This initiative protects the heritage and local economy of Arunachal

A recently launched community tourism project in Arunachal Pradesh hopes it will succeed in preserving the traditional architecture of the indigenous people while providing a sustainable economic lifeline.

The Monpa people of the Tawang and West Kameng regions of western Arunachal Pradesh, living along the border with Bhutan, welcome visitors to their repurposed homes, some of which function as homestays and others as gourmet restaurants, in an effort to capture the growing interest in to achieve sustainable development. tourism.

Run in partnership with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)-India, seven women from Chug village are not only dishing out their culinary creations but also shaping a new way of doing business. The hope is that the success of their eleven-seat restaurant will encourage other communities to take a similar approach and move away from the region’s conventional ‘line hotels’. These are usually cheap roadside eateries, built in the image of dhabas with poor hygiene standards and staffed by migrant workers who earn a pittance.

Nishant Sinha is the Community Tourism Coordinator at WWF-India and wanted to take the impact of tourism on local communities in a positive direction. “There is a wealth of data on how tourism employs a large number of people and how it can uplift marginalized sections of society. But tourism is a double-edged sword,” he says.

“In the hands of the wrong people it can wreak havoc. Even in the hands of the right people, the wrong guidance leads to the same output. So if a community living in naturally blessed locations (that have the potential to attract tourists from (all) around the world does not understand how to preserve the beauty and culture that has sustained them for generations, the world will lose something precious in the process.”

The community tourism project in the Chug, Thembang and Zemithang regions is an offshoot of WWF-India’s larger goal of nurturing ‘community protected areas’. To protect and conserve the natural habitats and rich biodiversity of West Kameng and Tawang, they developed community-based tourism initiatives to promote alternative sources of income for local residents that would not tempt them to destroy their cultural and natural heritage. The venture started with two main objectives in mind.

“Firstly, to contribute to the preservation of traditional architecture that is threatened by the encroachment of thoughtlessly reinforced cement concrete structures (RCC), and secondly, to provide tourists and locals with a unique dining experience. The overarching idea was to demonstrate that heritage conservation can be economically viable,” says Sinha.

“We want to give economic opportunity to those currently in need (and) eliminate the idea that only individuals benefit from business. (We want to) create immensely enjoyable experiences for the community, who look at tourism holistically: instilling pride in the community, keeping their environment clean, keeping dying traditions alive, sharing indigenous knowledge and making the world a beautiful heterogeneous entity.

Community involvement and support were critical to getting the project off the ground. WWF-India found that awareness and understanding of tourism varied among villages in the region. Through regular interactions and training, the villagers of Chug and Zemithang became familiar with the idea of ​​tourism and the benefits it would bring them.

“Chug had just two homestays when the project started in 2023, Thembang has had just one new hotel since WWF-India first intervened in the region more than a decade ago, and Zemithang has only had a small stream since its inception tourists seen. The central government’s vibrant village plan was approved in February 2023,” said Sinha.

“Most of the people involved in these businesses are from nearby towns like Dirang, or people who work and live outside the villages. Without the involvement of villagers, outsiders, be it from nearby towns or from Guwahati, start developing and managing properties in the village. Therefore, it is crucial that sooner or later the community gets involved and is at the helm of tourism in their villages and not passive spectators. It has taken time to get them to this level of receptiveness and we hope they will be smart entrepreneurs in rural tourism in the years to come.”

The first customers to taste Chug’s delicious food were Malaysian citizens who arrived in late March 2024. Since then, the Monpa women have hosted more than 40 people through partnerships with like-minded travel agencies. Their ethnic cuisine is a mix of recipes from the forest and traditionally grown, hardy grains such as finger millet and buckwheat. It also features modern dishes that allow the community to adapt their cuisine to the fruits and vegetables they grow on their farms and backyards.

“Even after paying anywhere between INR 750 to 1,500 per person, (our) customers were blown away by the experience. We hope that the entire country and the world will take note of this,” says Sinha expectantly.

With the growing interest and demand for tourism in India’s northeast, he believes increasing information about sustainable tourism and marketing it properly will ensure more visitors opt for it.

“How can (tourists) choose operators and experiences that are sustainable? They are not even aware of the economic benefits that locals are missing from conventional tours and accommodations. Once they are informed and given knowledge about it, they will appreciate it. If everyone had the choice to choose sustainable tourism, they would.”