The Power of Collaboration in Travel: Distinct Destinations and Newmarket Holidays

Supporting Children in India

India is a nation of over 1.4 billion people and is the largest country in the world in terms of population size. Growing numbers live without access to safe water and in particular, adequate sanitation, which has a huge impact on health; India is home to a third of the world’s malnourished and underweight children.

This is the case for the 323 community members living in Daha village in Madhya Pradesh, who experience hardship and poverty every day.

They currently access water from a river that is over a kilometre away and during the dry season this distance increases. The duty of fetching water falls primarily on women and girls in the village and it’s common for them to make several trips a day, taking up several hours – a considerable burden and also severely impacting the time that can be spent in education or employment – keeping them in a cycle of drudgery.

To add to this, open defecation in the village is widely practised as there are no latrines – it’s a very unclean environment and disease spreads easily. The lack of water and sanitation has made Daha is a dangerous place to live and the community members put their lives at risk every single day just to drink water.

A Partnership for Youth

Just a Drop and renowned British tour operator, Newmarket Holidays have been working together since 2023. We told them about the dire situation in Daha and Rasme Ozdemir, Senior Manager at Newmarket Holidays responded straight away to say that they would bring their staff onboard and fundraise for the project.

Last year, Newmarket Holidays organised a series of in-house events such as raffles, quizzes, food feasts and cake sales, to support a small rural community in Nicaragua, South America by building a latrine block – preventing open defecation and ensuring that the children and staff of Los Calpules School can attend school in a more hygienic environment.

They wanted to be involved again, but this time they knew that collaboration was key to raising the total needed and having the biggest impact possible. Rasme told us:

“At Newmarket Holidays, we believe travel can be a force for good. Our long-standing partnership with Distinct Destinations, our trusted DMC in India, reflects this shared vision.

Together, we create enriching travel experiences while supporting local communities and sustainable tourism initiatives. Through our partnership with Just a Drop, we are proud to help deliver safe water projects in destinations we visit, making a positive impact beyond travel.

Supporting local communities aligns with both our values. Partnering with Just a Drop to support Daha Community gave us a way to extend our impact beyond tourism by helping deliver clean water to areas that need it most.”

Rajni Katyal, Senior Manager at Distinct Destinations told us:

“At Distinct Destinations, we’ve always believed that travel should contribute meaningfully to the destinations we operate in. Our recent fundraising partnership with Newmarket Holidays for Just a Drop reflects that belief — coming together to support access to safe water in places where it’s needed most.

When we learned about the situation in Daha Village, Madhya Pradesh, it deeply resonated with us. Women and girls shoulder the responsibility of fetching water, often making several trips a day, time and energy that could otherwise be spent in school or at work. This project wasn’t just about infrastructure — it was about restoring opportunity, dignity, and well-being.

Alongside Newmarket Holidays, we committed to raising funds for Just a Drop’s larger initiative in Daha Village. Our combined efforts are contributing towards the construction of a reliable water supply system, the installation of a water point at the village school, and the renovation of the school’s sanitation block, ensuring access to safe water for drinking, cooking, and hygiene for the very first time.”

Just a Drop in India

Just a Drop’s work in India had actually been on pause since 2023 but the argument to resume work and empower the community of Daha to escape the poverty cycle led us to return.

We’ve previously worked with rural villages in the regions of Bihar, Bundelkhand and Tamil Nadu reaching 81,951 people since 2012 safe water and sanitation.
In these areas, the communities mostly belong to “scheduled” castes and tribes, in the periphery of main villages.

Rural water and sanitation coverage is usually provided primarily to main habitations while outlying hamlets are not covered so we support these marginalised villages with water supply and distribution programmes that usually involve the construction of a rainwater harvesting tank or a drilled well and piped water system, which brings water to individual houses, the local school and healthcare centres. These are coupled with important hygiene solutions such as latrines and WASH training.

A Programme with Purpose

This partnership is part of a wider project initiative to celebrate kindness in travel and hospitality. The first two stages of the project which involve constructing community latrines and inputting a water supply are being supported through PPHE Hotel Group and Radisson Hotel Group. Stage three will be supported by Distinct Destinations and Newmarket Holidays and will see the local school gain access to water – something that is incredibly important for enabling children, and girls, in particular, to receive an uninterrupted education.
The partnership has brought unexpected benefits too, Rajni and Rasme both told us:

“We’ve seen a heartening response from our guests. Many have expressed appreciation for being part of a travel company that supports responsible and impactful initiatives. It’s made their journeys feel more connected — not just to landscapes and monuments, but to lives and communities.

To make something like this work, you need to start with a partner who shares your values. Keep the message simple and take your customers on the journey with you — then it’s about educating guests on how they can leave a positive impact on the ground. This builds trust and creates lasting change.

When you align travel with purpose, the results go far beyond the itinerary.”