Ringzin lives alone with her parents in the village of Tsogsty. Both her brother and younger sister moved away to the nearest city of Leh to seek work. Her beautiful house is well maintained, but they never had any tourists. With Mountain Homestays, her house has already hosted about 40 tourists since 2016, and is rated as one of the best homestays in Ladakh. Ringzin, her parent, and the other families of Tsogty village has preserved their local culture and traditions. The village has a beautiful apple orchid and the copper workshops where the most authentic copper artifacts are made. With the travellers coming to the village, the villagers get to share these traditional tressures with them and earn extra income without migrating and leaving behind their culture.
Actively involved in village activities, Dorje showed a keen interest in the electrification project and joined hands with the engineers to solve the energy poverty problem of his village. The dream of helping his own community and bringing about development was now becoming a reality for him. Dorjey and his team are trained by the International Astronomical Union to operate the telescope to see the planets and stars. With the help of a telescope installed in their village, this team passionately conducts astronomy sessions for their guests.
The benefits of homestay-based tourism for the local communities are manifold. It allows a consistent flow of travellers to the rural economies, thus creating multiple livelihood opportunities for the locals. By creating jobs in these remote villages, they help curb urban migration and cultural loss, even as they help the communities aspire for a better future.
