Video: TBA Concurrent Paper Session 5.3: Planet Tourism and the Sustainable Development Goals Conference 2019, 24-25 Jan 2019, Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand https://tourism-sdg.nz

1. GLOBAL
HIMALAYAN
EXPEDITION
Tourism and SDGs (24-25 Jan, 2019, Massey University) Stream 3 - Planet
Sustainable energy access through impact tourism
- Empowering rural communities
Paras Loomba, Sonal Asgotraa & Kumi Kato

2. THE TEAM
PARAS LOOMBA
Founder
GAGANPREET SINGH
Applications Engineering
JAIDEEP BANSAL
Chief Operations Officer
Stanzin Gurmet
Program Manager

3. World Tourism Organization (2018), Tourism for
Development – Volume II: Good Practices, UNWTO,
Madrid, DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18111/9789284419746
The Global Himalayan Expedition (GHE) is an initiative with social impact in the Indian
Himalayas that leverages tourism and technology to provide clean energy, digital
education, connectivity, access and livelihood creation opportunities to remote mountain
communities

4. GLOBAL
HIMALAYAN
EXPEDITION
A social enterprise leveraging tourism for holistic and sustainable
rural development of the mountainous communities
VISION - “Empowering rural economies by creating livelihood and
growth opportunities through impact tourism”
MISSION - “Create sustainable rural enterprises of local
entrepreneurs and impact 1 million lives directly by 2022”

5. Resource Overconsumption
Climate change Impact
Over-tourism
Lack of infrastructure
RURALSURBANS
Loss of CultureWaste Generation

6. One Billion+ People Living in Darkness

7. Problem
Current Tourism has little to offer for Energy Poverty
▪ One Billion people - use
Kerosene Oil lamps for
lighting needs
▪ Limited development
extreme poverty & lack of
Livelihood Opportunities
Lack of Infrastructure
▪ Rural (Indigenous )
communities migrating
to cities due to lack of
development
▪ Loss of Centuries old
Culture and heritage
Lack of DestinationsMarket Gap
▪ Limited opportunities -
Direct Community Impact
▪ Overconsumption of
Natural Resources,
Increase in Carbon
Emissions
Results in

8. Solution: Impact Tourism
Impact Tourism Solar Electrification Local Culture Preservation
▪ Tourists provide Clean
energy
▪ Mitigating CO2 and
improving health
▪ Houses of Electrified
villages as tourist
homestays
▪ Income generation for
the villagers
▪ Life long Impact on
communities
▪ Life changing
Experience for a Tourist
Leads to
Tourism – Expedition/CBT Impact – Environment/Social

9. 1. Village identification
2. Survey and mobilization
3. Promotions and partnerships
4. Electrification
IMPACT
EXPEDITIONS

10. Conduct surveys for solution design and community mobilization
Identify remote communities lacking basic infrastructure
Impact expeditions to remote villages and setup social infrastructure
Create a model of sustainability and ownership among community
Develop tourism facilities & services
3
4
5
2
1

11. DC Solar Microgrids (250W – 500W)

12. DC MICRO-GRID TECHNOLOGY
Solar panel
Solar charge
controller
Battery
DC Fan (9W)
LED Bulb (3W)
LED TV (3W)

13. NO CONVERSION LOSS – DC is highly efficient as compared to AC
NO SHOCK – DC is safe and risk free, especially for rural deployment
BETTER LED OUTPUT – More lumens than AC for same power consumption
LOCAL EXPERTISE – Trained electricians easily available for DC
EASY TO MAINTAIN AND OPERATE – DC micro-grids have a simple design
WHY DC and NOT AC

14. Identify remote communities lacking basic infrastructure1
We search villages through local contacts as there is no database or survey conducted due
to their in-accessibility. The team treks sometimes for 5-6 days to reach Villages or need to
drive on un-motorable roads

15. Conduct surveys for solution design and community mobilization2
It is important to have the community as well local leadership buy in before implementing
Solar microgrid. The process also includes educating villagers on the benefits of using Solar
and its long term effect

16. Impact expeditions to remote villages and setup social infrastructure3

17. Impact expeditions to remote villages and setup social infrastructure3

18. Create a model of sustainability and ownership among community4

19. Develop tourism facilities & services5

20. Grid Material Transportation

21. Grid Material Transportation

22. GHE IMPACT EXPEDITIONS

23. SOLAR ELECTRIFICATION

24. Village Electrification

25. Villagers experiencing LED Lights for first Time

26. Visible Impact
A 3W LED Light – 330 Lumens
Family using Kerosene Lamps

31. Ladakh video (see separate file)

32. LINGSHED MONASTERY 2017
National Geographic Channel – Corporate crew
3 days/45 Km of trekking
2500 years old monastery illuminated

35. Community Ownership
SUSTAINABILITY
MODEL
Livelihood through homestays

36. Villagers putting the traditional Buddhist ‘Khatak’, on the Solar Charge Controller for the
longevity of system.
Community ownership – maintenance & development

37. MOUNTAIN HOMESTAYS
Using tourism for livelihood by setting up homestays in the villages and
linking them to travelers across the globe.
22 Homestays setup in 14 solar villages. 200+ Tourists visited these
homestays and added $12000 to these rural economies.

38. Mountain Homestays
Promote Homes of Electrified villages for Tourists as Homestays
Homestays in 30 Electrified villages to understand acceptance of local community
Website Link: www.mountainhomestays.com
Authentic Experience
The Solar electrified homes of the
villages provide a rich cultural
interaction to the tourists looking for
indigenous community experience
Livelihood generation
The Homestays are run by the women
provide an income generation source
for the family along with a strong
sense of Empowerment
Innovative Offering
The women of the homestays are
trained in Astronomy as a unique
offering of Homestays to attract more
tourists and create demand

39. COSY HOMESTAYS
Village Tsogsty
Ts o gs ty i s f amo us fo r i ts apr i co ts o r c har ds and
co ppe r handi craf t.

40. Electrical training
WOMEN EMPOWERMENT
Homestays training

41. Women Engineers and Service Centres run by women

42. ASTRONOMY FOR
DEVELOPMENT
ASTRO-TOURISM
- 10 telescopes in 10 villages – 10 trained women

43. Village Based Astro-tourism
International Astronomical Union

44. DC solar powered computer smart classes in remote Himalayan villages
HIMALAYAN INNOVATION CENTRES
Offline access to Wikipedia, TED talks and other educational resources

45. HIMALAYAN INNOVATION CENTRES
Solar panel
Solar charge
controller
Battery
Low-power
Computer
Content Server

46. Digital Education Access: Himalayan Innovation Centres

48. WINNER – Design For Change Challenge

49. HIMALAYAN DC PRODUCTS
SOLAR PANELSBATTERIES
LOW POWER COMPUTERLED BULBS

50. FUTURE TECH: HTIS
Homestay Travel Information Server (GHE original offline system)

51. 20 participants from 11 countries
4 days/66 Km of trekking
12 households – 112 lives
VILLAGE SKING 2018

52. GHE 2018 Expedition: 9 - 22 September ‘2018
CO2 offset
Carbon Footprint Generated Carbon Offset – Solar Electrification
Expedition Days – 14 Days
No. of Hotel Nights– 130
Hotel Carbon Footprint- 1.2 Tons of eCO2
No. of Flights – 44
Flight Carbon Footprint – 47 Tons of eCO2
Diesel Used in Transportation – 650L
Carbon Footprint Transportation – 1.742 Tons of eCO2
Kerosene Oil used during Camping for Food – 110L
Carbon Footprint due to camping – 0.264 Tons of eCO2
Carbon Footprint of Batteries – 3.83 Tons of eCO2
57.1 Tons Generated
Expedition Village: Ralakung, Ladakh, India
Solar Microgrids Capacity Installed: 2.75 kW
Carbon Offset Calculation
Total No. of Families: 31
1L of Kerosene Oil = 2.4 Kgs of eCO2
Kerosene Oil Consumption/family/Annually: 180 L
Total Kerosene Oil mitigated per family : 80 L
Kerosene Oil mitigated from Village/ year : 2480 L
Lifetime eCO2 offset (20 years) : 107 Tons of eCO2
107 Tons Offset
(Lifetime for a Solar grid is 20 Years)
Carbon Negative Expedition

53. THE IMPACT
30,500
Lives
Impacted
540 Tons
Annual eCO2
Eliminated
75
Villages
Electrified
103
Local Jobs
Created
7,500
Students
Impacted
670
Expedition Tourists
26
Micro-Enterprises
created
3
Entrepreneurial
Service Centers
23
New Tourism
Destinations
created
81kW
Solar Power
Installed
6
11th Century
Heritage Sites
Restored
15
Tourists Initiated
Impact Projects
$59,000
Income
Generation for
Communities
17
Digital
Education
Centers
2300
Households
Co2 free
38
Women
Entrepreneurs
Created

54. UNITED NATIONS SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT GOALS 2030
Clean
Energy
Digital
Education
Livelihood
Alleviate
Poverty
IMPACT
EXPEDITIONS
FROM RESEARCH TO ACTION

55. Let there be light!

57. CONTACT
info@ghe.co.in
www.ghe.co.in
+91 99100 89129

58. 2nd Critical Tourism Studies Asia Pacific
17-19 February, 2020
Wakayama University, Japan

59. ADVISORS
Dr. Kumi Kato
Professor, Wakayama Univ.
GAGANPREET SINGH
Applications Engineering
Robert Swan, OBE
Polar Explorer
Dr. Martin Barth
Program Manager

60. AWARDS RECOGNITIONS
Winner
Community Tourism
Award 2018
Winner
World Tourism
Awards 2018
Winner
Best Start-up in
Tourism 2017
Featured in Breakthrough
Series “Power to the People”
Documentary on GHE for
energy and education access
Documentary on Global
Himalayan Expedition in
winters

61. PARTNERSHIPS
Development
Partners
Corporate
Partners
Tourism
Partners