Ladakhi Women's Travel Company
| Private | |
| Industry | Tourism |
| Founded | Leh, India (2009) |
| Owner | Thinlas Chorol |
The Ladakhi Women's Travel Company is a Indian travel agency founded by award winning writer[1] and social entrepreneur, Thinlas Chorol in 2009. The company made history when it launched and became the first women owned and operated travel agency in the north Indian region of Ladakh, in the Himalayas. The company also makes use of the Ladakhi Homestay system to further benefit local Ladakhi women.[2]
History
The Ladakhi Women's Travel Company was founded in 2009 by local trekking guide Thinlas Chorol. At the launch, it was the only travel agency in the Ladakh region to be operated by only women.[2] In the beginning, the company had a handful of staff, including an office manager and two other guides. As of 2015, the company employes over 20 employees.
Methodology
The company makes a point to hire women from the rural parts of Ladakh. To bring them into the trekking industry, they need to be trained. They are provided with training in English and are taken along with more senior guides during their training.[3] Some of the guides are occasionally sent to training institutes outside of Ladakh for additional training.[4]
Social impact
Prior to the company's formation, there was few female trekking guides. When Chorol approached local companies at the start of her career, she was told that local costumes would tolerate a women going into the mountains with foreigners.[5] Today, some of the young women that joins the industry can still meet resistance from their families, but they are still joining.[3] In other cases, parents request training for their daughters. And other travel agencies has started to want female guides as well.[6]
The company makes use of the Homestay system in Ladakh. A system that means that tourist traveling through Ladakh stay in local homes. This provides the women of the household with an income, helping them achieve a similar status as the men as breadwinners.[2]
Chorol has been awarded Indian Merchants' Chamber's Ladies wings Jankidevi Bajaj Puraskar for Rural Entrepreneurship in 2014, for her work with the company.[7] Chorol was also named Person of the year by VIT university and the online news portal The Weekend Leader in 2014, also for her work with the Ladakhi Women's Travel Company.[6]