Travel Blog

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Are you interested in international travel that gives back to the communities
you're visiting? Then sustainable tourism might be the answer you are looking for. With some responsible planning, you can be part of a global movement toward a more conscious approach to your travel adventures. As a travel specialist, I am passionate about creating memorable experiences for my clients, as well as supporting sustainable tourism.

What is Sustainable Tourism?
Sustainable tourism is driven by making a difference to the environment, society, and economy of places that you visit as a tourist. It involves responsible planning for international travel that invests in hiring local people, teaching the indigenous people how to efficiently produce their goods through cost-effectively attained resources, and understanding basic economics.
Sustainable tourism considers the interests of all stakeholders, including:

• Indigenous people
• Local communities
• Visitors
• Industries
• Governments

How Can You Practice Sustainable Tourism? 
The best way to practice sustainable tourism is by booking with vendors and suppliers that focus on the local communities where tourists go. Examples of these vendors include:

Big Five Tours & Expeditions
Big Five supports sustainable tourism and funds Non Government Organizations (NGOs) in African nations, Peru, and the Galapagos Islands, among others. The Peruvian program, for example, teaches women who reside in villages how to efficiently obtain wool required for weaving and how to price and market their woven products. As a result, these women have become more profitable. Big Five’s work with the NGO has significantly raised the quality and sustainability of indigenous people in the remote villages of Peru.

Micato Safaris 
Micato’s sustainable tourism arm, AmericaShare, invests in African communities to support children and women in need who have been affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. For every safari sold, a child from Mukuru kwa Njenga in Kenya has the opportunity to attend a boarding school. I had the wonderful experience of visiting Nairobi and meeting the child that my husband and I are sponsoring.

Travel and giving back can go hand in hand with careful and responsible planning. Being aware of the impact that you have on the places you visit will help those communities thrive as the business of tourism continues to grow and the number of tourists continues to rise.

Sustaining Tourism provides a comprehensive list of companies and organizations that support this initiative. To get more great information about planning your international travel delivered right to your inbox, subscribe to my blog by email.