Mindful travel and tourist education program
In the high altitude desert of the Tibetan Plateau, Ladakhi people have carved a living from the mountains for a thousand years. Tourism in Ladakh, first commencing in 1974, has developed into a robust industry with new economic opportunities, yet has also placed growing pressure on the ecology, architecture, local food systems, and traditions of Ladakh.
Our Mindful Travel and Tourist Education Program helps visitors to Ladakh become more aware of their impact on the region, and offers guidelines for culturally, economically and ecologically responsible behavior. Watch the video Mindful Travel in Ladakh, produced by Local Futures, promoting responsible tourism:
Our Mindful Travel and Tourist Education Program helps visitors to Ladakh become more aware of their impact on the region, and offers guidelines for culturally, economically and ecologically responsible behavior. Watch the video Mindful Travel in Ladakh, produced by Local Futures, promoting responsible tourism:
Resources for visitors
Download the Eco Map of Leh and the brochure 'Mindful Travel in Ladakh' (available in German, French and Italian). We've also produced a one-page guide in English, Hebrew, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish. Scan the QR code:
Travel brochure (opens in new tab)
Blog posts on Ladakh
Read inspiring blog posts on Ladakh written by our Ladakhi team. Follow our blog and receive notifications of new blog posts directly in your inbox. Subscribe here.
In Ladakh and elsewhere in India, the built environment is increasingly dominated by structured...
Impacts of development
In this section we dive a deeper into the effects of development and tourism on the Ladakhi region and it's people after Ladakh was suddenly thrown open to 'development' and tourism in the mid 1970's, which brought many changes to the previously peaceful, prosperous and largely self-reliant culture:
Along with junk food, plastic waste, toxins and pollution, Ladakh was suddenly confronted with unemployment, homelessness, and religious conflict.
Equally, Western-style education, television and advertising – glamorizing an urban consumer life-style – have had dramatic psychological effects giving the impression that life in the West is one of limitless wealth and leisure and, in turn, that rural life and traditional culture are primitive and inferior.
As a consequence, Ladakhis, particularly the young people, feel that their lifestyle seems poor and backward. Tourists, in turn, often unwittingly reinforce these feelings and insecurities. Having no way of knowing the degree to which Ladakhis have traditionally been self-reliant, they are often horrified to hear of daily wages as low as five dollars, or of an absence of electricity.
Generally, neither tourists nor Ladakhis reflect on the fact that money plays a completely different role in the West, where it’s needed for basic survival. These misunderstandings are born of a lack of complete information and real communication between tourists and Ladakhis.
We have found that greater knowledge about what is happening around the world, not isolationism, is the surest way for Ladakhis to take control over their own future.
Recognizing that tourism is a powerful agent of change, we make great efforts to reach out to visitors to invite them to participate in solutions at every level: from cultural awareness, to ecologically sensitive behavior, to supporting alternatives both in Ladakh and in their own home communities.
Articles on Ladakh
Read inspiring articles written by our Ladakhi team and published by other organisations and media outlets.
