Rural Tourism - Are "Family Rotations" good?
I am running multiple businesses targeted at increasing income in Rural India. One such business is Rural Tourism. The objective is to provide Quality Experience (Homestay / Hotels / Activity experience) to tourists, while enhancing income for host families.
The dilemma on Host Family Rotation i am posting here is an example of many operational questions i keep raising to myself and take a stance which seems most appropriate at that point. I though i will share one such dilemma i was discussing with a client a while back.
Initial logic for “Family Rotation” - I intended to host 4-5 groups (approx 10-15K of total income) at a single family unit in a village (possibly in a season) and then do rotation (change host families). The logic was simple:
- avoid farmers perceiving tourism as the major source of income
- maintain the hospitality quality (craze for guests, enthusiasm)
- allow other village families to benefit from rotation (financially, socially, hygiene training etc)
- keep the primary occupation (e.g. Farming, weaving etc) as the natural attraction for tourist interested in specific vocations
Current Status – We are already hosting many tourists from France and some from US and UK. In the process some of our host families have got really well trained at hosting guests (don’t read as professional).
- Some host families maintain their traditional ways, but have matured (open, giving space etc) to make guests more comfortable and have a good time.
- Some decided to go professional and have developed infrastructure (modern huts etc). They are in-between a normal farmer and a guest-house accommodation
- We have Hotels / Resorts / Heritage properties for luxury travelers providing the privacy in midst of a rural setting
My Dilemma
Most of them still make only a fraction of money from tourism, not to warrant a risk of dropping out of their primary occupation. They are well trained host families providing a great customer experience. There families are responding greatly to the cross-cultural exposure.
Should I change them, just because they have hosted 4-5 groups?
An even stronger argument could be, if I should give them any tourist in next season also?
