A Journey of Empowering a Community for Self Reliance: Endogenous Tourism Project in Sualkuchi, Assam, India
The Centre for Environment Education (CEE) is partnering the Union Ministry of Tourism (MoT), India, and UNDP India in implementing an endogenous tourism project (ETP) at Sualkuchi. Situated in Assam province, Sualkuchi is the largest village in the Brahmaputra basin and is famous for silk weaving....
Enregistré dans:
| Udgivet i: | URI:https://journals.openedition.org/factsreports, |
|---|---|
| Hovedforfatter: | |
| Format: | Article ou chapitre numérique |
| Sprog: | Anglais |
| Udgivet: |
Field Actions Science Reports
2010
|
| Fag: | |
| Online adgang: | Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM |
| Summary: | The Centre for Environment Education (CEE) is partnering the Union Ministry of Tourism (MoT), India, and UNDP India in implementing an endogenous tourism project (ETP) at Sualkuchi. Situated in Assam province, Sualkuchi is the largest village in the Brahmaputra basin and is famous for silk weaving. The project experimented with tourism as an engine of rural development under Indian conditions. Tourist sites entirely managed by local communities were used for the first time under the ETP.Project activities involved rural infrastructure development and capacity enhancement of local communities through institution building, exposure, training and networking for rural tourism management. The project at Sualkuchi faced initial obstacles as the concept was new in this part of the globe. Initially a cross section of the community was reluctant because of their unawareness, lack of skill, poor infrastructure, conservative social system and lack of faith in the socio-political system. Vested interest groups, including local influential persons and decision makers, were opposed to the idea of handing over the project management to the inexperienced community committee. The project, apart from developing tourism, also tried to make it a learning experience for sustainable development. Empowerment of women, promotion of self help groups (SHGs), health camps, sanitation drives, and vocational trainings were the peripheral activities of the project. Out of the total of thirty six ETP sites, fifteen sites are now open for visitors, and approximately 14,000 individuals are involved in these sites. The total income of these sites in 2008 was slightly over INR 48.7 million. In the Sualkuchi site, the income level of at least 80 families has increased by 40%. Today, the local cultural groups are performing at national platforms, the cuisine of Sualkuchi is recognized as one of the best among all the ETP sites in the country, and the villagers are now confident enough to receive tourists from all over the globe. |
|---|