ITANAGAR, 4 Jun: Eight government officials and five registered tour operators from Arunachal Pradesh visited Ladakh on an exposure tour under the ‘Dekho Apna Desh’ initiative of the tourism department.
The objective of the tour was to gather firsthand experience about sustainable and responsible tourism practices, like homestays, farm stays and community-based tourism activities in rural Ladakh.
The team visited the Himalayan Institute of Alternative Learning, where they were briefed on various initiatives of the institute.
They held a meeting with the All Ladakh Tour Operators Association and representatives of the Hotel and Bike Association. The teams exchanged views and ideas on the challenges and opportunities in promoting sustainable and responsible tourism.
During the meeting, the associations apprised the visiting team of some of the initiatives taken up by them for the benefit of the hoteliers and tour operators.
On the third day, the team visited Likir village, which is famous for clay pottery, painting, wood carving, weaving, etc. The team exchanged views and ideas about functioning of homestays with the local tourism stakeholders, women SHGs’ members, and the artist community.
Later, the team toured the Likir monastery and, and then drove to Hemis Shukpachan to experience rural life there. The HIAL has been working to support the villagers of Hemise Shukpanchan.
They also trekked to the most scenic and isolated village of Ladakh, called TA. The village comprises 13 families.
The team also visited Dah Hanu village and Pangong-Tso Lake, where the Hindi movie 3 Idiots was shot.
The team wrapped up their day’s tour with a visit to the camp site in Merak village, where temperature falls to minus two degree centigrade at night. During their night stay, they also learned about camp management for visiting guests.
The tour was supported by NotOnMap, a social-driven initiative promoting sustainable and responsible tourism across rural communities in India.
