Brainstormer/idea instigator

Don’t lose the respect people have for you by launching an immense flow of ideas on the second day. Ask many questions, but keep your opinion to yourself at first! After you’ve come to understand their situation you can carefully give people a few ideas about how they could make money from the tourism. Possibly by giving excursions, hiking trips, cooking classes and more. Use your backpackers experience! Help them by designing posters, leaflets, menu’s and more. Give suggestions as an open question and not as a command. Maybe you could ask them about the pros and cons. You can also help people by showing them how to think up a great excursion. You can discuss how to involve as many locals as possible in this. Give them ideas about how to draw customers. Discuss everything in an informal environment and take lots of time for it!

Just a warning:

Keep in mind that there are many issues that you won’t have a clear view of. Examples are: agreements that have been made with other groups or villages, local rules and traditions, experiences in the past and family circumstances.

So let the initiatives come from the people themselves. People don’t want to offend you and that’s why they won’t tell you when they think you’re wrong. So try to come up with ideas, but also be patient and let people draw their own conclusions too.