Experiencing Craft and Culture: An Emerging Cultural Sustainable Tourism Model in India

The cultural heritage of India lies in the intangible knowledge embodied in the people and community who are its key stakeholders. For any cultural heritage to sustain and grow, it is imperative to have a multifaceted approach ensuring the value and transfer of this knowledge. The traditional Indian societies are embedded with a craft culture of its own depicting the contextual understanding of the people who lived in them. Such cultural heritage in India has continued with an unbroken lineage and it is constantly evolving. Though many efforts are being done to preserve the tangible resources of the craft culture, the intangible knowledge needs closer attention. This paper discusses the holistic approach towards tapping the intangible knowledge using experiential tourism as a tool. It examines the craft experiential tourism models developed by Design Innovation and Craft Resource Centre (DICRC), CEPT University, India, and suggests how such models can be the forerunners to promote craft and cultural tourism in India. It discusses at length multiple activities like mapping craftspeople, developing connections, conducting contextual programmes (craft-design innovation and community participation), knowledge dissemination (through craft awareness programmes and exhibitions), developing infrastructure: with a core vision of sustaining the intangible knowledge for future generations. Through this paper, the intent is to emphasize the importance of intangible knowledge and how the craft culture of a place can enhance culturally sustainable tourism. Taking case studies of various projects conducted, it concludes with the possibilities of the impact of such models and its implementation at various scales.