A sustainable tourism initiative in the Indian Himalayas has won a title at the Responsible Tourism Awards.
Village Ways, a tourism initiative which runs community-owned and managed projects in the Himalayas, has walked away with the award for best tour operator for cultural engagement.
The company received the accolade at the Responsible Tourism Awards 2009.
Tourists who choose to undertake one of the trips run by Village Ways are able to experience authentic Indian culture in remote rural regions of the country.
Members of the local communities are involved in the projects as both porters and committee members in order to help travellers get the most from their time in the country.
Commenting on all the winners, Dr Harold Goodwin, chair of the judging panel, said: “We were impressed by the willingness of so many organisations to take responsibility and to do what they can to help make better places for people to live in and better places for people to visit.”
The awards, which have been running since 2004, have previously honoured tourism projects in countries such as Kenya and Australia.
Written by Erin Marshall
