Trade Capacity Building of Tourism Entrepreneurs for the Thakali Community Homestay Owners in Thini, Mustang

On 8 April 2024, As a part of the outreach activities of the WTO Chairs Programme Nepal, a Design Thinking Workshop was conducted under the project titled “Trade Capacity Building of Tourism Entrepreneurs.” The workshop was organized for the Thakali Community Homestay owners in Thini, Mustang. The primary objective of the workshop was to enhance creative problem-solving and innovation skills among the participants. They were encouraged to empathize with their end-users to identify business challenges, generate ideas, create prototypes, and validate solutions. During the workshop, participants were introduced to various techniques for problem diagnosis, data collection, and the development of viable solutions. The workshop engaged 15 women tourism entrepreneurs operating community-based homestays, aiming to enhance their creative problem-solving and innovation capabilities through a structured design thinking approach.
The workshop was structured into four 90-minute sessions, focusing on understanding user needs, diagnosing business challenges, and developing actionable, user-centered solutions. Participants explored key issues such as guest dissatisfaction due to noise, inadequate waste management, weak digital marketing, and limited cultural offerings. Through interactive exercises, group discussions, and practical tools like interview techniques and mystery shopping, participants learned to identify root causes of their business challenges and co-create innovative solutions.
The workshop fostered empathy, collaboration, and strategic thinking, empowering participants to improve guest experiences by offering local food, cultural entertainment, and a peaceful environment. It concluded with the development and presentation of solution prototypes tailored to their specific business contexts. The initiative marked a significant step in building the trade capacity of women entrepreneurs in rural tourism through experiential learning and design-led innovation.