Promoting Inclusive Development using Rural Tourism Opportunities in India
Location
This project is one of the 36 sites supported by the UNDP, Government of India Endogenous Tourism Project at Karaikudi, Sivaganga District, Tamilnadu. This project wish to pomote community managed tourism enterprises to showcase the rich architectural heritage and unique chetinad heritage where wood carvings, hand made athangudi tiles, palm leaf baskets, hand woven traditional kandaanki sarees, chettinad cuisines, brasss metal works, egg plastering work etc. The Mansion in the villages are architectural rich treasure for the visiting tourist, the tourist will be enjoying the architecture tool, craft tool, textile tool, temple tool and traditional hospitality of chettinad culture. Now this site has been taken by UNESCO, as one of the 100 heritage sites. This project was recently awarded best rural tourism destination in India during 2007.
Your idea
This will be the address used to plot your entry on the map.
Street Address
18 pillaiyar koil street s.s.colony
City
madurai
State/Province
tamilnadu
Postal/Zip Code
625010
Country
India
Year innovation began
2005
Geotourism Challenge Addressed by Entrant
Quality of tourism management and impact on the destination
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Indicate sector in which you principally work
Community Organization
Geographic location
Rural.
Plot your innovation within the Mosaic of Solutions
Main insight addressed
Develop community assets
Name Your Project
Promoting Inclusive Development using Rural Tourism Opportunities in India
Describe Your Idea
This project is one of the 36 sites supported by the UNDP, Government of India Endogenous Tourism Project at Karaikudi, Sivaganga District, Tamilnadu. This project wish to pomote community managed tourism enterprises to showcase the rich architectural heritage and unique chetinad heritage where wood carvings, hand made athangudi tiles, palm leaf baskets, hand woven traditional kandaanki sarees, chettinad cuisines, brasss metal works, egg plastering work etc. The Mansion in the villages are architectural rich treasure for the visiting tourist, the tourist will be enjoying the architecture tool, craft tool, textile tool, temple tool and traditional hospitality of chettinad culture. Now this site has been taken by UNESCO, as one of the 100 heritage sites. This project was recently awarded best rural tourism destination in India during 2007.
Innovation
What is the goal of your innovation?
To promote host community organizations for developing Tourism Community Enterprises with responsible Tourism principles and practices to address the quality of Tourism management, impact of the destination and develop community assets.
How does your approach support or embody geotourism?
This innovation supports to promote sustainable people institutions in Tourism locations at different parts of South India where wide diversity of culture and heritage is exist. This activity involves strong capacity building of community to showcase the traditional activity and culture which will provide unforgettable experience to the tourist who loves this segment of tourism and support livelihood opportunities of the host community. These community organizations will be working for generation to promote host community local economy, environment and well being. This innovation involves multi stakeholders including disadvantaged community, youth, and woman, local artisans to strengthen their livelihood and millennium development goals objective of poverty reduction. This sustainable tourism will provide appropriate experience from the host community which results wonderful experience to the tourist
Describe your approach in detail. How is it innovative?
This approach is promoting and strengthening people institutions of host community for different activities like tourism related service, hospitality, craft, local cuisines, touring guides etc.,. The base line survey for this activity is done systematically to map out training need and capacity building of the host community. From day one onwards these people institutions are insisted for sustainable measurement and mutuality concept, and importance of protecting common resources. Based on new capacity building program to enhance the craft skill institutions management skills, practicing for product development. Credit and saving practices as part of woman empowerment of host community would be done for SHG approach .All these people institutions would be federated into producer organizations to promote tourism of this area. Business plan had been developed to provide necessary support system, credit linkage and market tie-up. Since, these people institutions are directly benefiting the interest level and participation will enhance and provide way for deepening the tourism activity. Since DHAN Foundation is the grass root NGO is having its presence widely. The replication of this activity with presence of DHAN Foundation would pave the ways.
What types of partnerships or professional development would be most beneficial in spreading your innovation?
We wished to have collaborations with local self government, district administration, state department of tourism, handicraft association, state and national handicrafts promotional organization, international development body like UNDP etc.,. Partnership with multi stake holder and host community will be most beneficial in spreading this innovation strongly.
Impact
In one sentence describe what kind of impact, change, or reform your approach is intended to achieve.
Local economy improving from the base level and provide enhanced experiences to the tourist for the value and time they spent.
Describe the degree of success of your approach to date. Clearly define how you measure quantitative and qualitative impact in terms of how your approach contributes to the sustainability or enhancement of local culture, environment, heritage, or aesthetics? How does your approach minimize negative impacts? 200 words or less
During the implementation of the activity, 31 activity groups have been promoted with 368 host artisans. The famous chettinad cuisines have 4 community institutions with 46 members. For the famous wood carving one activity group with ten members available for the hand made tile activity groups 216 members with 16 groups are available the poor women members of the area are mobilized and promoted 103 tourism women SHGs with 1525 host women members. At, present employment opportunity for hospitality group created was 40 host members though it is seasonal for few people some opt the employment opportunity as the full time one. through this tourism project 10 unemployed youths especially the women have got the full time job in organizing the artisan community for collective action in livelihood promotion, exploring the market linkages collaborating with the banks for linkage/credit support to the artisans through this project we have generated employment opportunities for 5 host community as guide.
Through the skill building program being conducted in the project site, the women artisan have got increase in income, mostly through the market linkages support. Given the primary producer groups in chettinad cuisines, weaving community artisans, wood carving artisans has got considerable increased income compared to baseline due to increase in demand created by the visited tourist to the workplace and feel proud to procure the materials directly from the host community.
This project has organized the unorganized artisans of the community to focus on gender empowerment by promoting 103 tourism SHGs reaching 1535 members, among poor host community. Though this activity they have saved Rupees thirteen lakhs (1.3 million Rs.) their access to credit facilities and their habit of savings have increased their socio-economic status.
How does your program promote traveler enthusiasm, satisfaction, and engagement with the locale?
All the local residents are actively involving in the credit and saving movement kalanjium community banking program. They involve in selling the product to the tourist and they give first hand information and systems for how they are producing such art forms. The community is always ready to showcase the activity (of course they are earning money by way of entry charges for their activity). The community responds to our approach because they well understood that the economic benefits of present and future going with them and they well understand that mutuality and collective action will sustain their activity.
Describe how your innovation helps travelers and local residents better understand the value of the area’s cultural and natural heritage, and educates them on local environmental issues. How do you motivate them to act responsibly in their future travel decisions?
This innovation helps the traveler and local resident better understanding the value of this area, natural heritage, because the traveler stay in the traditional mansions. The architecture of the building are so innovative that they try to use all the available natural sunlight, rainwater harvesting techniques minimize the necessity of artificial lights and necessity of air-conditioning etc., People by their culture preserving the water bodies, traditional art forms and use banana leaves to serve the food. They use very little plastics and use eco-friendly containers like palm leaf basket for carrying or storing the food products
In what ways are local residents actively involved in your innovation, including participation and community input? How has the community responded to or benefited from your approach?
These programs promote travelers enthusiasm, satisfaction engagement with the local community because the traveler get first hand information and interact the community directly, at their work place. Travelers observe, see, interact and purchase the craft and art form from the activity group. When they purchase the art form directly from the host community the tourist feel proud of his purchase. The tourists feel happy and proud himself that the money spends was fully facilitating to improve the local economy.
This Entry is about (Issues)
Sustainability
Is your initiative financially and organizationally sustainable? If not, what is required to make it so? What is the potential demand for your innovation?
This initiative is financially and organizationally sustainable with appropriate demonstration. DHAN Foundation wishes to replicate this model to many tourism destinations in south India. This activity requires support of many stake holders especially from the local government, tourism operators, district administration and travel organizations. The people institutions will share the revenue for the investment and services they have provided. Till they get established preserving professional support, capacity building, market linkage support activity has to be provided than by an NGO like DHAN Foundation which have wide presence of South India, each destination requires special long term plan to achieve the people implementation program in different phases. The organization structure like village tourism development committee has to be recognized well by the district administration.
How is your initiative currently financed? If available, provide information on your finances and organization that could help others. Please list: Annual budget, annual revenue generated, size of part-time, full-time and volunteer staff.
Now this project is funded by UNDP, Government of India, and Endogenous Tourism project fund software activity. DHAN Foundation is implementing partner of this activity in two locations of Tamilnadu namely Karaikudi and Kazhugumalai UNDP provided us Rs. 20 lakh software fund to execute this project systematically though this project complete during Dec 2008 DHAN Foundation wishes to continue this activity as inclusive development activity.
Last year the annual budget 0.727 millions and the revenue generated under direct this different activity was 0.79 million Rupees. Eight full time volunteer staff is managing this activity in Karaikudi.
What is your plan to expand your approach? Please indicate where/how you would like to grow or enhance your innovation, or have others do so.
Our plan is to expand these innovations in India Initially to replicate in ten important village tourism locations in Tamilnadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala. After studying the impact in these ten locations this more would be extended to the India locations especially south India where our project activity are very intensive in this area local state department of tourism, district collector, Government of India, Joint Secretary of Tourism will be given about our proposal along with support from international tourism development agencies WTO, RTC we are promoting development tourism in Nether lands and Canada. The tourist wishes came for the last year are very happy and supporting the initiative by word of mouth. Well documented to state, district and tourism secretary government of India, UNDP and WTO to enhance this activity in many important rural destination already UNDP documented our experiences through the organization called Equation to provide the learnings to the entire world.
What are the main barriers you encounter in managing, implementing, or replicating your innovation? What barriers keep your program from having greater impact?
The government policies, to cultural and language variation (this also good opportunity) government policies, marketing destination that are not in tourism map, poor infrastructure in the villages are main barriers in managing, implementing, replicating our innovations.
The Story
Please provide a personal bio. Note this may be used in Changemakers' marketing material.
Development of Humane Action (DHAN) Foundation, a professional development organization, was initiated in October 2, 1997. It is incorporated as a trust under the Indian Trusts Act (1882). The trust has been promoted with the objective of bringing highly motivated and educated young women and men to the development sector. They would work on bringing out new innovations in rural development and for up scaling development interventions to eradicate poverty in vast areas of the country.DHAN Foundation as an institution is committed for poverty reduction. The approach it has taken is to address the issue of poverty and development through promotion of people institution centered on various themes and innovations.
DHAN Foundation mission is” Building Institutions for development innovations and up scaling to enable the poor communities for poverty reduction and self reliance” and working in 7000 villages in 9 states of india with 0.612 milion families.
What is the origin of your innovation? Tell your story.
The origin of our innovation initiates when UNDP Government of India Endogenous Tourism project birth on 2004. The concept of this project was attracted by us since DHAN Foundation is working with grass root in villages of India in states and with families. We have prepared proposal for this activity as per the guidelines prescribed by UNDP involving district administration. Because this project have 2 important component namely Hardware and Software. Hardware activities mainly to create infrastructure for receiving the Tourism and Software for capacity building, tourism promotion and market linkage support for the host communities. DHAN Foundation wishes to build strong people institutions to develop model for the world to carry out the Tourism activity in generations in this project villages. Hence host community inclusive development utilizing the opportunity of Tourism as per the UN millennium development goal will bring sustainability of this project. All segments of host community namely artisans, home stay groups, youths, disadvantaged communities, women, local panchayat, tourism department, district administration are major stake holders of this project. Tourism perspective plan for this place have been prepared for supply and demand side. Capacity building for different stakeholders especially artisans, and tourism related services have been conducted. Tourism preparedness of this project site have been analyzed and action plan has been drawn and implemented. Special focus has been given for gender development in this host community and now 1500 host women mobilized and they grouped under SHG and exclusive development plan for this segment called Tourism Kalanjium Community banking has been progressing well. UNDP supports very well for the past 3 years from 2005 onwards. Now the site is ready for launching. Now this site is receiving guest from France, U.K, Canada and Nether lands etc. The guest are accommodated in the village mansions and the visiting guest are enjoying the Architecture Tour (where the local building and Temple architecture would be the focus) Craft tour (wood carving, stone carving, hand made tile making, chettinad cuisine, silver article, egg plastering, palm leaf baskets etc), textile tour (where the production of hand loom tradition dress material Kandanki saree) and temple tour (where many temple and traditional water body viewing) is happening along with the famous tradition cuisines namely chettinad food. All there above activities are spread in 10 important village of this area. Community organizations and village tourism development committee takes total ownership of this activity. DHAN Foundation providing all protectional support for this activity with the support of UNDP endogenous Tourism Team at New Delhi. Tourism department of Tamilnadu claimed and received best rural Tourism Award 2007 from government of India recently. The responsible tourism principles in protecting the environment, social development and economic development of this location are happening. This model going to be sustainable and replicable in many Indian villages to use the opportunities in Tourism Development.
Please write an overview of your project. This text will appear when people scroll over the icon for your entry on the Google map located on the competition homepage.
This project is one of the 36 sites supported by the UNDP, Government of India Endogenous Tourism Project at Karaikudi, Sivaganga District, Tamilnadu. This project wish to pomote community managed tourism enterprises to showcase the rich architectural heritage and unique chetinad heritage where wood carvings, hand made athangudi tiles, palm leaf baskets, hand woven traditional kandaanki sarees, chettinad cuisines, brasss metal works, egg plastering work etc. The Mansion in the villages are architectural rich treasure for the visiting tourist, the tourist will be enjoying the architecture tool, craft tool, textile tool, temple tool and traditional hospitality of chettinad culture. Now this site has been taken by UNESCO, as one of the 100 heritage sites. This project was recently awarded best rural tourism destination in India during 2007.
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