inle heritage

It has about 150 employees who established a social enterprise, the Inle Heritage Foundation, that is financed through CSR funds and donations. The NGO-driven social business developed value-added services to enhance guest experiences – cooking classes, spa treatments, and traditional restaurants among others – and passed them on to about 20 low income small-scale entrepreneurs employing about 150 people. 

The foundation has also trained about 200 people for jobs in the hotel industry and maintains a craft bazar with 31 shops. While 91% of the operational expenses of the foundation are covered by internal revenues, the enterprise faces significant challenges to increase scale and help large numbers of the people with low income earn higher incomes.