mineral water cans to avoid usage of several disposable mineral water bottles. All the staff in the boats are from local areas.

In Periyar the programs are operated by local community members belonging to the Eco Development Committees (EDCs). The benefits are transferred directly to the community members. Trekking assistants and guides were mostly poachers and the entire program in Periyar was designed to rehabilitate them.