Uplifting small businesses through ecotourism
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Uplifting small businesses through ecotourism

She started Walkathon tours in the year 2017 and Gardenthon tours in December, 2020

Uplifting small businesses through ecotourism

Everybody loves exploring the surroundings and wants to live their best lives. But what if it hampers nature? We all need to work on  sustainable development so that our future generation can enjoy their  lives as well. Many people around us already started off with small initiatives which need to be promoted to make people educate and get inspired to do the same.

However, when CitySpidey went to the garden of five senses to explore the event, we met Nishtha selling some ingredients at her stall named Gardenthon Creations. They have a very unique name and also a very special story about how these products are actually made, not only this, they also do Walkathon tours which are ecotourism.

Nishtha is 25 years old a resident of Preet Vihar, Delhi. She always wanted to do something related to tours and services which can contribute to sustainable life also by helping small businesses. She  started Walkathon tours in the year 2017 and Gardenthon tours in December, 2020.

Her father Sudhir Kumar Joshi also joined her in the year 2019. Before that, he had worked with other travel agencies. Visiting new places and hearing unique stories from local areas or visiting monuments is what travel offers us.

Nishtha  said, “Gardenthon is a subsidiary of Walkathon tours. Our mission focuses on economic, social, and environmental responsibilities making tourism a tool for the development of local communities, eradicating poverty and giving emphasis to women empowerment.”

They work to provide additional income and livelihood to locals, traditional artisans, and marginalised people while balancing social  and environmental stability.

How they do it?

They take less transportation to explore the cities and walk mainly on their feet avoiding flights, trains, and ferries. They offer to stay at a locally owned homestay to promote the local community, keeping the money in the local economy. Also, they carry reusable bottles and fill them with filtered water, rather than buying plastic bottles.

They are also concerned with the ethical practices of the companies, They patronise and make sure they don’t get engage in things like elephant riding or tiger petting zoos that contribute to animal cruelty. They plant one tree after each walk, in the names of the guests.

They use dry rose petals and tulsi leaves which are taken from the temple, the one people put them in the trash after use. They dry them in the shade, which can later be used for making rose water and gulkand to add in kheer. While they use the dry leaves powder to add in tea or mixing it with hot water, which adds to a better health function.

The items that they displayed in the garden tourism festival were all from small shops in old Delhi which they do to help local shopkeepers and small businesses. They sell all these items online and through RWAs and direct contacts.

Dry and fresh rose petals
Owner of Walkathon tours and Gardenthon creation
Stall pieces from the garden of tourism festivals
Walkathan tour pictures
Rose petals used in water