Points South operates tours of Southern India that promote responsible tourism by advising clients to stay at environmentally friendly properties selected by them. Many of the hotels and homestays they work with have strong environmental policies, such as organic farms that provide produce for restaurants and the use of solar power and bio-digesters. They also employ local people and purchase local produce to support the local economy.

1. Responsible tourism in Southern India
Operating our tours of Southern India in a responsible manner is very important
to Points South, advising our clients to stay at the most environmentally
responsible properties selected by us.
Many of the home stays and hotels that we work with have strong environmental
policies, for example the CGH earth group have set up organic farms adjacent to
several of their properties to provide produce for the restaurants, if you take a
cookery lesson this will begin with a tour of the vegetable garden to collect
whatever is suitable for the meal. By growing their own produce this saves road
transport and ensure freshness of ingredients, they also purchase local produce
in order to sustain the local economy.
When constructing new properties or up grading existing resorts they use
natural materials blended with modern materials in order to create less impact
on the surrounding environment. Heritage buildings are also restored helping to
preserve the cultural heritage of India also local artisan skills.
Many of the home stays that we support use organic produce grown on their
own land, they heat their water using solar power and waste is treated by a bio
digester which produces gas to cook with. Reducing the use of plastic and re-
cycling of appropriate waste materials is important, as is the conservation of
water, fresh drinking water is a precious commodity in Southern India.
The homestays are family run employing people from the local communities, this
helps to establish a good working relationship and help smaller communities,
especially the women for whom work may be otherwise limited to working in
agriculture.
The fragile eco system on the backwaters is being preserved by planting
mangroves to prevent the degradation of this vast wetland area with thousands
of indigenous species. The houseboats have to moor up by early evening to allow
the local fishermen to fish un-disturbed on the lake for their lively hood.
Fish is also purchased by the houseboats for dinner that evening, for example
fresh water crayfish-delicious cooked with ginger, lime and coconut rice.
My ground agent in Southern India employs his drivers on a contract basis not
freelance, therefor they are paid throughout the year not just during the season,
and many of the drivers have been with the company for a long time.
We support locally owned hotels and homestays not multi-national chains, this
ensures an authentic South Indian experience not a uniform international one.
The resorts close to the National parks in Southern India employ local tribal
people as trackers and naturalists, they have lived all their lives in the forest and
are experts at recognizing the sounds and habits of the animals. An afternoon
spent in their company is a truly interesting experience, identifying the many
species of birds and mammals. If you wish to support responsible tourism in

2. Southern India book you trip with Points South and we will ensure that your
wish is fulfilled.
For more information visit http://points-south.co.uk/