SRISHTI ECOTOURISM COOPERATIVE

SRISHTI ECOTOURISM COOPERATIVE, GREAT HIMALAYAN NATIONAL PARK– THE FOUNDATION 

In June 2014, the Great Himalayan National Park was registered as a World Heritage Site. Though this was a great achievement of a very small team of dedicated people mainly done to protect the park, it did attract a lot of foreigners and Non-Locals to set up different businesses as they were quick to cash on to the increasing popularity that the newfound world heritage site status would bring! People from plains rushed to make guesthouses in Tirthan and set up travel shops and tour operation businesses quickly greenwashing themselves using the power of the internet.

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Soon the local responsible travel businesses who had been working in the park from its establishment towards training people to international standards through self-help groups started losing their share due to technological handicap of not being able to use the internet. While opportunistic youth was quick to latch on to these so-called business growths, a few old ones remained grounded and true to the cause of responsible tourism! 

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30 youth of the ecozone joined in together as a Cooperative to assist Sunshine Himalayan Adventures to establish an authentic tourism cooperative which was based on mutual trust, fair trade, and years of friendship. They were helped by volunteers and interns from all over the world especially SP Jain Institute of Management & Research, Mumbai!

And hence Srishti was formed.