12/05/2023
The engagement of local communities in tourism is vital to wholesome development as it helps break down barriers and to engage with the local communities in meaningful, life-changing ways. Local food, local culture and festivals are add-on products to tourism as they provide authentic experiences to tourists and help towards the conservation of the environment and local culture in today’s fast-changing world. It isn't easy to find a perfect balance between such community engagement and tourism development. In this issue, we talk about the Singinawa Jungle Lodge, set on the 110-acre, adjoining the Buffer Zone of Kanha Tiger Reserve, in India. Kanha National Park has been home to the Baiga and the Gond tribes. When Kanha was declared a National Park in 1955, many of these native tribals were evicted from their place of origin for the larger good of conserving the wildlife of the place. Today both these tribes live in the surrounding areas of the Kanha National Park. Apart from farming, many locals now work as park guides or at the lodges around the Kanha national park. The Singinawa Conservation Foundation at the Jungle Lode provides support to the local tribes, by employing 75% of lodge staff from surrounding villages. The Foundation also provides multi-layered support to local schools. For the local communities in and around the park, from time to time it establishes a free health check-up camp. In addition to this, a percentage of the proceeds from tourists’ stay at the Lodge is used to freely give the community sustainable items such as solar lamps, and warm clothing amongst many such items by the foundation. Then there is the Kanha Museum of Life & Art in the Lodge, which provides a platform for the tribals and helps in promoting their contemporary art, which has emerged from the region’s Indigenous culture. Photo courtesy Singinawa Jungle Lodge. vijusrini64
