At a time when the State Government is attempting to rebuild the tourism industry hit by the June 2013 disaster, the Uttarakhand-based Mountain Shepherds Initiative has been included in the 15 finalists, short-listed by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) for its 2015 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards. With categories covering destination stewardship, community benefit, environmental management, workforce development and innovation, and a rigorous judging process, these awards provide the highest accolade for sustainability in the global travel and tourism industry. Applications were received from 57 countries across all continents.
Along with Confortel, Spain and Global Travel and Tourism Partnership, USA, Mountain Shepherds Initiative, India has been named as a finalist in the People Award category awarded to those who are dedicated to the development of capacity building, training and education to build a skilled tourism workforce for the future.
It is pertinent to mention here that the mountain of Nanda Devi was once the second most popular summit to attempt in the Himalayas after Everest. However, such popularity brought heavy environmental pressures on the surrounding region, and in 1982 the Indian government created the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve and shut the whole region to human access.
This may have helped the natural environment, but it was detrimental to the local members of the Bhotiya community as they lost access to their prime alpine pastures, their source of medicinal herbs and to the tourist trade that sustained them. In recent years, however, the Uttarakhand Government has begun to reopen the park to limited ecotourism. In response the Bhotiya have worked to develop sustainable, community-based tourism around Nanda Devi. The pinnacle has been the foundation in 2006 of the Mountain Shepherds Initiative. Since its foundation, more than 70 youth, both boys and girls, have been trained.
Some now work with other groups, although a core group manages the company itself, while also working as cooks, housekeepers, nature guides, or mountaineering and ski instructors. They are incentivised by the chance to own shares in the company should they stay and work hard. So far 12 per cent of the total equity is owned by the youth, and the percentage is growing each year. Recently the group has begun to share its model with other similar communities spread across the Himalayas. They have visited five locations in north east India to showcase their experiences and to encourage these communities that they too could develop responsible tourism.
In so doing they are helping sustain these remote and inaccessible villages, while also ensuring the preservation of the natural heritage that surrounds them. President and CEO of WTTC, David Scowsill said, “This year’s finalists demonstrate that, when carefully managed, tourism can be a powerful force for improving livelihoods and protecting our planet for future generations. We want their stories to inspire others in the sector to follow their example. This year, for the first time, the ceremony will be live-streamed so that not only our delegates but the world at large will be able to hear the winners’ stories first hand.”