Archive for the ‘About Help Tourism’ Category
20 years of Responsible Service
Sunday, August 15th, 2010Innovations and Destinations
Thursday, August 12th, 2010For almost twenty years now, Help Tourism is following communities’ invitations to bring tourism development to their areas. Since, many formerly unknown destinations have made it into the tourism circuit. Some of them, like West-Sikkim, became world famous. Constant Innovation is the core of Help Tourism’s work and efforts and we are happy to announce that The Dihing River Camp near Khowang village on Dihing River, Dibrugarh, Assam won the ’The Most Innovative New Destination Award’ at TTF (Travel & Tourism Fair) at Calcutta.
Waste Management Campaign continues in 2010
Monday, May 10th, 2010Help Tourism with Expert Klaus Schaette started 2008, at first, a pilot project in Lava, Neora Valley addressing the waste problem, to avoid burning all waste in open fire on the streets, a common practise in India; a smelling, health hazardous procedure and not envi-ronmentally friendly. This time, we addressed the waste problem in three new areas up-coming for Tourism, where people already feel the awareness, that littering waste creates problems.
In Assam, Bongaigaon and Abhayapuri are fast developing into a new tourist destination and acting as a Gateway to Manas National Park, Tiger-, Biosphere Reserve and World heritage site. The Bamungaon picnic spot, is next to the newly opened Astha nature camp.
This beautiful picnic spot at the green hill-ocks, co-managed by community and forest department, is said to be a demonstration site of participatory conservation; as already visited by many local tourist, it looks like a dumping site, littered with paper, plastic, cans and bottles.
The local N.G.O (Bamungaon eco society) asked Helptourism for assistance, a good opportunity for us to give the locals an exam-ple on proper waste management.
In Abhayapuri we found used oil drums and a work-shop, where the incinerator was built.
Our program started on February 8th at the picnic spot for around 40 interested people.
We all collected the waste, separating it for recy-cling, dumping or burning; to burn only the light plastic in the newly built incinerator without smell and smoke. To keep the picnic spot beautiful, we introduced waste baskets, a Pit for dumping and one for compost (organic waste, dry leaves). At the end, the local NGO invited all for a waste free lunch on organic plates. With the NGO we discussed offering local food specialities to picnickers, instead of selling chips packages, thereby avoiding the pollution of the picnic spot with plastics.
In Bansbari, Central Manas Forest Re-serve, the Forest Department and the Helptourism Tourist camps Maozigendri and Ultapani were our partner in the pro-gram. Altogether we could attract almost 100 participants, included local schools for the joint activity.
The separation and burning can be seen in the pictures.
In Ultapani, a village in the Manas Bio-sphere Reserve, the local guides organized our program. We had more than 100 participants, among them many interested villagers. The separation and burning was a big attrac-tion with training effect, the dumping pit had been prepared at the spot.
In Singalila Forest Reserve, Manebhanjan near Darjeeling, West Bengal the Local Guides Asso-ciation had asked Helptourism to assist in the Waste Problem at the Singalila Trek. They showed us the waste at the Trek; in our discussion we developed a self-help concept with baskets, dumping pits and Incinerator.
They organized a training program with almost 40 guides, Forest Guards and villagers.
The simple system of waste management presented in the program, is a self-help concept and primarily for remote areas, as Tourism Camps, with limited access to recycling. It is about waste separation, to keep the place clean, introducing waste baskets and a Pit for Dumping and Compost. The burning is reduced to “light plastic (Plastic-bags and wrappers) in a self-built incinerator, generating more heat, to avoid smell and hazardous smoke.
Not for Burning are:
- pieces for recycling as Water-bottles (PET), PVC (Pots, carpets, cables, Flip-flops), Glass- bottles and metal
- Organic waste, kitchen waste, dry leaves and straw give excellent compost
These packages for chips, tobacco and sweets are on sale everywhere; once empty, you find them littered all over the landscape. They will not rot like paper, cannot be recycled nor burned, since they are coated with metal. To clean the environment, they should be kept only in a dumping pit!!
But they are rather good for the business, the industrial food industry.
by Klaus Schätte – kschaette@freenet.de
Shantiniketan Declaration “Peace through tourism in historically changed Cross-borders”
Wednesday, March 31st, 2010After an inspiring two-day workshop the delegates at the “Peace through tourism in historically changed Cross-borders”-Conference drafted the Shantiniketan Declaration (pdf).
Peace through Tourism in historically changed Cross-borders
Saturday, March 27th, 2010Conference / Workshop in Shantiniketan, March 28-29, 2010, Shantiniketan. Bolpur. West Bengal. India.

Conference: Peace through tourism in historically changed cross-borders, Shantiniketan, India, March 2010
A policy workshop for administrators, political leaders, developers, ambassadors, academicians, trade & industry concerns, NGOs, responsible tourism organizations and all concerned for establishing global peace…
Organized by Department of History, Visva Bharati University,
In collaboration with ICRT-India, IIPT, Travel to Care, ACT & Initiated by Help Tourism.




























