On the neo-tourism trail

Today's tourists are buying into developmental activism wrapped up in an adventure holiday.

There is a subtle change in the profile of tourists visiting India. They are gradually donning the hat of development activists and making a different kind of connection with India.

Helping them do this are tour operators who are partnering with NGOs to work out made-to-order itineraries. In the process, many of the tour operators are becoming part of the developmental activities themselves.

"Travellers now want to associate with the country through its people," says Sunirmol Ghosh, director, Indo Asia Tours.

One of their tours showcases how the wildlife at Gajner in the dry state of Rajasthan has been preserved. On this trip, Indo Asia's guests stay at the HRH (Historic Resorts and Hotels) Gajner Palace hotel "" where Indo Asia is directly associated with the water conservation project. Similarly, at Ranakpur, it's a showcase of how heritage "" old havelis in villages "" is being preserved.

Another interesting tour by Indo Asia is the road trip between Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh to Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh (since air connectivity between the two leaves much to be desired).

The tourists are taken to a village midway between the two destinations, which has been "adopted" by Indo Asia, along with a not-for-profit organisation.

Here the tourists can see how the NGO is doing its development work. People who are interested in helping such not-for-profit organisations sometimes come back after the tour.

There are instances, Ghosh recalls, where people have actually come back and volunteered in the village school, giving the children vocational teaching on jobs like plumbing, writing, carpentery and organic farming.

Another company, India Insight, works with local craftpersons in a village called Osiyan in Rajasthan, close to Jodhpur and Jaisalmer. They encourage their guests to go and visit the village as well as buy crafts.

"In Sikkim, a school run by a British NGO is also a part of some of our itineraries. Some of the guests come back to this village called Pemayangtse and teach at the school," informs Monisha Makhija, director, India Insight.

Some adventure tour operators had caught on to this trend earlier than others, and have benefitted from it. Mandip Singh Soin, managing director of Ibex Expeditions, informs that in certain villages like Dharali (near Gangotri), locals have made a guest house which his company uses. The village, its life, culture as well as the local cuisine is showcased to the guests.

In the Corbett area, Ibex Expeditions works with the Corbett Foundation to highlight local wildlife issue to guests on a wildlife tour or otherwise.

Some interested guests want to come back and work with the foundation, and they do. Another example is of the Khonoma village in Nagaland where Ibex Expeditions has helped locals become guides for them.

In a recent initiative, SITA Destination Management has started working with the SOS Children's Village of India, which runs close to 40 villages (homes for the children) across the country.

SITA's groups visit the SOS villages on their way, interact with the kids, visit their homes, their school and sometimes make a direct contribution towards a child's education for a year.

"Some groups specifically request for such a visit. They are not just interested in sightseeing only," says COO Himmat Anand.

To avoid hurting the sensibilities of any of the locals, most tour operators sensitise both the villagers (locals) as well as the tourists about basic ground rules.

It's about taking business to the grassroots and that's what these neo-tourists believe in too.