Women only walking tour in India, Binsar & Saryu

Planet

We have numerous awards for our approach to community tourism. We work with our partner communities in many ways to promote sustainable environmental practices, providing training and, where necessary, funding to help them. We have a network of regional coordinators who help local communities and ensure that training is relevant and fulfilling. We encourage all guesthouses to use green energy supplies, by installing solar panels for water heating and using solar lamps inside. We ask guests to use water filtered by their hosts to avoid bringing in unnecessary plastic bottles. We train local guides to identify local birds and animals, and encourage communities to see wildlife as a precious asset rather than a nuisance. We have focused on only low key tourism where guests have an opportunity to participate in farming activities, eat local produce and also be part of the village life. The introduction of tourism has brought the much needed income to improve farming and also take pride in their traditional practices and heritage.

People

Our style of community tourism is a true partnership with the host communities. Together, we build the guesthouse and the necessary infrastructure to provide memorable guest experiences. We train local people to be guides or cooks, and ensure that a village committee is formed to administer the enterprise and to ensure equitable distribution of income. We have brought over voluntary language teachers to teach English and, mor recently, French. We encourage communities to give financial assistance throughout the village according to need, and we make sure that anyone working for the enterprises is paid a fair wage. We are also instituting a system of independent audit to monitor the enterprises and the benefits they bring. Guests are seen as bringing real benefits, and so are welcomed warmly. We provide our guests with comprehensive background information that helps them to understand the communities and appreciate their cultures. Our local guides are encouraged to take guests to local artisans and markets, something which is much appreciated.Social taboos around women working outside of their households are observed in many villages. In seeking to distribute employment and decision-making fairly, Villages in Binsar and Saryu Pindar has been at great pains to encourage women to join and be accepted in the village tourism committee. They have encouraged women to take and be allowed to take decision-making roles, such as running the finances of a tourism committee. Over the years, the committee, has seen increased confidence in families to encourage women to play a role in running the enterprises. Women now participate as housekeepers, guides, porters, treasurers etc