Creating Better Places

To Live & Visit

Root Bridge, Responsible Travel, North East India

Named after the Living Root Bridges’ of East Khasi Hills , one of the greatest example of man-nature dependence; we are promoting sustainable tourism practices in India’s Northeast and Eastern Himalayas. The main activities of Root Bridge Foundation- a nonprofit entity- consists of research, advocacy, awareness creation, policy level interventions, training, networking, consultancy and the facilitation of better community driven tourism models. Our projects impact some of the most disadvantaged populations, including women and indigenous communities, who not only gain access to livelihoods, but also have a chance to redefine their identity and role in society.

WINNER OF: The Telegraph Axom Shreshta Award 2018 in tourism category. Zee Business Travel Award 2018, Today’s Traveller Award 2018 ( Majuli Project)

Root Bridge’s Purpose

Root Bridge connects host communities to the tourism value chain by providing catalyst funding, capacity training, and a market link for small businesses supporting women, youth, and indigenous communities.

Women

We support women to find meaningful employment

Youth

We help and train youth to find long-term employment in the hospitality industry

Communities

We support rural and indigenous communities access the tourism value chain

Nature

We promote sustainable tourism practice as an engine for development

Majuli Sustainable Tourism Development Project (MSTDP)

Majuli Sustainable Tourism Development Project (MSTDP) is an initiative of Root Bridge Foundation supported by Assam Tourism Development Corporation to promote cycle tourism and develop other tourism activities that are beneficial for host communities and make Majuli, world’s largest River Island, a better place to live and visit.

The project is covering different areas of tourism and livelihood activities and trying to make tourism as an engine of development and livelihood. Majuli Island, located in the trans-boundary River Brahmaputra, is an incomparable beauty that stands against the time. The Island is facing massive destruction every year due to the erosion during the monsoon season. While according to statistics the Island comprised an area of 1256 square kilometres in the past, it has been reduced to a mere 515 square kilometres now.

For more details: majulitourism.org

UMSWAI VALLEY RURAL TOURISM PROGRAM

Assam’s first Indigenous owned and operated community tourist destination.

Umswai Valley Rural Tourism initiative is owned and operated by local indigenous communities under the aegis of the Umswai Valley Green & Clean Protection Committee. Root Bridge Foundation is the Implementing Agency of the project and partner the local community to create Assam’s top rural tourism destination that focuses on the experience part of tourism.

The rural tourism initiative is supported by the Swachhta Action Plan of The Northeastern Council, Government of India, Assam Tourism Development Corporation Ltd & Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC)

The project aims to create more rural livelihood through tourism intervention, and bring the indigenous communities to the tourism value chain, and make the Umswai Valley- Assam’s cleanest villages- a Better Place To Live & Visit.

Umswai Valley Rural Tourism Program bags State Tourism Award for Best Upcoming Ecotourism Destination 2019

AMBASSADORS OF BODOLAND

Leveraging Tourism through User Generated Content (UGC)

Ambassadors of Bodoland is an initiative of Dwijing Festival, Bodoland Tourism and Assam Tourism in association with Root Bridge Foundation to use the power of social media and UGC for the promotion of Bodoland – A land untouched.

Read: www.bodolandambassadors.com

INDIGENISING TOURISM SPACES

Root Bridge stands against cultural appropriation and tokenism.

Travel gives people new experiences and allowing seeing unfamiliar cultures and ways of life. But if the tourists do not travel responsibly to tribal areas, it will badly affect the life of indigenous people. Remember in India, tourism is one of the biggest exploiters of tribal communities. Displacement of indigenous communities and fisher folks are common in many tourism destinations. Don’t treat indigenous communities as ‘attractions’ and ensure to follow the responsible travel protocol wherever you visit.

MAJULI CYCLE CAFE

Cycle- Cafeteria – Art – Village Shop- Library – Performing Space

Majuli Cycle Café is the most happening place in the world’s largest river island, Majuli . The café consists of a cafeteria, art gallery, cycle rental space, library , village shop and bird watching gallery. The café hosts different kinds of cultural programmes, shows and storytelling sessions and provides visitors an alternative and vibrant space to get to know the local culture, its stories and legends. The café is designed in such a way that villagers can sell their handicrafts without the exploitation of middlemen. We ensure that 90 percentage of product revenue goes to the actual weavers and artisans.

NORTHEAST EXPERIENCES

Root Bridge focuses on bringing out some of the unexplored places in the Northeast and Eastern Himalayas. We help different local communities to develop tourism products in the context of a narrative and create rural livelihood.

We vouch for Transformative travel and as such, try to include the local elements such as homestays, village visits, day activities, and being a part of the local festivals such as Bihu, Junbeel ,Hornbill etc. Our partner communities- mainly women, youth, and indigenous communities, conduct trips designed in a way that the traveler gets a deeper understanding of the place wherever he/she travels and the unique aspects of the culture, its people, and its cuisine. We ensure that the benefit of tourism will be shared with the host communities.

Contact us for a unique and off-beat experience like cycling in Majuli or a day in the man-made forest of Padmasree Jadav Payeng or a cultural walk in the placid Umswai valley of Karbi- Meghalaya plateau. Being Northeast specialists, and storytellers, Root Bridge helps our partner communities to unfold this wonderful world beautifully, with due care.

Journeys