A push for sustainability

Amit Kishore, Co-founder, Eastbound Group, claims that sustainability is the way forward for the travel industry, and the group continuously innovates its itineraries to further this goal.

TT Bureau

Today, sustainability in travel is not just a choice, but a need. Amit Kishore agrees that sustainable tourism is a shift in mindset from an individual’s benefit to that of the community as a whole. “The new-age traveller is evolved and is aware of his impact on the environment. We, at Eastbound Group, strive to promote eco-tourism in the smallest of details. Not only does every Eastbound employee sign-up to the task of a reduced carbon footprint, we also try to engage like-minded partners who are eco-conscious and strongly support sustainability,” says Kishore.

There are certain states and regions in India that have taken a lead and supported eco-tourism in a big way, like Sikkim, Valley of Flowers National Park, Ladakh, Spiti

The company has a detailed manual on how they promote sustainability through their tourism products. “Each of our products and experiences are given a sustainability rating depending upon the feasibility study and through spot checks by our ground teams. Based on the demography, interests and specific requirements of the travellers, we determine and select the right kind of product and optimise it from a sustainability point of view. We keep on adding sustainable products and experiences to our list of offerings, and a robust mechanism is in place to review and evaluate these products on an ongoing basis,” he adds.

Eastbound Group has done a lot of work to offer responsible/sustainable itineraries. Kishore says, “There are certain states and regions in India that have taken a lead and supported eco-tourism in a big way, like Sikkim, Valley of Flowers National Park, Ladakh, Spiti, Himachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Assam, Central India and Kerala, and parts of Rajasthan and Gujarat are also in demand.”