Culture Aangan creates rural habitats for culture tourism. It forms sustainable & experiential tourism destinations in villages, which in turn, create livelihood by educating and empowering the local village women and youth. Culture Aangan gives national and international travelers, school groups and families the opportunity to stay with a rural family, experience village life, live like a farmer, participate in local village activities that involve the broader community and have a fun holiday while contributing to the sustainability of village life. It helps to create experiences a world away from the oft-followed tourist trail, where people live off the land, and are in tune with nature and environment.

It endeavours to conserve local art and culture in its most natural form.

The pace of life in its habitats is relaxed, and the tourists are greeted with a smile to a life of peace and tranquility. They get a chance to sit with shepherds as they prepare for their day, explore abandoned forts, watch people practice ancient traditions, seek out dolphins as they play (wherever possible), or dance with the puppets and thus, indulge in simple pleasures that are rejuvenating. Culinary trails, community interactions, forest treks, and learning a local craft or tradition are some of its signature programs.

Brand Purpose: Culture Aangan was launched by Rashmi Sawant with an aim to create experiential holidays closer to nature and culture in its purest form.

The Process: The start-up empowers the local village/ farming communities to create cultural experiences.

The Result: Unique experiential Village Stay holidays.

As a part of its development process, Culture Aangan focuses on reviving the diminishing folk arts, crafts and work traditions of India.

Issues: An estimated 400 million people from the rural villages of India will migrate to urban cities in the next 40 years. This will have a huge impact on traditional livelihoods like farming and fishing in addition to leaving the rural areas underdeveloped and the urban cities over populated.

Model: Culture Aangan Tourism Pvt. Ltd. generates alternate livelihood opportunities for the village farming community by connecting the urban travellers with the rural way of life. It creates and markets rural holidays to the domestic and international travellers.

Existing Operations:

• Sindhdurgh, coastal district in Maharashtra
• Pali, Rajasthan
• Tehri Garwhal, Uttrakhand
• Annathapuram, Andhra Pradesh

Milestones:

2019: National Award for Best Rural Tourism Project, Government of India and UNWTO

2018: Best Cultural Immersive Company Award – Responsible Tourism and Outlook, New Delhi

2017:   Best Niche Tourism Company Award – SATTE (South Asian Travel Tourism Exhibition), New Delhi

2016:   1 of 9 Social Businesses selected from across the globe to participate in Impact Booster program, Netherlands

Need to know:

• An average family in rural India annually earns Rs. 1 lakh from farming activities. Culture Aangan has been able to more than double the income of these farmers by providing them new sources of income through sustainable tourism. This greatly benefits the entire rural community.

Culture Aangan builds communities; rejuvenates life!