This note is part of the series on climate change and sustainable living initiated by Kaaya.
Kaaya Learning Centre is a place where we learn to adapt and apply our knowledge in various situations. Kaya has a physical site and a market-based system to cover expenses, making it part of the hospitality sector. People are drawn to Kaaya for the unique experience it offers.
However, Kaaya recognizes that some tourists don’t engage in meaningful conversations with nature. They want to be close to nature but don’t respect it. Kaaya aims to avoid hosting such tourists and instead focus on those who genuinely appreciate nature.
When women took responsibility for managing Kaaya, we noticed that guest behavior changed. Now, when women manage bookings, handle the front desk, and service, the place seems to have added a natural filter. This filter automatically discourages certain kinds of guests and encourages others that include families, solo travelers, and young women in search of retreat in groups.
So, what has changed and why is it relevant?
Have you noticed how your behavior changes in feminine environments? These spaces reflect values like nurturing, cooperation, empathy, and creativity. Studies show that feminine environments can reduce stress, increase trust, enhance communication, and foster collaboration for both men and women.
Our behavior adapts to social norms and expectations around us in these environments. We mirror emotions, attitudes, and actions of others to fit in and avoid conflict.
Tourism is an industry where the impact of feminine environments is most evident. It relies on human interactions and experiences but is mostly dominated by men. Women make up over half of the global tourism workforce and more than 70% of travel decision-makers. They seek meaningful, authentic experiences connecting them with local culture and people.
The challenge is to create a model of sustainable tourism where there is less need for structure and more emphasis on living with nature. Homestays are popular in Uttarakhand and in other mountains, where women usually take care of everything. Women are seen as nurturing, which helps them care for nature’s diversity and appreciate interdependence.
But, if women also begin to control decisions of homestays, will it influence our behavior as tourists? Can this protect ecology and mountains from overdevelopment?
Recent mountain tragedies during rains only point to unsustainable development of the mountains. The greed to add more rooms, using up extra space or carving out more is often a constant endeavor to maximize returns. Such on-site decisions are made daily by the owners in the mountains. Are they simply responding to the demands of the tourism sector? Or can they exercise control? This is the critical difference in sustainability and unsustainability or life and death.
Women-centric spaces and homestays in natural places offer authenticity and connection. Managed by women, these feminine spaces can alter tourist behavior while preserving the environment. Staying with a local family allows travelers to experience diverse ways of living and challenges their views on tourism as well. They can further influence the demand side that leads to an unsustainable format of tourism.
However, remember, women-owned or managed spaces are not without challenges such as safety, privacy, quality, and cultural conflicts. Despite these hurdles, such spaces present a sustainable alternative to address the imminent crisis of climate change, limited carrying capacity of the mountains, and sustainable growth within the tourism industry.
