Local Skills, Local Flavours: The Future Of Sustainable Tourism?

Two decades ago, during my early travels to remote destinations, I found inspiration in boutique hotels and gained my first insights into what an owner-run, offbeat hotel could be. What left a lasting impression on me was the happiness of the people and the deep respect they had for their workplace—the hotel and its owner. These homestays, bungalows, and small hotels embodied thoughtful ideas, such as conserving forest paths or restoring old colonial bungalows while integrating local cuisine, culture, and design from nearby villages.

Early pioneers of this approach included places like Sitla Estate, Ramathra Fort, Kipling Camp, and Shahpura Bagh. These owner-run hotels used the local community and environment as valuable assets, setting themselves apart by telling stories of conservation, heritage, rural life, and nature. I was fascinated by the creativity in local crafts, seasonal cuisine, building techniques, farming practices, and daily art and performances, all woven seamlessly into the hotel experience. When managed efficiently and integrated into tourism, it creates a win-win situation for everyone involved.

Hospitality and tourism are among the largest contributors to global employment. This raises an important question: How much of this employment benefits the people living in the immediate destination, whether in the same city or town or, in the case of remote areas, the surrounding communities? Unless it's a community homestay or a project specifically designed to create a positive local impact, a significant portion of the tourism and hospitality workforce is often brought in from places that offer cheaper labour. This is a trend that shouldn't come as a surprise.

This trend continues today; in India, people from the hills and nearby Nepal work in service-oriented industries like cafes, restaurants, and hotels. So, what’s wrong with that? While it provides valuable job opportunities, the migration of predominantly male workers from small villages to larger tourism towns creates shifts that can have social and psychological effects on the migrants and the communities they leave behind. Though this phenomenon exists in many industries, the solution for tourism and hospitality lies within the sector itself. By employing more locals—ensuring that a significant portion of the workforce comes from within a commuting distance—providing them with hospitality training and integrating their local knowledge and skills, businesses can create a happier, more authentic, and more stable workforce.

Reviving Nature

Ramathra Fort in Sapotara, Rajasthan, began with a mission to "stay the axe," restoring a forest of Dhok (Anogeissus pendula) around the 350-year-old fort, which now stands in solitary beauty as a haven for travellers exploring the popular Golden Triangle. It has become a pioneer in effortless rewilding, community employment, skill development, and high-value heritage tourism. Meanwhile, Kipling Camp, one of the first lodges in Kanha, established in the early 1980s, has its heritage and is entirely powered by a team from nearby villages. The camp plays a significant role in supporting the community, addressing issues like alcoholism, and promoting health and hygiene. Sitla Estate in Mukteshwar, Kumaon, where urban resettlers are increasingly common, continues to protect its 40 acres of orchards and forests. The estate offers hikes and trails guided by local experts, some of whom have been employed there for over 25 years.

Cultural Conservation Through Tourism

One of the least discussed aspects of community-inclusive travel is how responsible tourism and hospitality can positively impact local crafts, textiles, and performing arts. There are many examples: the floor art that adorns mud-plastered floors in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, local weaving units, and metalworks that thrive when incorporated into signature design and décor. These crafts gain continuity and profitability, as seen with the preservation of frescoes in Rajasthan. Crafts like Phad paintings and the painted havelis of Shekhawati have experienced a revival through tourism, leading to restoration efforts and increased visits. Performing arts, such as Baul music and Chhau dance from Mayurbhanj, have also found new life through cultural tourism, supported by visionary initiatives from hotels like Bari Kothi in Murshidabad and The Belgadia Palace in Odisha.

Skilling And Employment

A common question in remote locations is hoteliers' options if they do not employ local people. The answer lies in hiring locally, training them in hospitality, and ensuring fair and regular wages according to Niti Aayog guidelines. Beyond training, I am particularly passionate about incorporating local skills and knowledge into the hotel's operations. This can greatly enhance the hotel's character from a marketing perspective. For example, utilising local woodfire cooking techniques, recipes, wellness traditions, hand-done plastering, floor art, and thatch and wall art can contribute to the hotel's design and foster a sense of pride within the community. Purchasing local produce, using local crafts, reusing local wood and stone in the hotel's design, and collaborating with local farmers and craftsmen provide direct revenue and increased visibility for the community.

Local Culture And Local Design

Intentionally incorporating local design, themes, and operations inspired by regional architecture helps create a familiar and meaningful space for the community. Employing local craftspeople to build and design spaces encourages them to appreciate their architectural and cultural traditions. Celebrating local festivals, such as Dussehra in Kullu, as highlighted by experiences at ShivAdya in Manali, showcases our cultural diversity and promotes tourism in lesser-known areas during off-peak times. The cuisine is another crucial element; for instance, Himachali Dham and Sadhya in Kerala, as well as dining experiences by The Blue Yonder in the backwaters, such as eating on Chinese fishing nets, offer both romantic experiences for travellers and additional income for local fishing communities facing challenges like climate change and overfishing.

Homestay and community-based tourism can present several challenges. The unchecked proliferation of homestays, along with a lack of focus on quality and poor management, can create unhealthy competition within the community and negatively impact the traditional occupations of local people. These projects should be designed to support local livelihoods rather than transform artists, artisans, and farmers into hoteliers. The goal should be to enhance and preserve existing roles within the community rather than disrupt them.

Buying locally and integrating local crafts, textiles, regional cuisines, arts, and performing arts are effective ways to give a hotel a unique character and convey an authentic destination story. By preserving heritage tourism in this manner, a destination-centric narrative is created, which fosters community growth and adds value for all stakeholders. Community-inclusive tourism helps retain people in their towns and villages, generates job opportunities, supports development initiatives, and promotes local art and performing arts, all while nurturing pride in local culture. Additionally, it drives revenue by purchasing local produce and creates opportunities for hotels to build shared value, promote the destination, and support local enterprises. As the tourism industry grows, addressing its challenges through such inclusive strategies offers a future-forward approach to sustainable tourism and hospitality.

Shoba Rudra is the Founder of RARE India, the largest community of boutique, owner-run hotels and travel experiences in the Indian subcontinent that focus on promoting community-inclusive and planet-sensitive travel.