Karikot Village Wins ICRT Award 2025

• 19 Aug 2025

Why in News? 

Karikot village, located in the Bahraich district of Uttar Pradesh, has been selected for the prestigious Indian Subcontinental Responsible Tourism (ICRT) Award 2025.  

• This award is presented by the ICRT India Foundation and is supported by the Ministry of Tourism. 

Key Points 

• ICRT Award 2025: The award honors leaders in sustainable tourism, emphasizing the reduction of negative impacts and the enhancement of positive ones, and will be presented in New Delhi on 13th September 2025. 
  • Categories: The awards ceremony will recognize institutions under various categories, like One to Watch, Silver, and Gold. 
  • Criteria: The panel evaluated entries based on authenticity, replicability, community involvement, and long-term impact. 
    • Karikot stood out for its innovative and community-driven approach to rural tourism, making it a prime example of sustainability and impact. 
• Karikot Village Model:  Karikot, located near the India-Nepal border and adjacent to the Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary, sees tourism initiatives driven primarily by the Tharu tribal community, focusing on homestays, eco-tourism, and cultural immersion experiences. 
  • These initiatives have helped revive traditional Tharu crafts, cuisine, and folk arts, turning Karikot into a living museum of Tharu heritage. 
  • Karikot's community-driven and sustainable tourism model has created long-term benefits and new livelihood opportunities, especially for women and youth. 
• Uttar Pradesh’s Rural Tourism Strategy: Karikot's recognition underscores the state's effort to make rural tourism a key development focus, supported by initiatives like the UP Bed & Breakfast and Homestay Policy 2025 and eco-tourism promotion.

Tharu Tribe 

• Meaning of ‘Tharu’: The word tharu is believed to be derived from sthavir, meaning followers of Theravada Buddhism. 
• Habitat: The Tharu community belongs to the Terai lowlands, amid the Shivaliks or lower Himalayas. 
  • Terai is a region of northern India and southern Nepal running parallel to the lower ranges of the Himalayas. 
  • The Tharus live in both India and Nepal. In the Indian terai, they live mostly in Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar. 
• Scheduled Tribe: Tharu is a scheduled tribe in the states of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar. 
• Occupation: Most of them are forest dwellers, and some practice agriculture. 
• Language: They speak various dialects of Tharu, a language of the Indo-Aryan subgroup, and variants of Hindi, Urdu, and Awadhi. 

ICRT India Foundation  

• ICRT India Foundation was founded in 2017 to support and expand Responsible Tourism in India. 
• It backs the Cape Town Declaration of Responsible Tourism (2002) and promotes its principles. 
• The Foundation signed and supports the 2022 Responsible Tourism Charter, signed on Magna Carta Island.