- 3 years ago
The Awards Ceremony Of Outlook Responsible Tourism is graced by Meenakshi Sharma, Additional Director General Ministry of Tourism, Malika Virdi, Mountaineer and Sarpanch and Soity Banerjee of Outlook Responsible Tourism Initiative.
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00:00 So ladies and gentlemen, it's time now for the very first award this evening.
00:06 And the first category of awards that we're giving away is Best Individually Run Homestay.
00:14 The first award for the evening.
00:17 And to give away the award, I'd like to invite on stage Meenakshi Sharma,
00:22 Additional Director General, Ministry of Tourism, Malika Virdy,
00:26 Mountaineer and Sarpanj of Sarmoli Jayanti Ban Panchayat.
00:30 I'd also like to call Shweti Banerjee of Outlook's Responsible Tourism Initiative.
00:35 May I please invite these beautiful ladies on stage to do the honours.
00:39 And so, the finalists for the Best Individually Run Homestay are
00:52 Granny's Inn Varanasi, Jhiling, you can all clap for them, they are finalists.
00:58 Jhiling Estate, District Nainital, Khumakar, Rakkar Village near Dharamsala.
01:04 And Maheshkanj Estate, Balakhana, Chotaram, Prajapath's Homestay near Jodhpur.
01:12 And the silver award in this category goes to Chotaram, Prajapath's Homestay.
01:22 It's located about 20 kilometres from Jodhpur in the village of Salawas.
01:27 And Chotaram, Prajapath's Homestay is run entirely by the Prajapath family
01:32 who are weavers and continue to fly their trade even today.
01:36 May I please have Mr. Chotaram Prajapath on stage himself.
01:40 (Applause)
01:59 Heartiest congratulations.
02:01 And now for the gold award in this category and it goes to Khumakar,
02:08 a member of the local community, Mohinder Kumar started Khumakar, a co-working homestay
02:13 in a traditional mud house in the village of Rakkar near Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh.
02:20 Well, we did want to play a video of yours.
02:22 So while you receive the award, ladies and gentlemen,
02:24 please have a look at what they've been doing.
02:26 This is Suraj who's received the award.
02:32 But if you can all just take a look at what they've done.
02:39 (Speaking in foreign language)
02:46 (Water flowing)
02:50 (Speaking in foreign language)
02:54 (speaking in foreign language)
02:58 (speaking in foreign language)
03:02 (water splashing)
03:05 (speaking in foreign language)
03:09 (water splashing)
03:15 (speaking in foreign language)
03:20 (speaking in foreign language)
03:32 (seeds rattling)
03:35 (speaking in foreign language)
03:39 (water splashing)
03:41 (speaking in foreign language)
03:45 - Well, congratulations to Kamakar
04:04 and congratulations to Raj for receiving the award.
04:07 Our next award is for the best community run homestay
04:12 and the finalists are Village Ways, Uttarakhand,
04:18 Demul in Spiti, Friends of Orchha in Madhya Pradesh,
04:24 The Goat Village, Uttarakhand,
04:26 and Baramati Agri Tourism, Maharashtra.
04:30 So these are the finalists.
04:32 And this year, the judges were so impressed by the entries
04:37 that they chose two silver awards in this category.
04:42 So I'd like you to put your hands together for the winners.
04:44 I'll call them on one by one
04:46 and tell you a little bit about them.
04:48 But the two winners in the silver category
04:51 are Demul and Baramati Agri Tourism.
04:54 (audience applauding)
04:56 So Demul has been set up with the help
04:58 of Social Enterprise Spiti Ecosphere
05:00 and the homestays at Demul use traditional patterns
05:03 of village governance and guests are allocated homestays
05:06 on a rotational basis.
05:08 At the end of each year, money is distributed equally
05:11 amongst all the homestays so it avoids damaging
05:14 the impact of excessive competition.
05:16 This is Shubhda Rawat from Spiti Ecosphere.
05:21 He's here to collect the award.
05:25 (upbeat music)
05:28 (audience applauding)
05:31 And also like to congratulate Mr. Tawade
05:43 who received the award on behalf of Baramati Agri Tourism.
05:49 So congratulations to both our silver winners.
05:51 And now for the gold award in this category
05:55 of best community run homestay.
05:58 And it goes to, any guesses?
06:01 It goes to Friends of Orchha.
06:04 They've broken, before you come on stage,
06:06 you know I do want everyone to take a look
06:08 at some of the work they've been doing.
06:11 One second, we're just going to play a video
06:16 and tell people about what they've been doing.
06:18 (upbeat music)
06:22 (speaking in foreign language)
06:26 (speaking in foreign language)
06:30 (speaking in foreign language)
06:34 (speaking in foreign language)
06:38 (speaking in foreign language)
06:43 (upbeat music)
06:45 (speaking in foreign language)
06:49 (speaking in foreign language)
06:54 (speaking in foreign language)
06:57 (speaking in foreign language)
07:02 (speaking in foreign language)
07:06 (speaking in foreign language)
07:10 (speaking in foreign language)
07:39 (speaking in foreign language)
07:43 May I invite Romy Samele on stage to receive the award,
08:05 if you're here.
08:07 Or anyone from Friends of Orchha?
08:09 Get it for Romy, I don't think she's here.
08:13 But so we'll get the award across to them.
08:17 I'd like to thank,
08:19 Shweti, I'd like to request you to stay back.
08:24 Thank you ladies for doing the honors.
08:26 Thank you so much.
08:27 Well, for the next category,
08:33 which is Best Heritage Property,
08:37 and to give away the award,
08:38 may I please invite on stage,
08:41 well rightfully, she's been called Dame Belinda, right?
08:44 She probably doesn't like to be called that,
08:46 but she's the Executive Director
08:49 of Wildlife Protection Society of India
08:51 and proprietor of Kipling Camp, Kanha.
08:53 Ma'am, can we have you on stage please?
08:54 As well as Prerna Bindra,
08:56 Wildlife Conservationist and author.
08:58 Ladies, may I please invite you on stage
09:01 to do the honors for the next category of awards.
09:05 (upbeat music)
09:07 So, the finalists for the Best Heritage Property are,
09:28 Parsi Manor in Mathiran,
09:32 Achi Chhatragarh Fort in Ranavas Nagor,
09:37 Chapsley in Shimla,
09:40 Bhuj House, Gujarat and Patan Mahal in Rajasthan.
09:45 These are our finalists for the Best Heritage Property.
09:48 So the judges felt that,
09:54 I mean, heritage properties are very tough to maintain
09:58 and build on a sustainable basis
10:01 and to be responsible in their practices
10:05 because there are a lot of challenges
10:07 that come with heritage properties
10:08 and their family run businesses as well.
10:12 So, while one property definitely stood out
10:15 as a clear winner,
10:16 the judges decided not to award any silver winners this year.
10:21 And it really is because I think heritage properties
10:26 have to work that much harder.
10:28 But the gold winner for the Best Heritage Property
10:33 is Bhuj House.
10:35 And before we call them on stage,
10:38 I'd like you to take a look at their video.
10:40 (upbeat music)
10:46 (upbeat music)
10:48 - So the Bhuj House is my exceptional house
11:01 built by my great-great grandfather in 1894.
11:04 He's been with the family ever since.
11:06 And as a child, I made a lot of visits to this house.
11:10 In 2001, a big earthquake struck Bhuj
11:12 and this house sustained quite severe damage.
11:14 After which we decided to renovate the entire house
11:18 and create a small homestay, which is now the Bhuj House.
11:21 - While we were confident that it should work
11:27 as a homestay,
11:28 rather than just sort of carving up the whole house,
11:30 we wanted to really keep some of the key elements,
11:33 especially the original parts of the house,
11:35 very much in their original form.
11:37 - We also tried to retain the character of the house
11:39 as much as possible using the old elements,
11:41 like the wooden trellises,
11:43 using lime where we could use lime.
11:45 The floor, we tried to retain the old style in the floor.
11:47 We tried to retain the old style in the roof.
11:50 - We've wanted to bring in elements
11:53 which really speak for Kutch today.
11:55 So that's the use of the textiles,
11:57 which is what Kutch is so famous for now.
11:59 And we want to keep that memory
12:00 that the Parsis thrived here once.
12:03 That's what we really want to do
12:05 by retaining the house here and keeping the house alive.
12:08 But we want it to very much be a celebration
12:10 of what Kutch is today.
12:12 We feel this is just the beginning.
12:14 - So well, before I call them on stage,
12:21 you know, they've restored their traditional Parsi home
12:23 in the historic town of Bhuj,
12:25 and they've also conserved the legacy
12:27 of the Parsi community that was once
12:29 an integral part of the city.
12:31 And I'm sure a lot of effort has gone
12:33 into conservation of the building.
12:34 And most importantly, several local craftsmen and masons
12:38 were also encouraged to revive old techniques
12:41 as part of the restoration process.
12:43 Can we please have on stage,
12:45 Han and Katie Bhujwala, please come and receive your award.
12:48 (audience applauding)
13:08 - Well, you'll all have to pose for the cameras.
13:12 Thank you and congratulations.
13:27 Ladies, I'll request you to stay back for some more awards.
13:31 Our next category is Best Wildlife Property.
13:35 And the finalists for the Best Wildlife Property
13:38 are Sai Sanctuary Trust, Karnataka,
13:41 Wilderness Goa, Off the Grid, Karnataka,
13:46 Fringe Ford in Kerala, and Haber's Nest in West Bengal.
13:50 Ladies and gentlemen, these are our finalists
13:53 for Best Wildlife Property.
13:56 Again, judges here were so impressed by the entries
13:59 in the Best Wildlife Property
14:01 that they chose two silver award winners.
14:04 And I'm going to call them out one by one
14:06 because I'd like you all to come on stage one by one.
14:08 The first award goes to Sai Sanctuary Trust.
14:14 Congratulations.
14:15 A non-profit in the Western Ghats
14:17 that started with 55 acres of private land.
14:20 It's now grown to more than 300 acres,
14:23 protecting a biodiversity hotspot.
14:26 And the judges definitely wanted to highlight it
14:28 as an example of wildlife sanctuary
14:30 using tourism for supplementary income.
14:33 Congratulations.
14:35 Can I request you all to come to the center of stage
14:37 if possible.
14:39 You'll have a better photo opportunity.
14:41 Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Anil Malhotra, congratulations.
15:02 (upbeat music)
15:04 And our second silver award, sorry.
15:15 And our second silver award this evening goes to Wilderness.
15:20 Congratulations.
15:21 Wilderness is a mere 10, you know,
15:24 mere 10 acres of the 700 acres of the private sanctuary
15:27 has been used to develop
15:28 a sustainable tourism infrastructure
15:30 and it supports 200 families
15:32 directly benefiting seven villages
15:35 and sustains the conservation
15:37 of a local biodiversity as well.
15:40 They also have the Madei Research Center
15:44 researching lesser known species.
15:47 And we have with us Nirmal Kulkarni on stage.
15:49 Congratulations.
15:51 And now for the gold award
15:57 in the category of best wildlife property.
16:01 And it goes to Fringe Ford.
16:05 Fringe Ford allowed a 507 acre cardamom
16:09 and coffee plantation to return to the wild,
16:12 creating a forest that is now a haven
16:15 for several rare and endangered species.
16:18 And I'll invite you,
16:19 but wouldn't you like to show people
16:20 what you've been doing?
16:21 Just give me a minute.
16:23 Yeah.
16:24 So can we have a look at what Fringe Ford has been doing
16:26 before we call Ahmed on stage?
16:29 When we bought the place in 1995,
16:31 it was a cardamom and coffee plantation.
16:34 And because of the amount of reserve
16:37 that we have around us,
16:38 we decided to convert the existing structures
16:40 that we had on the property
16:41 into a wildlife homestay.
16:44 It's five rooms in 527 acres.
16:49 So we've tried to keep the essence
16:51 of the wilderness experience ahead of everything else.
16:54 And over the years, realized that the contribution
16:57 to conservation that the land is doing
16:58 was quite substantial.
17:00 Every valley that we see here
17:02 is catchment for the streams that flow through it.
17:05 So by letting the forest cover remain
17:08 and not interfere too much with the undergrowth
17:10 and all of that,
17:11 we've sort of replenished the water table.
17:14 By just letting the land be, let it rest,
17:16 and we not do plantation activities on it,
17:18 you're letting the animals come back.
17:20 Muttu, our cook, has been here for 45 years.
17:24 Anil is from the local village here.
17:26 Shaji is from the local village here.
17:27 They all come from local villages around here.
17:29 And that has impacted the communities that they come from,
17:32 is because people see that they are getting
17:34 such good employment and such recognition,
17:37 I would say, to an extent.
17:38 Because they're involved in wildlife,
17:40 conservation, and tourism.
17:42 The French Fords concept is completely based
17:45 on conservation-oriented tourism.
17:48 (audience applauding)
17:51 - Ladies and gentlemen,
17:58 please welcome Ahmed Chamanwala
18:00 to come and receive the award.
18:02 Congratulations, Ahmed.
18:03 (upbeat music)
18:06 (upbeat music)
18:08 Congratulations.
18:26 Thank you, ladies, for doing the honors.
18:28 Thank you so much.
18:29 Our next category of awards is the Best Boutique Property.
18:35 And to give away the award,
18:37 may I please invite on stage,
18:39 Shima Mukherjee, former publisher of Lonely Planet India
18:42 and proprietor of Salban, the Kana homestay.
18:47 Mr. C.B. Ramkumar, board member,
18:49 Global Sustainable Tourism Council,
18:51 founder of Our Native Village.
18:54 I'd also like to request Neha Dara
18:56 of Outlook's Responsible Tourism Initiative to join us.
18:59 (audience applauding)
19:03 So, the finalists for the Best Boutique Property
19:08 are Pepper Trail, Kerala;
19:10 Glenburnty Estate, West Bengal;
19:13 Machli, Maharashtra;
19:16 Shahpurabagh, Rajasthan;
19:18 Meenabag, Himachal Pradesh.
19:20 These are our finalists.
19:21 Ladies and gentlemen,
19:22 let's have a round of applause for them.
19:23 (audience applauding)
19:26 And so, the silver award
19:28 for the Best Boutique Property goes to Meenabag,
19:33 constructed in the Himachali style.
19:35 Meenabag in Shimla showcases local culture,
19:38 music, food, and architecture,
19:40 and only waste wood was used on the property,
19:44 and they really do tick off all the check boxes
19:46 in terms of resource management and sustainability.
19:50 Joining us on stage is Sanjay Aosta.
19:53 Congratulations.
19:56 (audience applauding)
20:02 (gentle music)
20:05 Heartiest congratulations.
20:11 And now, for the gold award in this category,
20:15 and it goes to Machli.
20:19 Machli is a unique farmstay located in a preserved forest
20:22 where the owners have planted over 100
20:24 habitat-friendly trees over the last 15 years,
20:27 and guests are, they engage in practical
20:29 and cultural life of the village.
20:31 90% of the staff are women from the area.
20:34 And before I call Prathamesh to come on stage,
20:37 why don't you take a look
20:39 at some of the work they've been doing?
20:41 - It's been five years since I started this project,
20:44 and we have planted close to 1,000 trees.
20:47 Basically, we have grand tradition of sacred groves,
20:54 which we call devarai,
20:56 means a forest which is preserved by the community,
20:59 which is dedicated to the God.
21:01 (gentle music)
21:04 The cottages mimic the old-styled huts,
21:12 which are called machlis,
21:14 set up in a very dense plantation of coconut,
21:16 betel nut, banana, and spices.
21:17 We are keeping a small part of the whole plantation
21:22 as devarai, or sacred groves.
21:29 Then comes the grasslands, then come wetlands,
21:32 and also the mangroves.
21:34 Different ecosystems coming together and offering a treat.
21:37 Food is cooked on a wood fire,
21:40 served in other pots on leaf plate.
21:42 And my mother herself takes care of the kitchen.
21:48 Basically, we aim at creating compassion
21:55 within the community for the preservation of Loran fauna.
21:58 Along with sustenance of inheritance.
22:03 It's not just being sustainable,
22:05 staying within the limits of nature's supplies.
22:07 It's going one step ahead, nurturing the nature.
22:10 - Please put your hands together for Prathamesh Saman.
22:19 He's joining us on stage to receive the Gold Award for...
22:22 For this category.
22:26 (upbeat music)
22:29 (clapping)
22:31 (upbeat music)
22:59 Heartiest congratulations.
23:02 Really.
23:03 Our next category of awards is the Best Outdoor Operator.
23:08 And the finalists for the Best Outdoor Operator are,
23:12 White Magic Adventure, Planet Abled,
23:16 Quest Expeditions, Konkan Explorers,
23:20 Global Himalayan Expeditions.
23:23 There they are, ladies and gentlemen.
23:25 I know you can do better than that.
23:27 (clapping)
23:29 Now with several entrants competing neck to neck
23:34 in this category, the jury decided to give away two silvers
23:37 recognizing their equal effort
23:41 rather than a gold and a silver.
23:43 So we've got two silver winners
23:45 and I'm going to give out the first one.
23:48 It's Konkan Explorers.
23:51 Congratulations, reveals a new side of Goa,
23:54 reducing the burden on its beaches.
23:56 It champions a low impact activity like kayaking,
23:59 encouraging adventure seekers to explore the coast
24:02 as well as the rivers of Goa,
24:04 which people seem to ignore because the beaches are there.
24:06 Please join us on stage.
24:08 Bonam Rebo.
24:11 Congratulations.
24:14 (upbeat music)
24:16 (upbeat music)
24:19 Congratulations to Konkan Explorers.
24:36 Our second silver award goes to Quest Expeditions.
24:40 Congratulations, promotes non-motorized coastal activities
24:44 like surfing, windsurfing, kayaking, snorkeling,
24:47 and they employ underprivileged residents
24:50 of Don Bosco Shelter as guides
24:51 and provide lifeguard training to local fishermen as well.
24:55 Can we have Jehan Driver on stage
24:57 to please receive the award?
24:59 Ladies and gentlemen,
25:05 create some energy.
25:08 These are people who, you know,
25:10 work hard but they're your colleagues and counterparts.
25:14 Next year it might be you they're clapping for.
25:17 So you want to set the expectation right.
25:20 I'd like to thank our guests for doing the honors.
25:37 Thank you so much.
25:37 Neha, I request you to stay back.
25:39 Thank you, ma'am.
25:40 (upbeat music)
25:43 For the next category,
25:49 and that is the best urban neighborhood operator,
25:54 I'd like to call on stage to do the honors,
25:58 Ananda Banerjee, author and award-winning
26:00 wildlife conservation journalist,
26:02 as well as Megan Epler-Wood.
26:04 You heard her earlier in the day.
26:07 May I please invite you on stage to do the honors?
26:10 (audience applauding)
26:13 Well, the finalists for the best
26:28 urban neighborhood operator are
26:30 Mumbai Magic,
26:33 Cycling in Jaipur,
26:35 the Preserve Allopecies Society,
26:38 Reality Tours and Travels,
26:40 and Calcutta Photo Tours.
26:42 Congratulations, guys.
26:43 These are the finalists.
26:44 The silver award for the best urban neighborhood operator
26:51 goes to the Preserve Allopecies Society.
26:54 It was started by the ladies wing of the Lions Club
26:57 in Allopecia in the year 2000.
26:59 Members, mostly housewives,
27:01 take turns to conduct tours,
27:03 sharing the history and heritage of the city,
27:05 including that of the migrant communities.
27:09 And of course,
27:10 tours end with refreshments in one of their homes.
27:13 Can we please invite Rani John,
27:16 Matthew and Kunjumeri John to come on stage, please,
27:19 to collect the award?
27:20 (audience applauding)
27:35 Ladies and gentlemen,
27:36 give it up for these beautiful ladies
27:39 who are doing some interesting work.
27:41 (upbeat music)
27:44 (audience applauding)
27:47 (upbeat music)
27:50 (upbeat music)
27:52 (upbeat music)
28:21 Big hugs.
28:23 So sweet.
28:24 Congratulations.
28:26 And now for the gold award
28:29 in the category of best urban neighborhood operator,
28:32 and it goes to Reality Tours and Travels
28:36 for their tours of Dharavi, Mumbai.
28:38 Although the first,
28:42 at first the Reality Tours and Travels
28:44 was heavily debated and the judges were,
28:47 but eventually the judges were unanimous
28:48 in their decision to award them the gold in this category
28:51 because they felt that the company was doing
28:53 what it set out to do,
28:55 breaking stereotypes and showing a side of Dharavi
28:58 that few would otherwise care to explore.
29:01 And before I invite Joseph Bhard on stage,
29:04 can we have a look at some of the work
29:06 that they've been doing?
29:07 (upbeat music)
29:12 Reality Tours and Travel,
29:14 I can say it's a socially responsible tour company.
29:18 We use 80% of our profit to support local communities.
29:23 My name is Krishna.
29:27 I'm from Karnataka, I'm from Mangalore.
29:30 I came to Bombay when I was 13.
29:32 I used to work in restaurants and cafeterias
29:36 during the day and I studied in the night schools.
29:39 For me, what surprised was
29:44 the commercial activities of Dharavi.
29:47 Every few meters, we see some kind of industries there.
29:50 So that's what made me, wow, it's completely different.
29:53 And in 2002, I met Chris.
30:00 He's now my business partner.
30:02 We work in the community,
30:05 especially our Dharavi tour is within the community.
30:08 So far, we've worked with more than 7,000 community members.
30:16 We have that many beneficiaries in the community.
30:19 In fact, if people in the beginning,
30:21 if they really said, no, no, no,
30:22 we don't want anybody to come to Dharavi,
30:24 we don't want people to see this, we would never have done it.
30:27 So I always give this credit to the people,
30:30 the first people who trusted in us, okay?
30:32 (audience applauding)
30:42 - Well, please welcome on stage
30:47 our winners, Reality Tours and Travel.
30:53 There's Joseph Bird.
30:58 (upbeat music)
31:27 I'd request you all to please stay back
31:28 for some more awards.
31:30 Our next category of awards is for Best Cultural Immersion
31:36 or the Best Cultural Immersion Operator.
31:38 And the finalists in this category are Culture Angan,
31:43 Dirty Feet, Kerala Responsible Tourism Mission,
31:48 Sound Travels and Folk Tales.
31:51 Ladies and gentlemen, our finalists.
31:57 And the silver award for Best Cultural Immersion Operator
32:00 goes to Culture Angan.
32:03 They give their guests immersive experiences
32:07 in villages of Maharashtra with a special emphasis
32:09 on reviving traditional arts,
32:11 like folk theater and Pinguli puppet craft.
32:14 They're on stage with us, Rashmi Sawant,
32:19 to collect the awards.
32:21 Some of you heard her earlier in the morning.
32:23 (upbeat music)
32:26 And now for the gold award in this category,
32:46 and it goes to the Folk Tales.
32:51 The judges were very impressed by Folk Tales tours
32:54 to Meghalaya where travelers learned
32:56 to weave their own cloth in villages
32:58 and live with indigenous tribes,
33:00 learning their folk tales and traditional practices.
33:02 And before I call Gaurav Bhatnagar on stage,
33:06 I'd like you to see a video.
33:08 (singing in foreign language)
33:15 (bell ringing)
33:18 - The idea behind the name Folk Tales
33:21 is that we bring out the folk tales of each village
33:24 to the people who are traveling to that village.
33:26 And since we are involving the local people
33:29 and giving direct income to them, it is sustainable.
33:31 The vision of Folk Tales is to introduce
33:34 this kind of experiential travel in every state of India.
33:38 And also the vision is to encourage people
33:40 to come back to the villages from the cities
33:41 and to learn the traditional practices
33:44 and to come back to the villages from the cities
33:45 and find livelihood in their village itself.
33:48 Provided that we know that there are so many resources
33:51 in the same village, all they need is a little guidance.
33:54 Now we are in 11 states of India.
33:56 We are quite active in Northeast as well,
33:58 including Meghalaya.
34:00 And something that really touched me
34:01 was how people are really passionate
34:04 about their land there.
34:05 There are various elements of a culture
34:08 that we need to look at.
34:09 What occupation people do, agrarian occupation
34:12 or handicrafts might be the local cuisine,
34:15 the local dances and songs,
34:17 the architecture could be the languages.
34:20 I'm proud about the relationships that we have created
34:25 and those relationships have lasted
34:28 since the last four years
34:29 and they are going to stay for a while.
34:42 Please welcome Gaurav Bhatnagar on stage
34:44 to receive his gold award.
34:46 (audience clapping)
34:49 (upbeat music)
35:15 - Well, thank you to our guests for doing the honors.
35:20 Congratulations to all the winners.
35:22 Now, before we announce the overall winner tonight,
35:26 we'd like to recognize a special organization
35:30 for its outstanding achievement.
35:33 The judges wanted to celebrate
35:35 the Kerala Responsible Tourism Mission,
35:37 which has over the last 10 years,
35:40 piloted a range of approaches
35:42 to securing additional livelihoods for local communities
35:45 and enhancing guest experiences
35:47 in various districts of Kerala.
35:50 And well, before I invite our guests to give away the award,
35:55 I'd like you to take a look
35:57 at the work that they've been doing.
35:59 - It's a government initiative.
36:07 The core objective of Responsible Tourism Mission
36:10 is to enable the local community and tourism industry
36:14 through economic, social,
36:15 and environmental responsibility parts.
36:17 On 2007, UN, with the support of some other agencies,
36:29 conducted a study at Kumarakom.
36:31 There was no linkage with tourism industry
36:34 and the local community.
36:36 After implementation of Responsible Tourism Project
36:38 at Kumarakom, now it is revealed
36:40 that more than 3,800 families
36:43 benefiting from tourism industry.
36:45 There is a drastic change.
36:48 We started a package in the name of Village Life Experience.
36:54 You can experience traditional livelihood activities.
36:57 If you have a homestay or already you are operating,
37:04 we will promote, we will market the homestay.
37:07 So we are trying to create some linkages
37:11 to the local producers,
37:12 local products to the tourism industry.
37:14 Without considering the local community,
37:21 the local environment, and the nature,
37:24 you cannot sustain.
37:25 Responsible Tourism trying to create
37:30 better place for people to visit
37:31 and better place for people to live in.
37:33 (upbeat music)
37:36 Need for Responsible Tourism is the need
37:41 for the sustenance of tourism and the earth.
37:44 - Wow.
37:55 Well, to do the honors and give away
37:58 the Outstanding Achievement Award,
38:00 I would like to invite on stage Mr. Sonam Wangchuk,
38:04 our chief guest, Mr. Inderneil Roy,
38:06 CEO Outlook Group, and Dr. Harold Goodwin,
38:10 Director, International Center for Responsible Tourism
38:12 and MD for Responsible Tourism Partnership
38:15 and RT Advisor, WTM London.
38:17 Gentlemen, may I please invite you all
38:19 to join us on stage and give away the next set of awards.
38:28 I'd like to invite Mr. Rupesh Kumar to come on stage
38:32 to receive the award,
38:34 well, the Outstanding Achievement Award
38:36 that goes to Kerala Responsible Tourism Mission.
38:41 (audience applauding)
38:45 (upbeat music)
38:48 Congratulations.
39:05 Thank you.
39:11 Gentlemen, I'd request you to stay back for one more award.
39:15 Thank you, sir.
39:16 And now for the big one, for the overall winner
39:21 that was chosen from all the gold winners this year.
39:24 But before I announce the overall winner,
39:28 I'd like to invite Neha Arora of Planet Abled,
39:32 one of our overall winners from last year
39:35 to join us on stage.
39:36 It's almost like just handing the bait
39:38 and over to the next one.
39:39 Please join us.
39:40 (audience applauding)
39:45 (upbeat music)
39:47 Neha, before we get you to join the gentlemen
39:50 and do the honors,
39:51 would you like to quickly tell us
39:52 how the year has been after winning the award?
39:55 - Thank you so much for this honor.
40:02 And the journey of the past one year
40:05 since I received the award,
40:08 like it starts from the point
40:10 where I was applying for the award
40:12 and I was thinking whether I'm even eligible.
40:14 Because I wasn't sure
40:16 because when it comes to responsible tourism,
40:19 we talk of ecotourism and sustainability and all of that.
40:24 But yeah, it was a game changer.
40:26 And we won two awards last year for innovation and overall.
40:31 And since then, like earlier,
40:35 like I was a new person to the whole tourism industry.
40:37 I had no idea.
40:39 I knew no one.
40:40 It was like building right from scratch.
40:44 After that, really things changed
40:46 thanks to Outlook and responsible tourism.
40:51 People at least got to know
40:52 that accessible tourism could be a part
40:54 of responsible tourism.
40:56 And since then, we have come a long journey.
41:00 We even organized an access to travel conference
41:04 to start a conversation about accessible tourism
41:08 in the country and getting all the stakeholders together
41:11 in which we were also supported
41:12 by Outlook responsible tourism.
41:15 So I wish all the best
41:17 and congratulations to all the winners.
41:20 I think it's a bigger platform for all of you.
41:26 And it would only go higher.
41:28 Like that's all I can say.
41:30 So all the best.
41:32 (audience applauding)
41:36 - Well, time to announce our overall winner.
41:40 And our overall winner is
41:44 Fringeford, Kerala.
41:46 (audience applauding)
41:49 I'm going to play a little video for Fringeford
41:56 and then I'll invite Emma to join us.
41:58 Bye.
41:59 - Fringeford over the last 20 years,
42:05 they've done incredibly a great job
42:07 in kind of rewilding their property
42:09 with the minimum human interference.
42:12 It is just amazing to hear the times we live
42:15 and it's much needed for the future of our wellbeing.
42:20 - Taking a piece of land which had been used
42:22 for a plantation, but which had failed,
42:25 rewilding it and providing an opportunity
42:28 for wildlife to move through
42:30 what would otherwise be a barrier.
42:32 So you're improving the genetics of the populations
42:35 and at the same time you're creating
42:37 sustainable livelihoods and a way of recreating
42:41 what would have been a much more natural environment.
42:43 - Ladies and gentlemen,
42:51 please put your hands together for Emma.
42:54 And for Santosh as well.
43:00 (audience applauding)
43:04 Ladies and gentlemen, it's our big award tonight.
43:08 And I know you have a little bit more muscle in there.
43:14 (audience applauding)
43:17 (upbeat music)
43:20 Super congratulations and what fabulous work
43:35 you've been doing.
43:36 Thank you gentlemen, thank you for doing the honors.
43:38 (upbeat music)
43:41 I'd like to thank our guests for doing the honors
43:51 and a big, big congratulations once again
43:56 to all our winners as well as all the finalists
43:59 who put up a very hard fight.