Improving Lives and Livelihoods Through Tourism: Examples from India

A common feature of remote villages is a lack of income-generating opportunities that force young people to migrate to the cities for employment. This results in communities dominated by the young and the old, a decline in the social and cultural fabric, and a reduced pride in rural life. Since 2005, Village Ways has formed partnerships with community groups that have tourism potential to enable them to build, own, and manage guesthouses, to host tourists, and provide income for the communities. This has effectively combined social enterprise with commercial development. Therefore in this workshop, Keith will discuss the many benefits, going beyond the increase in income, of development through tourism for the lives and livelihoods of the host villagers, using examples from India.