holiday.digseed.com Introduction:
The Sunderbans is a world heritage site covering 6,000 sq km of wilderness, including 102 river islands of which 54 are habitable,The Sunderbans Jungle Camp lies next to a small agricultural settlement, embedded between river and paddy fields. The camp consists of six bungalows constructed from local materials and in a traditional design. .
Sunderbans jungle camp in north-east India is one of the most unusual tourism projects to be short-listed for the Tourism for Tomorrow awards. The small eco-tourism camp in the Ganges delta wilderness has been nominated in the Investor in People category in recognition of the way local people are involved in the project.
One of the most impoverished and remote parts of India has a secret that will be revealed at the forthcoming summit of the World Travel and Tourism Council in Lisbon. Its a small jungle camp that is vying for the Investor in People award in recognition of its development of tourism for the area.
The camp is called Sunderbans and is operated by Help Tourism, a tourism-development, promotion and operation company, which is encouraging people to visit this wild and beautiful part of north-east India, the delta of the River Ganges and the Brahmaputra in the Bay of Bengal.
Sunderbans Jungle Camp is promoting sustainable tourism as an alternative to a subsistence livelihood among local people which has contributed to environmental degradation and poverty. Their sustainable tourism approach is helping to provide a successful, alternative economic and social benefit model to local people.
The Sunderbans is a world heritage site covering 6,000 sq km of wilderness, including 102 river islands of which 54 are habitable. The region borders Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhuta and China and the nearest big city and international gateway is Kolkata (Calcutta).
The jungle camp is the only Indian eco-tourism project to be nominated for this years Tourism for Tomorrow awards. Last year the whole state of Kerala was nominated for the destination award but lost out to Mexico, so there are high hopes for Sunderbans this year.
The Sunderbans Jungle Camps unique selling point is that it has used locals to partner its tourism initiative, who are generally marginalized by private players, said Mandip Singh Soin, one of the WTTC judges. Local people benefit from the profits made by Help Tourism, which returns three-quarters of its earnings to the villagers. The income supports a local school, higher education facilities and free medical treatment and medicines.
The Sunderbans are the worlds largest mangrove forest and home to the famous Royal Bengal Tiger. There are also over 180 species of wild birds and numerous mammals, reptiles and fish native to the region.
The Sunderbans Jungle Camp lies next to a small agricultural settlement, embedded between river and paddy fields. The camp consists of six bungalows constructed from local materials and in a traditional design.
The sun heats the water to pleasant temperature, electricity for lighting is generated by solar panels and the fans are operated by generator-energy on demand. On the Fishermens Deck, you can sit out on a terrace and a bamboo bridge connects the bungalows with a dining area.
The local Nature and Wildlife Protection Society has an office, where detailed information about the Ecosystem Sunderbans is available for visitors.
Help Tourism was founded in 1991 as a means of bridging tourism and conservation in east and north India. It seeks to identify and promote the development of communities through eco-tourism and the preservation of nature and culture.
The staff of the Sunderbans jungle camp are local people and the enterprise offers a livelihood to the local community who would otherwise be entirely dependent on subsistence agriculture and fishing. The camp provides work for the staff and also for local craftsmen, guides, shopkeepers and fishermen
The nomination of Sunderbans for the Investor in People award is recognition of what can be achieved by harnessing local people in the development of tourism even in the most remote corners of the country. The awards will be made at a gala dinner in Lisbon later this week. The secret is out.