Ecosphere is a social enterprise that focuses on responsible travel with the community in Spiti. Spiti is located in the Trans-Himalayan belt of Himachal Pradesh. Have you ever heard of it? Well, Rudyard Kipling certainly had. He called it "a world within a world."
"Our focus is to create sustainable livelihoods that are linked to nature and culture conservation," Ecosphere writes on its website. "As a social enterprise it is our mandate to address the triple bottom-line of conservation, development and economies, which also forms the very foundation of our genesis."
Ecosphere has been featured in numerous responsible tourism plogs and has won various awards for its commitment to ecology and economic and community development. Of course, there's also the "adventure" in adventure holiday that people are drawn to, the idea that you can go somewhere not many other people (at least people you know) have been.
What Makes This Trend Stand Out
- Responsible Travel
- There is an opportunity for travel companies to focus on responsible tourism methods that are linked to nature and culture conservation.
- Community Development
- Companies can focus on community development as a triple bottom line approach to their business models when operating within underdeveloped areas.
- Sustainable Livelihoods
- Sustainable livelihoods can be created via social enterprises that have positive ecological and economic outcomes.
Sectors Adopting This
- Travel
- Travel companies could benefit from shifting their focus to responsible tourism methods.
- Ecology
- Companies operating within ecologically-sensitive areas could benefit from operating as social enterprises with community development as a priority.
- Community Development
- Companies that prioritize community development as part of their business models could benefit from creating sustainable livelihoods within underdeveloped areas.
