The Hindu Business Line : New effort to boost eco-tourism in Karnataka

In a novel initiative that could redefine the involvement of local communities in promoting eco-tourism, a start-up company has not only recruited the villagers for its upcoming resort in Karnataka but has also taken the help of a premier local college to train them up in hospitality management.

A first batch of about 50 recruits from villages near the property would be put in charge of the operations in the Cicada Kabini Resort near Mysore being launched by Wilderness Resorts Private Ltd next month.

In its declaration while announcing its plans, the company had said "eco-tourism must result in responsible travel to wilderness locations without exploiting them and in the process ensure that the local community and local economy develops.

Local involvement

Local community must be involved in the programme so that their development will ensure further protection and conservation of wilderness locations".

Mr T.G. `Tiger' Ramesh, a start-up expert in the IT industry, who had earlier announced his foray into resorts business, said Wilderness Resorts decided to adopt a different mode from college recruitment and chose the local community to run its resorts.

With a strategic tie-up with the Christ College's Department of Hotel Management, Wilderness Resorts chose to mould the "raw talent" through an intensive training programme in hospitality management.

With specialised modules, the training programme has been customised to meet the individual training needs of the staff and functional departments. The entire programme would now become the standard operating procedure for all new recruits, Mr Ramesh said.

Wilderness Resorts plans to open three more resorts in Bandipur, Bhadra and BR Hills prominent eco-tourism centres in the State, before next year with an initial investment of $10 million.

More Stories on : Tourism | Environment | Karnataka

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