The Community Homestay Network has been set up to bring tourism to Nepal responsibly and sustainably, and to help build an entrepreneurial journey for the local communities we work with, significantly benefitting the women, youths, and marginalised communities while safeguarding the local culture and tradition. 

How Does Community Homestay Work with The Local Communities?

The Community Homestay Network (CHN) promotes responsible community tourism in Nepal, collaborating with communities to co-create tourism offerings to build and support their entrepreneurial journey, particularly for women, youth, and marginalised groups, while safeguarding their culture and traditions. CHN dedicates its efforts to strengthening the economic benefits through community homestays and related experiences to the communities in its network. We encourage women to take the lead in managing tourism activities via homestays and gain financial independence, confidence, and new skills.  This initiative fosters social and community development, enhances cultural exchange, and creates mutual benefits for travellers and hosts. By collaborating with the communities and various impact partners, CHN helps women break biases and engage in economic activities, leading to greater social empowerment and cultural awareness. We continually engage with local communities through practical and innovative training programs to build their capacity for tourism and hospitality. Tailored training packages, developed in close coordination with community members, cover key areas such as social media and digital marketing, hospitality, basics of tourism, sustainable practices, gender equality and inclusion, child protection, and animal welfare policies. This comprehensive training helps women effectively interact with guests, exchange ideas and culture, and manage tourism activities, ensuring communities are well-equipped to offer authentic and responsible tourism experiences.

Impact Stories

Mee  Poonam. She grew up in Panauti, a small town in the Kathmandu Valley. In 2012, a woman set up the first homestay. A year later, with the help of Royal Mountain Travel, she was joined by ten more women, including Poonam’s mother. Though the women were shy at the start because they could not speak English well, Poonam helped as a translator with their foreign guests. She studied business and finance at the university in the city in the mornings. In the afternoons, she helped by showing guests around the town and telling them about the local community. One day, during a big event that was occurring in Panauti, Celline da Costa, a writer from Forbes magazine, was among the visitors. Impressed by Poonam’s skills, she wrote a story for herself. After Royal Mountain Travel got wind of her potential, they offered her a job at the company, and she became the first employee of the Community Homestay Network. She now holds the title: “COO”.

Our Impact

Impact Roadmap