City's agri-tourism firm nominated for Responsible Tourism Awards

Pune-based agricultural tourism firm Agri Tourism has been shortlisted in two categories of Responsible Tourism Awards. The award function will take place on November 9 at World Travel Market (WTM), London, the biggest tourism expo in the world. The awards were set up in 2004 and are sponsored by Virgin Holidays.

Agri Tourism beat close to 10,000 prospective applications and has been nominated for Best Contribution to Conserving Cultural Heritage and Best Tour Operator for Local Experience. The tourism firm is the only one from Asia to make it this year in two of the 13 categories of the awards. WTM will be held from November 7-10.

Agri Tourism that was established in 2004 in Baramati operates on the idea of agricultural tourism by taking tourists to villages where they are hosted by farmer families. Tourists stay at the agri-tourism centres in the villages, eat food prepared by women from self-help groups, go around farms and get to interact with villagers.

“We started Agri Tourism with the idea that farms should stay in the farmer families, and farmer families should stay in the farms,” said Pandurang Taware, president and managing director of Agri Tourism. “We want to make farms sustainable.”

Source - indianexpress