Responsible/Sustainable Tourism
A total of 5% of every room booked with Assam Bengal Navigation is contributed to the ABN Foundation to fund various causes.
No Single Use Plastic: Water is provided in reusable bottles with water filling stations. There is minimal use of single use plastic. The employees work with villagers on steps to reduce plastic. Bathroom amenities are provided in wooden dispensers.
Safe Garbage Disposal: All the boats are equipped with sewage tanks that do not disperse waste in the rivers. Garbage generated on board is brought back to the shore and disposed accordingly.
Nature and Biological Diversity Conservation: Apart from regular tree planting drives, through the ABN Foundation, ABN has been involved with flood relief efforts in Kaziranga National Park. Assistance is provided to the forest authorities by offering services of ABN’s naturalists and guides in wildlife relief efforts during the floods. Additionally, when the park isn’t flooded, ABN collaborates with NGOs like WWF India to run young naturalist training programs in Kaziranga National Park for anyone interested to upskill in this profession.
Local Community Engagement: All staff and crew members on ABN ships, lodges and houseboats are handpicked directly from local communities in the vicinity of the establishments. ABN supports local suppliers by hiring jeeps, guides, sourcing produce from local farmers markets and are patrons for local dance troupes by hiring them for performances for guests. Almost all the ships’ decor and the ships themselves have been handmade by local people. The gift shops store only work created by local artisans of the regions ABN operates in.
Light Footprint Tourism: All the cruises are small in size, hence no more than 24 to 40 guests are on offshore land excursions to temples, monuments, villages and other places of interest. This avoids the impact that mass tourism can have on fragile ecosystems such as national parks and ancient temples.
Sensitive Destination Discovery: Traversing two mighty Indian rivers, the Brahmaputra and Ganges, Assam Bengal Navigation, the routes taken allow for quiet discovery of the region. Places visited are devoid of large number of travellers, thus not adding to stress on local resources.
Heritage Preservation: ABN Charaidew I is a heritage passenger vessel from the 70s that was lovingly restored in and M.V. Rudra Singha – ABN’s private houseboat on the Brahmaputra river, was locally built in the city in the traditional Pansoinau (Assamese boat) style. All properties feature exemplary craftsmanship and handlooms made by local artisans. ABN ships on the Brahmaputra river feature generous bamboo – the ‘green gold of Assam’ panelling in its interiors, sourced sustainably from local farmers in the state. Decor on board features handlooms made by rural women weavers that ABN Foundation supports and the fabrics feature indigenous Assamese motifs all intricately woven to showcase the cultural and natural diversity of the state.
ABN ships on the Ganges river feature arts and crafts, objet d’art, antiques and textiles sourced directly from rural artisans in Bengal, vintage stores and small businesses in Kolkata as well as the villages that the cruises visit.
Human Touch: Staff are provided with hospitality and English language skills before they take up their positions within the company, and hired as full-time employees for the entire year. More than half the staff and crew have been with ABN for more than a decade, with many of them having been with them since inception. They support local schools by working closely with the teachers of government-run schools with their Mid-day Meal Schemes. ABN has been involved initiatives like renovating the roof and floors of the school building, constructing lavatories, donating a library, or directly participating in the classroom through organisation of field trips. Additionally, in 2019, the Baranagar English Tuition Centre was constructed to fuel the dreams of a passionate educator, Kalyan Mandal- a true changemaker in his village.
