Today our three volunteers from Europe returned from Gonja, a village in the Pare mountains close to Shengena Forest. They stayed with one of KIHO’s board members, Mr. Seraphine, for one week. The aim of the stay was to find out the potential of eco-cultural tourism in Gonja, as one of several villages in the southern Pare mountains that could be included in such an initiative. Already since quite a while, KIHO board members are wondering to support an initiative of eco-cultural tourism or as it could also be dubbed, solidarity tourism. The idea is to travel responsibly to areas that conserve the environment, exchange cultural practices and improve the well-being of local people.
Taking part in household activities. Thus, a walk through the rainforest is not eco-tourism as long as there is not a benefit for the environment and the people who live there. Visiting traditional villages is not cultural tourism, as long as the host community is not respected. In fact, the cultural heritage and traditional values should be upheld and inter-cultural understanding and tolerance can be promoted. Certainly, such kind of tourism is not part of mass tourism, but is an offer for those who are interested in the heritage of the local people living in the Pare mountains.
Also after this week, many questions still remain open. But a concept paper, also based on some earlier ideas, has been produced as a result of this week. KIHO hopes to move forward in the month of April to further visit existing eco-cultural tourism sites in Moshi, Lushoto as well as Tona Lodge. Many interesting things for tourists have been identified, among them a visit to the Shengena Forest, learn more about beekeeping, fish ponds and coffee planting, as well as interaction with local community initiatives and schools, and not least to learn how to cook typical food from the area and help at the farm.
Several questions remain: How can the tourists stay comfortably in the village without changing the current set-up? How can we keep green but still make sure that the tourists will arrive to their destination in the different villages that would be ready to host them? How can we make sure that the tourists won’t misbehave? You can see that we are certainly still at the very beginning. Any kind of input from your side is of course highly valued. Thank you!
Also after this week, many questions still remain open. But a concept paper, also based on some earlier ideas, has been produced as a result of this week. KIHO hopes to move forward in the month of April to further visit existing eco-cultural tourism sites in Moshi, Lushoto as well as Tona Lodge. Many interesting things for tourists have been identified, among them a visit to the Shengena Forest, learn more about beekeeping, fish ponds and coffee planting, as well as interaction with local community initiatives and schools, and not least to learn how to cook typical food from the area and help at the farm.
Several questions remain: How can the tourists stay comfortably in the village without changing the current set-up? How can we keep green but still make sure that the tourists will arrive to their destination in the different villages that would be ready to host them? How can we make sure that the tourists won’t misbehave? You can see that we are certainly still at the very beginning. Any kind of input from your side is of course highly valued. Thank you!
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