JOURNAJUNKIE

 Sikkim’s positive shift from urban to rural tourism

Rural tourism is gradually becoming a popular and trendy concept in Sikkim. With its natural beauty and diverse culture and traditions, Sikkim is becoming a hot spot for village tourism drawing tourist from near and far.  At one point of time, Sikkim was known only for adventure travel, monastic tours, trekking and bird watching but now the culture and traditions are also coming into limelight because of rural tourism and home stays. The home stay not only provides the comfort of home to tourists, but also helps villagers generate some extra income.

Village tourism has emerged as a very new concept in the Sikkim tourism industry.   Sikkim government has implemented a brand new concept of village tourism where the guests visit villages and meet local people and understand their culture and stay in their houses as a family member. For that, the government is taking an initiative to construct two rooms with attached bathrooms for the beneficiaries.

The government has identified around 720 home stay projects out of which 400 have already been issued workouts, informed Tourism Secretary. “All these projects are done by village cooperative itself. Each home stay is constructed at an estimated value of 7 lakhs by the government itself. The beneficiaries don’t need to pay. All they need to do is provide space for construction. The model for the home stay has been designed by an engineering team from the state”, he acquainted.

The Sikkim government’s village tourism project showcases the unique traditions and distinctive cultural features of the Sikkimese society; a typical  village where tourists get to see the lifestyle of the state's rural folk, the way they build their houses, their folk dances, handicrafts, their magic and puppet shows etc.

The Sikkim government also hopes to set up a model village with suitable modifications to suit local lifestyles. The government is also providing tourism related trainings to the villagers. Through various central and state programs, the youths are getting training on hospitality, service, food production and hygiene.

Earlier tourism prospered only in urban areas like Gangtok and Pelling but now slowly the gap between the urban and rural areas is being shortened with this rural tourism project. With the village tourism, there are chances to explore the real villages unlike having spent short time in different villages on trek. The accommodation will be in actual home, allowing the guest to feel the cross-cultural exchange in the more authentic way unlike staying at the local lodge filled with other backpackers. Tourist will be observing the real Sikkimese cultural tradition from the closest quarter and intermingle with the locals. Besides, any expenses made at that level directly contribute to the welfare of the local community.