Seven easy ways to give back when you travel, from sustainable tourism to volunteer work that does genuine good
Helping local communities benefit from tourism doesn’t always have to be difficult, with organisations such as Pack for a Purpose, Carbon Care Asia and Raleigh International all making it easier for you to be a responsible tourist
Travel and tourism made up 10.2 per cent of global GDP last year, generating a gargantuan US$7.6 trillion according to the World Travel & Tourism Council. To ensure a fair portion of this is passed back to local communities, we need to make informed choices as travellers – and what better time to start than the season of giving? Here are some tips for more responsible travel:
1. Travel with a socially responsible tour operator
You can give back without spending an extra cent by booking your trip through a socially conscious tour operator. G Adventures, for example, is an advocate for responsible travel, and works with Planeterra Foundation, a charity, to create and support social enterprises around the world that help communities in need benefit from tourism.
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In northern Thailand, for example, G Adventures operates five-day treks to remote hill-tribe villages. Planeterra, over the course of eight months, worked with the Thailand Community Based Tourism Institute to train three of those hill-tribe communities to create, market and run sustainable multi-day treks, enabling each village to own and operate an income-generating business.
2. Choose a hotel that supports local causes
On the relatively unknown island of Sumba, an hour’s flight southeast of Bali, is the beachfront resort Nihi. Nihi employs over 300 local Sumbanese, who make up more than 90 per cent of its workforce. It also funds and works with the Sumba Foundation to alleviate poverty in the region by providing access to clean water, helping to fight malaria, and giving young people access to education and vocational training.
