Creating Responsible Travellers..
Along with everything that we stand to learn and practice everywhere else…
According to news reports this week, France has emerged as the world leader in promoting sustainable tourism. According to a report by The Economist’s Sustainable Tourism Index, France, Germany and the UK are best at preserving their social, cultural and environmental capital. Continue reading “This Is Why France Still Reigns As World Champion In Sustainable Tourism”
The Indian government’s decision to limit the total number of domestic tourists to 40,000 a day inside the Taj Mahal has led to conflicted emotions across the world. Do we need a special privilege to visit our own cultural heritage? The question that needs to be highlighted is a much bigger one. Continue reading “India’s First Step Towards Regulating Tourist Traffic Is Under The Scanner, But Why?”
The Himalayas are a trekker’s delight and thousands flock to various trekking destinations each year. A handful never return. A first-hand account of why you should never take a visit to the mountains lightly. Continue reading “The Himalayas Let Me Return Alive, I Am Wiser For It”
Episodes about the Vijayanagara Empire in the television show Bharat Ek Khoj by Mr. Shyam Benegal (based on Jawaharlal Nehru’s Discovery Of India) – that I loved watching on Doordarshan during my growing up days – had developed a deep curiousity and fascination about the empire in me; and I had always yearned to visit the ruins of Hampi – capital of the 14th century Vijayanagara Empire. Imagine my joy when I visited Bangalore this year for a conference and realized that this was the perfect opportunity for me to make my childhood dream come true. Continue reading “Hampi: Story of A Ruined Citadel”
As an aid worker, the journey to a workstation can be perilous. Work is stressful and heart-wrenching. Amid all this, the ability to marvel at fellow human beings and celebrate the natural beauty of the most offbeat locations can be the best reward. Continue reading “A Page From A Humanitarian Response Officer’s Diary: The Nepal Earthquake 2015”
Not all who wander are considered lost; and sometimes a journey into the unknown can take us to interesting finds that make for a memory worth writing home about. My recent visit to Vietnam with a friend proved to be all the endorsement to that fact I needed. Continue reading “A Secret Café In Vietnam That Offers Tea, Coffee And Perspective”
As the world faces more frequent and severe disasters, humanitarian workers find themselves busier everyday – facilitating and implementing humanitarian responses in disaster affected communities across the globe. As a humanitarian professional, I too have had the opportunity to travel across India and Nepal over the last nine years – contributing to communities and experiencing local cultures, although quite differently from other responsible travellers. Continue reading “Do Humanitarian Responders Qualify As Responsible Travellers?”
