Tip | Search useful information before visiting India: Responsible tourism, eco tourism and volunteer work

New and “exotic” destinations are being promoted by the tourism industry all over the world. Responsible travellers and volunteers care about the welfare of local people. Some restrictions may prevent tourists from entering sensitive “tribal” areas of India. In other regions, the impact of tourism raises ethical questions. More >>

Search tips: checking the facts while planning a trip

1. for different views, key “tribe eco tourism”, “eco tourism tribal”, “tourism benefits local community” and similar word combinations in the custom search window seen below
2. add a particular state or place name (e.g. Andaman, Karnataka, Kerala, Rajasthan)

For a list of websites included in a single search, see below. To search Indian periodicals, magazines, web portals and other sources safely, click here. To find publishing details for Shodhganga’s PhD search results, click here >>

Try the following in case Google Custom Search window or media contents are invisible here: (1) switch from “Reader” to regular viewing; (2) in browser’s Security settings select “Enable JavaScript”; (3) check Google support for browsers and devices | More >>

List of websites covered by the present Custom search engine

1. Action for Community Organisation, Rehabilitation and Development (ACCORD) – www.accordweb.in
2. Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) – www.atree.org
3. Freedom United – www.freedomunited.org
4. Government of India (all websites ending on “.gov.in”)
5. Shodhganga (a reservoir of Indian theses) – https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in
6. Survival International – www.survivalinternational.org
7. Unesco – https://en.unesco.org
8. Unicef – www.unicef.org
9. United Nations – www.un.org/en
10. Video Volunteers – www.videovolunteers.org

Ethical and environmental considerations

“As per a study on human trafficking, the state of Jharkhand has emerged as India’s trafficking hub with thousands of tribal women and girls being trafficked out of the state each year to Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and beyond [while] human traffickers are also involved in many cases of missing children.” – Learn more: Call Shakti Vahini or the national helpline Childline to report human trafficking of tribal girls and women | Full report: The Wire (2 June 2020) | High susceptibility of children in tourism locations | Safe search results “Adivasi tribal bondage slavery trafficking” >>

“Childline 1098 is a 24×7 emergency, free phone outreach for children in distress. It is one of the world’s biggest emergency helpline services dedicated to children, and is considered to be among the country’s largest emergency response systems” – The Hindu, 17 April 2022 >>

Whatever the purpose of your visit, be it as a member of a group of tourists, as a delegate or individual traveller, may it contribute to greater respect for local people. This naturally includes those living in precarious conditions for no fault of their own. Only then your visit may prove to be beneficial for any “tribal” community. It may contribute to the local economy, for instance by providing employment and supporting craftspeople; or conversely it may merely benefit “outsiders” (i.e. investors and  their representatives).

Does ecotourism – driven by Western environmentalism, aided by international institutions, and introduced in the South in form of a ‘development package” – amount to a new ‘Green Revolution’?

“Under the pressure to address the problems of conventional tourism, a great number of ‘new tourisms’ were introduced in the 1980s and 90s – ecotourism, sustainable, community-based, fair-traded, responsible and others. […] Evaluations of pro-poor tourism projects that take a holistic and grassroots-oriented approach are very rare.” – Anita Pleumarom in “The Politics of Tourism, Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development” (accessed 3 May 2020)

“There is very little evidence that ecotourism in its present form is sustainable […] Tourism is inherently an exploitative industry, both ecologically and socially and we need to accept that.” – Smrity Ramavarapu in “Ecotourism-a yay or a nay for conservation?” | Learn more >>

Whilst eco-tourism attempts to fully integrate indigenous communities into the market-driven economic system, it keeps them as “archaeological”  pieces to stimulate the tourists’ nostalgic desire for the “untouched”, “primitive” and “savage”. Worse, irresponsible eco-tourism promotion features photographs and descriptions of ethnic women, giving credence to the false notions that they are willing and available to be discovered by tourists. Apart from resisting to take-overs of ancestral lands by tourism developers, indigenous peoples organisations and support groups have strongly denounced eco-tourism which has produced “human zoos”, as such practices abuse human dignity and involve socio-economic and cultural disruptions which amount to ethnocide. 

Source: Ecotourism: A new ‘green revolution’ in the Third World (Third World Network)
URL: https://www.twnside.org.sg/title/eco2.htm
Date Visited: Wed Jul 23 2014 11:33:47 GMT+0200 (CEST)

For up-to-date information by the Third World Network, visit
https://www.twn.my >>
Tip: to find information on India’s tribal communities, search its website (e.g. “India tribal”, “Adivasi”; for specific issues combine your search with search terms lime “ecology”, “biodiversity”, “education”, “Odisha”, “tourism”, “women rights” etc.)

More tourism and wildlife related tips

• check the Categories “eco tourism” and “tourism” on this website: these are seen on the right side under “Browse more contents by category” in your internet browser (personal computer)
• on a mobile device (smartphone), search for “eco tourism”, “nature”, “wildlife”, and “tourism”
• updates are also found under Related posts (see below)

Practical and financial considerations

Keep in mind that restrictions for visitors apply to some of the regions inhabited by tribal communities. While planning your visit to a tribal community, please have a look at the following checklist:

1. check the website of the Indian Embassy in your country
2. note that the Government of India defines restricted areas from time to time (e.g. in some of the north-eastern states known as Seven Sister States and Orissa/Odisha)
3. follow the travel advice for India issued by your government (e.g. the website maintained by the foreign ministry)
4. India’s tribal schools and welfare organizations are required to follow certain procedures before accepting offers from foreign volunteers
5. wherever volunteer work is an option, you may also want to make a contribution towards hospitality expenses

Chhattisgarh Tourism to Promote ‘Walk with the Tribe’ Experience
February 11, 2015

Chhattisgarh Tourism Board (CTB) aims to promote the ‘Walk with the Tribe’ experience, whereby visitors can go on a nature walk with the learned and local tribal people who have been living there for years. Talking about the same, Santosh K Misra, Managing Director, CTB, said, “With 80 per cent biodiversity and significant natural abundance, a major focus will be on promoting the ‘Walk with the Tribe’ experience, unexplored tourism circuits, and development of collaboration between the locals and the State Tourism Department. With this, major milestones like job creation in tribal sectors and improved standard of living can be achieved. We also seek to create vistas of awareness for international tourists whom we seek to attract with our engaging packages and specially designed tourism junkets.”

Source: Equitable Tourism Options (EQUATIONS) | Chhattisgarh Tourism to Promote Walk with the Tribe Experience
Address: https://www.equitabletourism.org/newsitem.php?AID=2948
Date Visited: Wed Mar 29 2017 17:26:51 GMT+0200 (CEST)

More about Eco tourism | Tourism | Particularly vulnerable tribal groups >>

Related posts

• Accordweb.in | Accord | Articles by co-founder Mari Marcel Thekaekara | Shola Trust
• Atree.org | Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology & the Environment (posts)
• Biodiversity | Biodiversity hotspot | Hyderabad biodiversity pledge | Nilgiri Biosphere
• Climate change | Audio | The Climate Question (BBC Podcast)
• Ecology and environment
• Eco tourism| Man animal conflict | Wildlife tourism
• Environmental history and what makes for a civilization – Romila Thapar
• Equations blog (Equitable Tourism Options)
• Forest Rights Act (FRA) | Legal rights over forest land
• Indigenous knowledge systems
• Information provided by Indian government agencies and other organizations (FAQ)
• Nature and wildlife | Crocodile | Elephant | Tiger | Mangrove forest | Trees
• PARI’s tales from tiger territory | People’s Archive of Rural India (PARI)
• Revival of traditions
• Sacred grove
• Success story
• Water
• Western Ghats – tribal heritage & ecology
• What is the Forest Rights Act about? 
• Who is a forest dweller under this law, and who gets rights?

A case study published by Kerala’s tourism authorities (excerpt focusing on the opportunities and pitfalls of tourism)

Tourism is one of the few sectors where Kerala has clear competitive advantages given its diverse geography in a short space ranging from the Western Ghats covered with dense forests to the backwaters to the Arabian sea. […] It thus, plays an important role in driving growth and bringing about economic prosperity. Tourism’s importance to the economy of Kerala also rests in its capacity to help bring about non-economic benefits. For instance, tourism can help in conserving/reviving past traditions; and promoting cultural heritage, cultural performances and festivals, etc. It can also reinforce a positive sense of community identity, which in turn will encourage local communities to maintain their traditions and identity. Further, tourism, particularly ecotourism, can place a greater focus on the conservation of natural resources by ensuring financial or in-kind support by the government, in recognition of their importance to visitor experiences. But, the benefits of tourism are not unequivocal. It is often seasonal and mainly generates part-time and unskilled jobs for local people. Further, if not planned carefully, tourism can be destructive of culture and local traditions. […]

Source: Report “vision2030” by Kerala Government
Address : https://kerala.gov.in/docs/reports/vision2030/11.pdf
Date Visited: Thu Jul 03 2014 20:50:05 GMT+0200 (CEST)
Backup file: Ch. 11 “Tourism” (PDF, 883 KB)

[Bold typeface added above for emphasis]

Find publications on these issues by reputed authors including Open Access (free download): Worldcat.org >>

Related posts

• Atree.org | Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology & the Environment (posts)
• Biodiversity | Biodiversity hotspot | Hyderabad biodiversity pledge
• Climate change | Audio | The Climate Question (BBC Podcast)
• eBook | Background guide for education
• Ecology and environment | Eco tourism | Tourism | Wildlife tourism
• Environmental history and what makes for a civilization – Romila Thapar
• Equations blog (Equitable Tourism Options)
• Forest Rights Act (FRA) | Illegal mining | Legal rights over forest land
• Indigenous knowledge systems
• Information provided by Indian government agencies and other organizations (FAQ)
• Man animal conflict
• Nature and wildlife | Crocodile | Elephant | Tiger | Mangrove forest | Trees
• PARI’s tales from tiger territory | People’s Archive of Rural India (PARI)
• Revival of traditions
• Sacred grove
• Shola Trust | Nilgiri Biosphere
• Success story
• Water
• Western Ghats – tribal heritage & ecology
• Wildlife tourism
• What is the Forest Rights Act about? 
  Who is a forest dweller under this law, and who gets rights?

Tips for using interactive maps

1. toggle to normal view (from reader view) should the interactive map not be displayed by your tablet, smartphone or pc browser
2. for details and hyperlinks click on the rectangular button (left on the map’s header)
3. scroll and click on one of the markers for information of special interest
4. explore India’s tribal cultural heritage with the help of another interactive map >>