Marching to a Different Drummer

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The bulk of tourists in the Himalaya do it the way the others do it. But there is a breed that marches to a different beat. They do "alternative tourism", variously also know as "discerning tourism", "gentle tourism" or "tourism with insight". The are a motley group of crusaders, made up born-again tourists as well as local "tourism activists", be it in Goa, Garhwal or Gangtok.

Paul Gonsalves, who runs the not-for-profit group Equitable Tourism Options (EQUATIONS) in Bangalore, says alternative tourism promotes "a just form of travel between members of different communities and seeks to achieve mutual understanding, solidarity and equality among the participants."

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Himal Southasian
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