About DHAN Development Tourism - Promoting Sustainable Tourism

sustainable tourism, Community Tourism, Heritage walk Tourism, Heritage walk, Heritage lecture, Heritage Lecture Tourism, Dhan Tourism, Experiential Tourism, Rural Tourism, Tourism Intership, Development Tourism, GOI, Government of India, UNDP, United Nations Development Programmes, ETRL, Endogenous Tourism for Rural Livelihoods, Susutainability in Tourism, Rural Tourism Project.

About

Unleashing the potential of Heritage tourism

Many of the Indian heritage resources (both tangible and intangible) are fast disappearing because of changing socio-economic profile of the country and the poor heritage literacy among the host communities.

  • Lack of livelihood opportunities in many of the villages with heritage resources leads to migration of people to the nearby urban centers.
  • Most of the local community is not aware of the importance of protecting the heritage wealth.
  • They are unaware of the historical and archaeological importance of their villages, and that the heritage resources may contribute to sustainable growth through tourism.

Mission

Building host communities and Tourism based Institutions for Development innovations in tourism and scaling up to enable the poor host communities for poverty reduction and reliance.

Purpose

The DHAN Centre for Heritage and Development Tourism is to facilitate Pro Poor Tourism. Development across DHAN Foundation’s Development work location of Heritage and tourism importance to Capitalize the emerging opportunities in the tourism sector by way of Responsible Tourism (social, Economical and Environment development of Host communities).It would be a multistakeholder and inclusive approach with are the stakeholders in Tourism including the poor host communities.

Core Values

DHAN Centre for Heritage and Development Tourism Works with grassroots action in tourism initiatives with the poor host communities of the tourism site for their development.It will enable the Host communities and its institutions to build their capacity to get the benefit of Tourism opportunities,will collaborate with all the tourism stakeholders to promote Public Private Partnership in the tourism development and always focus on innovations in developing tourism products, technologies and models for Pro Poor Tourism development.

Further it will have the value of excellence in pro poor tourism development for poverty reduction and will always practice self regulations by ways of promoting Responsible Tourism with the view of Social, Economic, Cultural and Environmental development of the Heritage and Tourism sites of DHAN Collective.

Activities

DHAN Centre for Heritage and Develoment Tourism at present under take following activities in its project area,

  • The status Report of ongoing Heritage Walk, World Heritage Lecture Series, Village Cultural Immersion, TDA Heritage Events Collaboration with Educational Institutions and Tourism Stakeholders based on 4 D Approach (Document, Demonstration, Dissemination and Development) emerged in the Tourism Round Table for the advancing Tourism Community Swaraj.
  • Developing Community Tourism Swaraj by promoting the Cultural Immersion. Experience Tourism, Heritage Walk Events for Domestic and International Tourist as a way for developing Responsible Tourism (Social. Economic, Environmental and Cultural Development) in the places identified in People Institutions of DHAN Collectives and Networking of these places. Positioning Presidents of People Institution to take care the Tourism Community initiatives. Heritage and Hospitality group to be promoted where ever possible
  • Developing Community Swaraj by Public Private Community Partnership (PPCP) with various Tourism stakeholders ( Local Panchayat Tourism Department, District Administration, Tourism Travel Trade, Educational Institutions) based on the experiences of the Pilot project on GOI UNDP Endogenous Tourism for Rural Livelihoods

Awards

DHAN Foundation was awarded for being excellence in Heritage Walks for the past two decades during the event called “TamilNadu Travel Expo 2024” held at IDA Scudder Hall of Madurai from September 20th to 22nd of 2024. This event is coordinated by Travel Club Madurai with the support of CII (Confederation of Indian Industry), Ministry of Tourism, South India Hotels and Restaurants Association and TamilNadu Tourism. DHAN’s Centre for Heritage and Tourism Development team received the award from the hands of Honorable Public Affairs Minister of Pudhucherry.

'Best NGO' by Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Govt. of India under the National Tourism Awards 2008-09

An Awards from the CNBC to our site chettinad for the best managed community tourism during the event at 2008.