Common Ground Keri Goa

From Backpacker Hostel to Regenerative Tourism: My Journey Towards Doughnut Economics

Hello everyone,

My name is Arun, and I live in a small village called Keri in North Goa, India.

For eight years, I ran a backpacker hostel called Bunkd Hostels. Like many hospitality businesses, success was measured by occupancy rates, revenue, reviews, and growth. We welcomed thousands of travelers from around the world and built a vibrant community.

But over time, I began noticing something.

Tourism often takes more than it gives.

Places become crowded.
 Resources become strained.
 Local culture becomes a product.
 Nature becomes a backdrop for consumption.

At the same time, many travelers were arriving with a different need. They weren’t looking for another destination. They were looking for belonging, meaning, community, and a slower way of being.

When Bunkd closed in 2025 due to rising costs and changing market conditions, I found myself asking a deeper question:

What if tourism could regenerate a place rather than extract from it?

That question led me to discover Doughnut Economics.

For the first time, I encountered a framework that didn’t separate economic success from social wellbeing or ecological health. Instead of asking how to grow indefinitely, it asked how we might help people thrive within the limits of the living world.

The idea resonated deeply with what I had been observing on the ground.

Today, I am building a small experiment called Common Ground in North Goa.

It is not a hotel.
 It is not a retreat center.
 It is not a coworking space.

It is an evolving community space where travelers, artists, volunteers, local residents, and remote workers come together through shared meals, workshops, conversations, creativity, and connection with nature.

We are exploring questions such as:

• How can visitors contribute to a place rather than simply consume it?
• How can tourism strengthen local communities?
• How can hospitality support wellbeing while reducing ecological pressure?
• What happens when we prioritize relationships over transactions?

We do not yet have all the answers.

What we have is curiosity, experimentation, and a willingness to learn.

What I’ve Learned So Far

• Community is infrastructure.
• People are seeking connection more than consumption.
• Small-scale experiments can reveal possibilities that large systems often overlook.
• Regeneration begins with relationships — with ourselves, with each other, and with the places we inhabit.

What’s Next

The next phase of Common Ground is to develop it as a living laboratory for regenerative tourism.

We hope to document our learning, measure our impact, support local livelihoods, and collaborate with others exploring similar questions around the world.

Let’s Connect

I would love to connect with:

• Doughnut Economics practitioners
• Community builders
• Regenerative tourism projects
• Researchers and students
• Systems thinkers
• Impact investors interested in place-based experiments

If you’re exploring similar questions, I’d love to learn from your journey.

Warm regards,

Arun Pillai
Founder, Common Ground
North Goa, India