"Wildlife tourism hugely impacts the development of any given area. In our National Parks, tourism and conservation have often been treated as two independent issues; however it is increasingly acknowledged that tourism is a vital tool in conservation. The TOFT programme has arrived at a time when principles in responsible tourism need to be spread, and fast.
One of the unique features about TOFT is its emphasis on drawing together the various goals of accommodation providers, tour operators and thousands of travellers, and uniting them together in their shared mission to promote sustainability. This collective voice will strengthen the campaign’s objectives, and will become the only acceptable way forward.

There is a great deal that can be done to protect the fragile environments and communities that we either visit or inhabit. TOFT is an excellent start for us at the ground level where we can all work together to ensure that the services we provide are responsible and sensitive to our future."

You can contact TOFT Kanha Representative at
kanha@toftindia.org

What Balendu thinks about TOFT:

"The very foundation of businesses run by TOFT members is directly linked to the success of conservation programmes in India.

The ideals of TOFT help us in providing Yeoman services to conservation initiatives, by creating continuous employment opportunities. This helps in decreasing biotic pressure on the land bordering our National Park. It also creates conservation awareness linked with economic and social upliftment of the local community.

TOFT with its international membership can create awareness and generate public opinion which assists in policy formation.  TOFT ideals help in putting pressure on both Public and private sector to practice sustainable Wildlife Tourism."

You can contact TOFT Ranthambhore Representative at
ranthambhore@toftindia.org

What Aditya thinks of TOFT:

“Responsible practices make sound business, ecological and social sense. Most accommodation providers realize this and are striving to achieve the same. The process can be speeded up by “support” inputs by organizations like TOFT. Most of us are not even aware about how to improve our practices. TOFT by applying pressure through the supply chain and by providing technical and other support to the different links of the chain can small accommodation providers like us, improve our practices, which in turn would help the campaign”.

You can contact TOFT Ranthambhore Representative at
ranthambhore@toftindia.org

About Hashim:

Director and owner of Bagh Van Lodge, Pench National Park, and today is employed by India Explorations in the UK.

In his former life he was a former Chief Naturalist at Tiger Tops Jungle Lodge in Royal Chitwan National Park, Nepal, and former member of the Indian Board of Wildlife. He has a house near Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve where he has served as honorary wildlife warden, undertaken a bird survey, published a guide to the Reserve and acted as scientific advisor on television films about tigers.
Hashim is an active executive committee member of TOFT in the UK and passionately feels about the concepts of responsible tourism and follows best practices. He along with other committee members works on implementation and strategies for TOFT.

You can contact TOFT Pench Representative at
pench@toftindia.org

What Ritish thinks about TOFT:

"We (my wife and me) own and manage Camp Forktail Creek on the periphery of the Corbett Tiger Reserve.

We live and operate entirely out of Camp; we have seen how tourism has become a big conservation tool in this area over the years. So much so that now unregulated and mass tourism is seen as a nuisance and is detrimental to a National Park.

TOFT provides a good base solution to the problem. The tour operators can be at the right end to demand changes in a protected forest area and can help bring about a major change in the policies and working of tourism related activity, which in turn would reduce conflicts between tourism and conservation.

Effectively tourism can be used as a conservation tool. "

You can contact TOFT Corbett Representative at
corbett@toftindia.org

What Shyamendra thinks about TOFT:

"Travel Operators for Tigers (TOFT) is much more than its name speaks, as it involves the lodge management and staff, the local and foreign tour operators and the guests. It has provided the much needed bridge between all stake holders in tiger conservation and wildlife tourism and taking it forward to guests is building a large strong base of wildlife supporters. Though most lodge operators are aware of good wildlife tourism practices, seldom are they put into practice?  With TOFT initiative and surveys it has provided motivation and a check to ensure good practices. Our team will continue to support and patronize TOFT"

You can contact TOFT Panna Representative at
panna@toftindia.org

What Dhruv thinks about TOFT:

"I am a believer in the better nature of people and good intention that we all start our projects and ideas with, India has always been a great example of spiritual growth along with all the other aspect of life like business, I see the TOFT code as being a simple framework on which we are building a standard of working and strengthening our sense of responsibility in a delicate environment.

Any place, project or work that is looking for long term sustainability, it needs to grow and develop to meet the demands and pressure of the present times, if it is unable to do so it will become extinct. A discipline and order sets a standard for this development to be effective, in the wildlife tourism sector where it most required the only formal set of standards and active participation we seem have is the TOFT code of conduct.

At Bandhavgarh the TOFT code of conduct has come at a time where the development of new lodges is peaking and pressure on the park is ever increasing.

Over the past year it may seem like not much has been done on the surface but the seed has germinated and as the pressure will increase people will themselves turn to a system that will support their ideas of responsible tourism. There will be no other way to survive.

I understand we cannot make a person responsible, we can only guide him. He has to feel the importance of responsibility himself, or see the benefit of it. The TOFT code of conduct sets the path to responsible tourism at the same time it’s a guide to successful wildlife tourism.

I have tried it for 2 years and benefited, the result of Churhat Kothi is for all to see; now we are taking the experiment with responsible tourism and the TOFT guideline even further with our new project Anant Van.

I am convinced it will inspire responsibility."

You can contact TOFT Bandhavgarh Representative at bandhavgarh@toftindia.org

What Neelesh thinks about TOFT:

"We started conservation in Kanha way back in 1990 when there were only two lodges. As time passed the place got crowded with lodges & too many tourists. Then people starting realizing how they can contribute in terms of local employment, conservation and so on. What i noticed everyone wanted to be a responsible lodge owner but what was missing is the leadership & platform?

TOFT when came it not only created an atmosphere but also increased the awareness & the need of being responsible. I feel the correct leadership & the correct platform will always help the conservation work keep going.

TOFT should take up as a project & should guide to all the lodge owners in Kanha to harvest rain water as what i foresee that in coming days there is going to be an acute water shortage. We have already installed one unit of bore well water re charge unit."