Village ways-Merging tourism and livelihood

We all enjoy a vacation once in a while as we take a little break from work and rejuvenate our energy. In today’s fast-paced lives in cities, what else can be more refreshing than leaving the chaos of a city for a while and just enjoying ourselves in a calm scenic place? That is exactly when village ways, an organization that works in partnership with local people of the villages in the unspoiled regions of India, Nepal, and Bhutan comes into the picture. With village ways as host, one can enjoy living in serene villages with the help of local guides who help connect with local hosts while you enjoy your stay in the unique, village owned guesthouses. As one is hosted by the locals, he or she gets the privilege of enjoying traditional foods cooked by them.

Village ways not only help the tourists by providing incredible hospitality but they are also a blessing in disguise for the villagers they work with as they provide an alternative source of income and also promote tourism in their village which further enhances their future income prospects. The basic principle of the company is to provide enough funding along with technical and community support and most importantly a reliable long-term route to market to the start ups in order to help to help promote local tourism with the help of community until the start up is ready to stand on it’s own feet.

The organization is open to working anywhere in the world where there’s tourism. Currently they operate in the following places in India, Uttarakand, Rajasthan, Kerala, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and parts of Nepal.

If one wants to be a part of their wonderful initiative, village ways also has a training and development unit for clients wishing to collaborate with them and developing new village enterprises. They have also established a Responsible Tourism Resource Centre (RTRC) at Khali Estate, in the Himalayas of Uttarakhand. The RTRC provides the new or potential partners an ideal place in to understand the concepts of Village Ways operations.

For their tremendous work, they have also been facilitated with highly prestigious awards like-

The British Guild of Travel Writers 2007 – Winner

Guardian Travel Awards 2007 – Second Place

Times Green Spaces Award 2008 – Winner

World Travel Market Responsible Tourism Award for Cultural Engagement 2009 – winner

 TOFT Wildlife Community Tourism Awards 2010 – winner

 Observer Ethical Awards 2013 – shortlisted

World Travel Market Responsible Tourism Award  – ‘’Best For Local Economy’’ 2013 – Winner

World Travel Market Responsible Tourism Award ‘’Best for Poverty Reduction’’ 2017- Winner

 PHD Chambers of Commerce and Industry & Uttarakhand Tourism Dev. Board Responsible Employer   2019- Silver

World Travel Market Responsible Tourism Award ‘’ Meaningful Connections’’ 2020 – Commended

World Travel Market Responsible Tourism Award ‘’ Growing the local Economic Benefit’’ 2021 – Gold (India)

and Gold ( Global )