Antara also focusses on setting up workshops that connect city-based women with their rural counterpart so that both groups can share knowledge and experiences with each other. Also, there is no waste as the leftovers are passed through the animal house; the rest is used for biogas,” informs Rahul. Our team is also strictly local,” avers Rahul.

So, we are in the space of supplementing rural livelihood,” says Antara. Often, it resulted in conflicts between the community and the industry. Ankit Sood, founder member of ‘Sunshine Himalayan Adventures’ who motivated locals around the ‘Great Himalayan National Park’, now a World Heritage Site, to take up eco-tourism believes it is important to empower locals as they are the ones most affected wherever ecologically sensitive areas are converted into wildlife sanctuaries or national parks. . We cook using biogas made on the farm; our meals too are derived from farm produce.For the community, by the communityDespite impressive growth in the tourism industry in the last few decades, local communities did not have much role in tourism development. Rahul and his wife set up the traditional Konkani homestay in 2014, when the duo decided to take to farming to feel closer to nature. "They are the first people to be stopped from entering, despite being dependent on the natural resource for generations.

The goal is to boost local economies and share the spotlight with local partners to draw attention to them. However, Rahul too ensures that his agro-eco tourism initiative doesn’t defile the environment. And so, while visitors are taken on treks and boat rides and birding trails to view more than a 100 species that abound in the lush landscape, they are also given a tour of his organic farm, encouraging them to participate in any or all of the farming activities. Therefore, it is essential to involve locals and boost the local economy.This is one of the key features of sustainable tourism, where the focus lies on promoting local economies through community-based initiatives. Even Rahul Kulkarni’s ‘Farm of Happiness’, located in the biodiversity-rich Konkan region, is a similar sustainable destination that facilitates ecotourism, while encouraging guests to feel closer to nature.

"This is a farmer’s opportunity to enlighten people about his daily struggles and let the consumer connect to his own food,” he says.And so, her travel initiative ties up with local partners to help them find a footing in the tourism industry. Antara, who in her previous corporate job got a chance to engage in rehabilitation activities in Uttarakhand right after the 2013 floods, understands well the impact community-first tourism can have on local economies."We use solar energy for lighting and heating purposes, biogas for cooking, compost for farming, practice rainwater harvesting and recycle waste. We also forbid our guests from using plastic bottles and encourage them to not leave behind any plastic waste,” says the botanist. Alternatively, her team works on setting up culturally significant properties such as small museums that preserve artefacts, folklore and become a permanent cultural asset for a village.

We can’t allow big tourism companies and hotels to siphon away these opportunities,” he says. "We curate experiences by identifying local communities and organisations already working in their respective regions and then partner with them through workshops and other activities. So, we have to put them first by training them to earn a livelihood by conducting ecotourism activities like birding, trekking, setting up homestays and allied businesses. "As a policy, we don’t hire anybody apart from the local villagers. "The farm is working towards being a sustainable system in itself.While individuals weft feeder manufacturers like Rahul and Ankit are helping boost local economies through ecotourism activities, there are also sustainable tourism initiatives like Antara Chatterjee’s ‘The Little Local’, a two-and-a-half-year-old travel company that puts local communities completely in charge of tourism in their respective areas

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