Responsible Tourism

The pinwheel is the innocent, playful and hopeful symbolism of harnessing the energy that earth bestows upon us. A pinwheel wielding child is ecstatic with joy, movement, curiosity and unalloyed wonder.

Is that not why we all travel? The pinwheel then is the perfect representation of travel that is light and ecstatic guiding us where the wind blows. The blades of the pinwheel that catch the wind are home to the Planet Sensitive Touchstones and the folds, important for the integrity of it all, house the Community Inclusive Touchstones. The pivot is the human touch as a heart of two tiny thumb prints, its definition vastly expanded to be omnipotent and inclusive.

As we expand our horizons, we realise that energy though indestructible is limited only by the laws of nature. We recognize it as the canvas on which all existence plays out, ever changing in time, with time. It binds together all our ethos in a complicated tapestry understood only by those intensely aware or supremely spiritual. Preservation of heritage, building a community or conservation of wildlife, energy conservation and efficiency drive all sustainable endeavours.

The RARE Pledge

I pledge to make a positive impact by being Aware of the plight of our Mother Earth, our communities and our tourism industry brethren. I Believe that I can make a difference and choose to live wisely and work consciously towards ensuring health and continuity of the planet and her people by realigning my work and private life on sustainable and regenerative pathways.

- Marcus Cotton, Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge

The Pinwheel Project

The Pinwheel Project by RARE. An initiative to explore destinations through the lens of sustainability, regenerative, slow and mindful travel, by creating robust conversations between the RARE community and partnering stakeholders. Through impact assessment, the aim is to look at responsible tourism with an Awareness with a Belief that change is a must and possible, leading to Choices that one can make to bring about transformation in travel that puts the planet and people first.

The Pinwheel Project is an online weekly session held every Monday at 3:00 pm IST. To know more, please connect with the RARE team or send an email to mumbai@rareindia.com

Planet Sensitive applicable to all

Community Inclusive specific to destination

RARE Supports Cultural & Conscious Advocacy

An underlying ethos at RARE is to support authentic work by individuals and organisations that resonate our love for the planet and the people. Here are some that we strongly support.

Wildlife SOS is a not-for-profit wildlife and nature conservation organization (established 1995), actively working across India to protect and conserve wild animals including mammals, birds, reptiles and their habitats, study biodiversity, conduct research, and create alternative and sustainable livelihoods for erstwhile poacher communities or those communities that depend on wildlife for sustenance.

Wildlife SOS is known for its “nothing is impossible attitude” and moxie applied to get conservation wins for wildlife. WSOS operates 12 centers across India including India’s first Elephant Hospital, Elephant Conservation, and Care Centre, Agra Bear Rescue Facility, and the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre. Additionally, they run a 24-hour rescue hotline in four states – Delhi NCR, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, and Gujarat. The Wildlife SOS rescue team works round the clock attending to distress calls from members of the public, police, animal lovers, and other organizations about wild animals in peril or caught in conflict situations.

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Waste Warriors Society is a not-for-profit solid waste management (SWM) NGO. Their journey began with Jodie Underhill and Tashi Pareek in the littered hills of Upper Dharamshala with just an empty bag, a pair of gloves, few volunteers, and a vision to clean India. They registered in Dehradun in 2012, and their Corbett chapter was initiated by Minakshi Pandey in 2013. They now have a vibrant team of nearly 100 staff, 60% of whom are formal waste workers, running nine SWM initiatives in three locations.

Their mission is to develop integrated SWM systems through models that are affordable, sustainable and replicable. They essentially focus on waste segregation, collection, and processing, as well as behavioral change and livelihood development. They also work to destigmatize, formalize & empower the lives of informal waste workers. Their teams engage with people at all levels, from waste pickers to community residents and corporates to government administrators.

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Amarrass Records is a multifaceted independent record label, artist management company, event production and music promotions company, committed to the production of quality music in a sustainable way. Built on a shared vision, passion, and love for music, and guided by the principles of fair trade, Amarrass strives to create an environment that encourages and nourishes the creative spirit of musicians and music lovers. They also work with artisans to revive the traditional art of instrument making.

With a major annual festival (The Amarrass Music Festival, since 2011), and eleven albums released, the label and artists represented, have featured prominently in international and national media including The New York Times, NPR, Rolling Stone India, BBC Radio, Songlines Magazine, fROOTS, and more.

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Last Wilderness Foundation (LWF) is a not-for-profit organisation working towards wildlife conservation, whose sole purpose of LWF is to bridge the gap between authorities protecting forest and wildlife and communities around these protected areas. Currently, we are focused on working in three tiger reserves, namely: Kanha, Panna and Bandhavgarh. With the community outreach and management of Human-Wildlife coexistence being the main crux of our work in these three tiger reserves, we partner with the Tiger Reserve management to work with the communities and assist them with an alternative source of livelihood, to reduce the pressure on the forest and forest products, as well as reduce any potential conflict situation in the region.