The world has become flat. We are convinced of the incredible importance of travel. It’s only through travelling, through meeting people that we begin to understand that we’re all sharing this world. We are all coming along for the ride, despite the barriers which governments, religions and economic and political beliefs often seem to build up between us.

We are very conscious of the impact of tourism on local communities and this is why sustainable tourism is very important for us.

We try and ensure that the smallest person in the chain gets the benefit of the tourism directly. All our support partners are locally sourced. We work mainly with small, family run places and encourage them to use local staff at all levels. We have a policy of actively encouraging and helping reliable drivers to buy their own vehicles. This helps them be in charge of their own lives rather than depend on employment.

Heritage Hotels & Home Stays

Already for thirty years, we have scouted for heritage properties and in many places, convinced the owners to open their homes to guests. We are proud that we were amongst the first tour operators to patronize these heritage properties in Rajasthan and Gujarat thus supporting this excellent trend in preserving these heritage buildings. Similarly, we have supported eco-friendly resorts in India which blend with the environment and give the travellers a more authentic experience. These kind of imaginative lodgings help us in attracting more discerning travellers to visit India.

Balika Sadan

For about a decade, we were supporting an orphanage for girls in Jaipur, Balika Sadan. Our contributions enabled this struggling organization to build extra space for their dormitories, got them water tanks, much needed refrigerators to keep food fresh. Apart from the necessities, we also took the girls for recreational trips, earning big smiles and much joy!

Chandelao

For a number of years we focussed our attention on Chandelao, a small village near Jodhpur. Along with the very enlightened ex-ruler of the area, Praduman Singh, we help the local schools in creating some basic infrastructure. Our emphasis here is the empowerment of women.

Today, there is an arts and crafts centre, run by village women, who produce many items like clothes, bags and much more. The idea is that, given an opportunity, the women should be able to earn their own living. We also donated solar cookers in the village to prevent the women in foraging long distances for firewood. We are confident that this will in the long term, protect the much needed trees planted by the Government.

Shaam-E-Sarhad Village Resort

Another good example of sustainable accommodation that we use is Shaam-E-Sarhad Village Resort in Gujarat’s Rann of Kutch. The tribal people of this area, with the support of development agencies, built the Shaam-E-Sarhad Resort, using only local building materials and natural products used also in their own houses. You can visit different families to see their nicely decorated and painted mud houses, learn about their livelihoods and customs and admire their fine embroideries and leather works. By promoting properties like this we hope to help to increase the awareness of the need for responsible travel.