Economic Times | April - 2020

A 'RARE' approach towards sustainability and tourism

At RARE India's RAREfied event, Shoba Mohan talked about sustainability and why it's time to change the narrative

“Earth ka kuch karo warna unearth ho jayega”

Shoba Mohan’s words ring true, especially now, when sustainability is more relevant than ever before. Mohan, the founder of RARE India, was addressing attendees of her virtual event ‘RAREfied’.

RARE India is a community of some of the best ‘conscious luxury’ hotels and travel experiences in India and the subcontinent. The two-day event (April 17 & 18) will be hosting sessions on topics such as Sustainable Commerce in Travel, Being 100% Sustainable, Heritage Foods for Health, A Living Heritage and Conscious Luxury Travel.

Explaining the concept behind the event, Shoba says, “We are presenting ‘RAREfied’ as a virtual showcase to celebrate ‘travel nostalgia’ perfect to allow people’s minds to fly, drive or ride just about anywhere they choose.”

At the virtual session, Mohan points out how plastic is a huge issue and that a lot of it comes from the hospitality industry. Independent hotels, she feels, are more versatile, “We have been changing our narrative, it’s increasing and it’s time for the industry to think together and know what we can do together. There is no time for excuses, we need to create a tribe that believes in sustainability.”

Taking about her tribe, she says that the properties under RARE India, which have been held together by owners, hosts and general managers, have been able to preserve not just intangible heritage, but also the forests and the people. “Our partners not just stand guard as custodians of heritage, but they also sustain livelihoods as the properties are 100% community operated and involve locals,” she says.

Earlier while speaking to ETTravelWorld, Mohan had made a very pertinent point, “The travel industry operates largely like a mom & pop shop, driven by a need for personal growth and ambition. I see many people as entrepreneurs operate from a space of personal wealth creation and selfish ambition, one of the reasons why you don’t see too much talent distribution in the job profiles of people. The work force is largely a reactive community, doing as they are told. This has to change by nurturing talent, training and promoting growth. This period (Covid-19) has shown us how we run the risk of losing a work force that runs into several lakhs, also the need for ‘war’ time strategies, sustainability is about continuity and collective welfare.”

She says, the balance between price and tour operators’ intention to promote these areas will be a learning experience for them to decide the price point. “We can’t afford to price ourselves out of the market. But having said that we should also start looking at value-based tourism,” she says.

Citing the example of Kerala Tourism and how the state has won brownie points from foreign tourists who were sent back with memories of a warm and hospitable stay during their quarantine period, she says, “It can’t be business first all the time, we need to realise the long term visions.”

Touching on the topic of how hotels can approach food and the banquet facilities, she opines, “Perhaps it’s time to approach bespoke cooking - the farm to table ideas. We don’t really need to have so many options, it should be more about the experience of having freshly cooked food.”

Food for thought, indeed!