Conscious Hospitality – Why meaningful experiences are priceless

A guest article by Gajendra Singh Rathore, Managing Director, Jungle Camps India

For many travellers, where they stay is as important as the destination they choose to explore. Though just a stopover, hotels often serve to tie the entire holiday experience together. Conscious hospitality has taken root in India because it offers tourists a meaningful takeaway as opposed to mere creature comforts and entertainment. 

Conscious hospitality is more than being eco-friendly. It is an endeavour to support locals through skilling and employment, making them a partner to growth. At the same time, it also enables travellers to closely associate with local culture, cuisine and communities, bridging the distance between people. Besides, it also promotes a sustainable way of living with an emphasis on energy efficiency, local sourcing, recycling and reducing wastage. 

Businesses today, whether in hospitality or otherwise, have to be guided by a mission which encompasses social and environmental justice. In a fiercely competitive world, these goals inspire customer buy-in and distinguish the business from others. But what is most important is to be authentic. Resorts, hotels and camps set up with the conscious vision slowly become an organic part of the community and as the business grows, the locals also flourish. 

The Mindset Shift

As travel picks up in India, more domestic tourists are encouraged to visit lesser-known destinations so as to distribute tourist traffic more evenly across the country. This reduces the burden on popular tourist destinations and provides a steady stream of income to less-developed regions.

These destinations may be hamlets or small towns which slowly crumble under the ecological burden of increased footfall. The infrastructure at such places is not equipped to handle the swelling tourist numbers. Social media is full of pictures of how human-generated waste has spilled across hills sides and even leaves a trail on forest safaris. 

Such reality checks have made people more mindful of their activities. Tourists want to preserve nature in the pristine form they find them. Locals also mobilise and ensure that the natural wealth they inherit is handed down to posterity. 

Indian tourists have also evolved and are now willing to experience other cultures – including local produce, flavours, textiles and handicrafts. This aligns easily with sustainable goals because a major antidote to carbon emissions is local self- sufficiency.

Overcoming hurdles

The upfront cost of establishing a sustainable project in the hospitality sector is challenging but with government incentives in tourism and policy thrust toward greening of all industries, financial support is available. However, initial costs for say, a rooftop solar power installation, can be high, but its return on investment is even higher.  

Energy saving equipment like on-site solar water heaters also require some adjustments to be made on part of customers. There can be limitations on use during night time and hot water availability may be weather-dependent, but these are minor inconveniences that conscious travellers are willing to adapt to. 

In fact, sustainability is about realigning our lives to a more natural rhythm, quite contrary to the on-demand culture. It is about reusing and recycling what we own rather than discarding after one use. As more and more people are inclined to this way of life, businesses are also rising up to the occasion.

There is much room for growth. Small players need handholding and mentorship about how conscious hospitality can mean good business. The tourism industry needs to transform toward conscious hospitality as a whole for impact at scale. The sustainable hotel chains that exist in silos today should become ubiquitous. This will be profitable to the sector, to the people, to the country, and to the planet. 

(The author is Gajendra Singh Rathore, Managing Director, Jungle Camps India. Jungle Camps India operates eco-sensitive lodges in central India’s most renowned tiger reserves, offering immersive wildlife experiences.)

**Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the publication or its editorial team.