Promoting Community led cultural heritage based tourism – Story behind TourEast

Cultural Tourism

Cultural tourism is defined by the World Tourism Organization (Report WTO, 2012) as "trips, whose main or concomitant goal is visiting the sites and events whose cultural and historical value has turn them being a part of the cultural heritage of a community".

Cultural Tourism as per UNWTO is emerging as one of the most successful types of modern travel. It currently accounts for about 37% of all travels and the demand is growing by 15% annually. World Tourism Organization forecasts that by 2020 Cultural Tourism will have a leading role in the world.

Cultural tourism includes besides all the visiting of historical sites and sightseeing, providing the opportunity for enjoyment of past human achievements. As part of domestic tourism, visiting such places is an object of admiration, national pride and rediscovering the achievements of our ancestors.

The link between tourism and poverty alleviation was recognized by the UN first in 1999 to “maximize the potential of tourism for eradicating poverty by developing appropriate strategies in co-operation with all major groups and local communities”.

West Bengal offers unique amalgamation of diverse cultures and natural beauty of myriad hues. #SocialEnterprise @BanglanatakDotCom saw this as an opportune time to showcase the cultural heritage of Bengal.

Promoting Community led cultural heritage based tourism – Story behind TourEast

 @BanglaNatakDotCom works across the grassroots of India since 2000 to empower rural marginalized communities of the grassroots with information, knowledge and skills to change and improve their own life. We use #CultureAsASkill for our work. As part of our work of using traditional culture as a skill for #CreatingLivelihoodOpportunities, #StrengtheningIdentities and mainstreaming rural marginalized communities through our flagship initiative @ArtforLife in 2010 we started developing these artists’ #VillagesasDestinations. Currently we have developed 15 such villages. We created annual festivals in these villages which are run by the communities to promote these places. Getting UNWTO as our international partner to promote our model of #CoummunityedCulturalHeritagebasedTourism was an honour and recognition of our work. 

Community led cultural heritage based tourism presents true benefit of tourism to communities for #CommunityDevelopment, #Empowerment, #PovertyAlleviation, #StrengtheningIdentities of the marginalized, developing a #SenseofPride, #responsible use of living heritages, #check outmigration, providing powerful #incentive for preserving and enhancing ICH since the revenue generated can be channeled back into initiatives to aid its long term survival.

The beginning of TourEast

In 2015 @BanglaNatakDotCom launched its division TourEast for promoting cultural tourism destinations of rural West Bengal and offer authentic experience of heritage traditions and simplicity of rural life.

TourEast aims at engaging local communities in #PromotingCulturalTourism. The villages of folk artists and crafts persons that @TourEast promotes are perfect retreats for city dwellers leading a frenzied life style. They offer domestic and international visitors a rich cultural experience.

Visitors to regular tourist destinations like Santiniketan, Bishnupur, Ayodhya Hills, Malda or Dooars can add a day in the itinerary for a trip to the craft and art hubs. All the locations have hotels and tourist lodges in nearby locations. There is also scope for home stay and enjoying simple Indian meals cooked by the household.

Art lovers, researchers, students or institutions interested in field trips, academic visits or placing interns, engaging volunteers, photographers, young professionals from other sectors, including the corporate may try these newly developed heritage based cultural tourism destinations.

Places TourEast promotes

West Bengal is a confluence of a rich past, diverse geography, architectural grandeur and culture. Its rich cultural repertoire ranges from the exuberant Durga Puja to the chau dance of Purulia; from the world renowned Kolkata Book Fair to the spring festival of Santiniketan; from earthy tones of the Bankura terracotta to the Wooden masks of Dakshin Dinajpur; from the mystic sounds of the Bauls and Fakirs to the subtlety of Tagore songs. Bordered by the Himalayas in the north and the mystic mangrove forest of Sunderbans in the south, the state is replete with nature’s bounty. Come and celebrate life with Cultural Heritages of Bengal.

Let us now take a virtual tour of these 15 artists’ villages that TourEast promotes. This tour will inform you about the cultural tradition of these villages, give a, glimpse of their annual village festivals and places of interests nearby that a visitor to these villages can see. For experiencing it all, a physical visit is recommended. West Bengal Khadi & Village Industries Board has developed Common Facility Centres (CFCs) in some of the artists’ villages with built in #accommodations facilities, #fresh and hot cooked Indian meals prepared by the communities. One can stay here for a nominal cost or stay in the nearby hotels and lodges. During festivals the villages have provisions of tents and artists’ #homestays.