Responsible and Sustainable Tourism in Kutch Gujarat

Hello and Namaste ! šŸ™‚

Iā€™m so glad that finally there are people searching for an authentic and Responsible Tourism Activities in India. Let me tell you bit about Kutch Adventures India-World Responsible Tourism Award winner for Best in Engaging People and Culture in Nov 2014, at World Travel Market (WTM) London.

The founder and tour leader Kuldip Gadhvi has started offering local cultural experiences to visitors of Kutch and showing the real side of local culture by offering them Home Stay where visitors can experience local food, exchange experiences with hosts and meet genuine locals who are willing to share their side of stories, handicrafts they have been practicing for generations and other cultural values straight in very natural manner that many big operators have failed to offer.

We strongly believe that tourism has great opportunity to sustain culture and traditions. Speaking from our own experiences, there are still need of enthusiastic local (operators/guides/drivers) who can act as bridge between two different cultures (visitors and locals) and show them best of both and create awareness about different way of living, values and cultural aspects. India is the most culturally diverse country in the world and yet many outside visitors do not know enough about this great diversity that need to be addressed by tourism. Kutch Adventures India has already set an example in India’s western most and largest district-Kutch that no matter how small the business can be, winning an International Responsible Tourism Award is possible if you know the value of authentic cultural experiences you are offering to your visitors who are coming from all over the world to know more about this rapidly changing and developing country where future of such cultural practices and traditions will only be brighter if tourism industry act more responsibly and sensitively.

Kutch Adventures India is self funded guided tour business founded by local resident Kuldip Gadhvi out of his passion and love for his region Kutch, bordered with Pakistan, in India’s western most state of Gujarat. Mr. Gadhvi started hosting and guiding tours after spending some time in UK as a student where he realized the cultural importance of his country, especially of those simple and peaceful farmers, herders and handicrafts artisans of Kutch who are not living unique and culturally rich lives but also teaching the world to slow down and live life happily. And that’s what Kutch Adventures India is all about giving visitors a chance to quickly mixed with locals like personal guests, the whole visit seems like visiting friend’s friends, and helping locals preserving their crafts and lifestyle by contributing your time and money.

Kutch Adventures India strongly believe in local operation hence their area of operation is limited to Kutch district only. Many outside Travel/Tour companies are offering various tours to different parts of India, including Kutch but now time has come to support local first, who know the best way to interact with communities, who should be benefited straight, who knows what’s appropriate and what’s not while visiting different people/villages/communities. 

Kutch Adventures India teaches informally their guests about Responsible Tourism Practices. i.e. Sensitivity of Photography in some area, encouraging them to buy local products straight from locals/artisans so that money goes into genuine hands, what’s the best way to interact with local/traditional communities, cultural practices while visiting those people, etc.

Kutch Adventures has also won the most inspiring stories by Wild Asia, Singapore, 2014 and Hospitality Excellence Award in Hyderabad, India in 2017. Although they believe that their biggest achievement so far is being able to win hearts of locals and visitors by acting genuinely in the better interest of both so that the memories last for lifetime.