Village Ways - a micro social tourism enterprise at the heart of rural villages - with international reach

1. Village Ways: a social enterprise
micro tourism at the heart of rural villages
– with international reach

2. Binsar:
• The depopulation of beautiful, remote villages
• A need to reinforce the local economy
• A marketable product and route to market
THE BEGINNING

3. Tourism alongside existing income stream

4. Enterprise created by the communities
for the communities
• Formation of Village Committees.
• Enterprises created , owned and run
by the communities

5. Local resources
Local skills
Traditional Architecture

6. Training provided in guiding,
housekeeping, health and safety

7. Local employment, training and capacity building
• Guides, cooks, porters, housekeepers
• Rotation system for looking after guests
• Local taxi drivers used

8. Gender equality
Female guides, committee members,
regional co-ordinators

9. • Guests’ meals prepared using local produce
• Crops, vegetables, buffalo milk, spices

10. Now working in Ethiopia, Nepal and India
• 24 Village Tourism Enterprises

11. Exporting skills and maintaining standards
• Established VTEs assist with training
• Meetings between Regional Coordinators

12. We seek productive partnerships with funding
bodies to create village tourism enterprises
UpAsac in Uttarakhand
AWC in Ethiopia

13. Guided by Founders’ Charter
Principles monitored by Advisory Council

14. Village Ways works with villages where
the following criteria are met:
There is responsible tourism potential and a market can be
identified for it.
An additional income stream is required in the village
communities to enhance livelihoods and reduce poverty.
Each village community is enthusiastic and able to engage in
genuine partnership with Village Ways to achieve mutually
agreed objectives and is able to take responsibility at
community level in an inclusive and equitable way.
Village Ways agrees fair fees with the VTE for the provision
of agreed services of a defined standard and pays promptly:
fees which ensure the commercial viability of all partners.
The wider community must benefit to some significant
degree from the VTE, not just those who are directly engaged
in hosting guests.

15. Village Ways Charitable Trust

16. The Trust works to:
Develop skills for handicrafts and food
production
Product ideas and route to market.
Women health
promote environmental awareness and
conservation. Alternate technology.
Secure funding for infrastructure and capacity-
building for VTEs.

18. Independent Monitoring
• Positive Impacts seen/ observed
• Monitoring the impacts of the projects
through a survey model
• Results are encouraging

19. Tailored holiday product, targeted marketing
and flexible pricing for domestic tourists

20. Increasing awareness of responsible tourism
among domestic tourists

21. Women-only groups to encourage solo women
travellers

22. Sell direct and through partner travel
companies who are sensitive to our ethos
• Inntravel in UK
• La Balaguere in France

23. Best for Local Economy 2013

24. Grass Roots
• As we move forward we are hoping to develop
associate partnerships with other like-minded
organisations to foster village life

25. Thank you