Want to go footloose in rural heartlands of India?
Purulia, one of West Bengal's rugged, hilly and forested districts, is preparing to play host to foreign and domestic tourists to its home, hearth, heritage and culture.
A cooperative tourism project involving 197 locals, backed by the Scottish Government Development Fund, Yes Bank, and the Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, is shaping up a home-stay tourism venture in Purulia.
On Monday a four-day training programme, first of the initiative, began with Purulia villagers, tribal artisans and folk artistes for capacity building in Purulia.
According to Yes Bank's “man-on-the-ground”, Mr Parth Joshi, three districts of Uttarakhand – Pithoragh, Ranikhet and Bageshwar – would also be part of the project, branded as “Edge of India.”
People involved in the community-based project told Business Line that the four cooperatives, which have already been formed in the two project States ( Uttarakhand and Bengal), are likely to be ready to accept tourists some time next year.
Marketing exposure
The members of the cooperatives had their first exposure in marketing their kind of tourism with the travel agents handling domestic and inbound traffic at Jaipur in April. “They would participate at a global travel fair in London in November this year too for more market linkages,” said Mr Joshi.
Online portal
The project managers are also setting up an online portal with a booking engine, which will be handed over to the cooperatives for use.
The Scottish Government under a partnership with its Indian counterpart will fund and handhold the beneficiaries of the project's first phase for the next couple of years.