“ The questions to be asked are , is the road to that location comfortable enough , how much hiking is involved , are there any attractions along the way ?”
Hospitality in Nepal is founded on the deep respect between host and guest . Photo by RMT . of their lives and villages . We played a role in helping them understand why visitors may be attracted to them and their lifestyle , which translated to them valuing their culture , traditions , lifestyle and skills more .” Since CHN is a business operation based on the foundation of social entrepreneurship rather than being an NGO , the main dynamic between them and the local communities they work with is not one of co-dependence . CHN serves as a platform that connects local communities interested in making a livelihood out of tourism related activities , and the tourists themselves . Currently , CHN is partnered with 80 national destination management companies and other international tour operators . Along with CHN ’ s own website , these companies serve as a bridge between the service providers and the service seekers . With the establishment of the community fund and the training programs , the goal is to incentivise the members of the local communities to take matters in their own hand and become as self reliant as possible , with the only help needed being that of connecting them to the travelers .
Finding Potential Off the Beaten Path
A group of visitors descend a hill in the Annapurna Basecamp area . Photo by RMT .
“ The questions to be asked are , is the road to that location comfortable enough , how much hiking is involved , are there any attractions along the way ?”
Such an investment of time , energy and money is not for everyone , in fact , CHN is very careful when it comes to deciding which communities to offer their services to , as many factors come into play . First of all , they need to check out the personality of the community as a whole and see how welcoming , friendly , and open minded they are . They also need to have retained elements from their traditional way of life and connection to nature so that they can be marketed in concordance to CHN ’ s principles . However , even if the potential for these elemental factors is there , logistics come into play . The questions to be asked are , is the road to that location comfortable enough , how much hiking is involved , are there any attractions along the way ? There is a great difference between locations in the hilly region and those in the Terai plain lands , and this is a factor that defines the locals ’ willingness in participating in the program . In the hilly , the houses are often rather large , and the hosts have enough space to set aside a room especially for their guests . Most family and home activities are done in indoor common spaces , so homes cater for a large number of people . This means
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