Our objective is to develop Creative & Heritage Tourism, a travel directed toward an engaged and authentic experience, with participative learning in the arts and heritage, an immersive experience that provides a connection to local communities and helps promoting their living heritage and sustain their livelihood.

The Creative & Heritage Visitor Experience
Folknest will offer the ethical & creative & heritage tourist an exciting and meaningful immersive experience - by getting to know the host community' art, culture, history, heritage and people. Workshops, classes and experiences taught by local community members in their natural settings makes the visitor experience all the more memorable. Guests have the choice to work with artisans to learn new skills and crafts; learn folk dance moves with local performers; document unknown forms of art, conduct field studies on the local cultural heritage, wander in the surrounding landscapes and learn about the local believes."

Keywords - cultural tourism, heritage-based sustainable development, creative tourism, cultural heritage, culture, sustainability, heritage tourism, cultural capital, experiential tourism, sustainable livelihood, folk art

Folk Nest Creative Heritage Tourism General Approach:

>>> Develop visitor programmes and activities that deconstruct the “tourist bubble”, the physically and psychologically artificial and sterilized environment in which visitors experience indigenous cultural heritage by immersing them in the real context in which it is supposed to be observed

>>> Keep the visitors well-informed of the genuine conditions of the heritage and advise properly as to what they should expect.

>>> Insure that traditions, practices, and other manifestations of intangible cultural heritage performed for mainly for the benefits of the local communities and not as spectacles for visitors and insure that when performed, they adhere to cultural inherited norms and standards and not as elements compromised or changed in order to make it more palatable to tourists’ tastes.

>>> Insure that performers of intangible cultural heritage are properly recognized, honoured, and identified before, during, and after performances.

>>> Instruct visitors as to how to understand, appreciate, honour and respect local traditions and ways of life by giving them the proper introduction or preparation for visiting so that they enter the cultural landscape with the proper frame of mind, free of any misguided pre-conceptions of local culture
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"Indeed this initiative will enhance awareness raising and international cooperation within the prospects of the UNESCO convention on safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity thus bringing the different communities of the world in close partnerships and deeper understanding. The Isukha Kultural Villages Initiative (ISUKUVI) shares your vision and would appreciate greater indugence and participation in your activities. Congratulations!!",Silverse L. Anami, FOUNDER OF ISUKUVI, Kenya

"Your initiative is very interesting and let me congratulate you for the excellent work your are undertaking... As a specialist of ICH, I'd be very delighted to assist, as possible as I can, to help meeting the objectives you are working for. Many of my students work on issues related to the ICH and it will be appropriate to associate some of them to the network you are creating."Ahmed Skounti, anthropologue, Morocco

"I found the idea very interesting and would love to join your board of patrons to promote the concept in Jordan,"Prof. Dr. Hani Hayajneh, Jordan

"We Lokkala's Sabrang would like to connect with Folk Nest..we want to show our Rajasthani culture art for Schools,Colleges and Universites" - Karun Rajasthani, Art director, India

"Your proposal is the way to go in order to produce best results.[for local communities]"- Mr Francis Gichuru, Founder Chairman, African Cultural Regeneration Institute, Kenya

This [initiative] sounds interesting. Thank you for expressing interest in working with us." - Wasswa Alex Lusiba, Manager, CEPAC, Uganda

"Folk Nest Network is agood idea. I think I can participate with you in this activity in Vietnam."- Dr. To Ngoc Thanh, Director, Union of Literature and Arts Associations, Vietnam

"I am extremely interested in your very good endeavoui and would be interested to part take in it" - Leqaphela Liphoto, Director, Ministry of Tourism, Environment and Culture, Lesotho

"I am very excited about the whole idea and hope it can be implemented. I want to let you know that my organization under my supervision is implementing a community based inventorying of ICH in Chipata District, the herat town for the eastern province. So the project will come at the right time".- Mr Josphat Lombe, Provincial Cultural officer, Uganda

"I am definately interested in preservation of heritage as it is represented in the folklore etc. I am interested and will look some more at what you do. I also work for the National Council of Folklorists of Uganda - an NGO, Network of 320 Folklore groups accross the country.This is definately possible and we can get on." - Dr James Isabirye, Department of Performing Arts Kyambogo University, Uganda