best practices
How good is the tourism marketing where you live?
Against all expectations in our constantly squabbling tourism industry, a sort of consensus seems to be emerging about how ably the majority of tourism marketing organisations are representing their clients: not really all that well, especially when it comes to today’s swiftly changing travel climate and to representing the interests of local communities and travellers […]
Video Spotlight: Local Voices from Costa Rica
When you travel, one of the easiest and most meaningful things you can do is meet the locals. To the best of your ability – no matter what the language barriers – strike up a conversation. Find out their story, their culture, their way of life. During our last trip to Costa Rica to film our […]
Local travel suppliers have new direct-sales service through Your Holiday Promotion, free through September
With a view to becoming the largest and most trusted holiday clearinghouse on the web, Your Holiday Promotion, a new service for special travel deals and offers, now connects local travel- and leisure-sector merchants directly with travel agents and independent travelers. Unlike most travel sites, Your Holiday Promotion is not a commission-earning middleman, but a […]
Swiss valley votes against millions in gold to protect mountains
This month we were inspired to learn that the residents of a remote Swiss valley community have voted against receiving tens of millions of pounds each in favour of preserving their cultural heritage and environment. The incredible vote was cast by the valley’s 450 inhabitants in April (2012) after it was discovered that their area […]
British walkers explore new local hiking path in Turkey
The first British walkers have returned from exploring over 110 kilometres of the Abraham’s Path segment just opened in Turkey. They stayed in homes that have never before welcomed international visitors and followed the path through remote Kurdish and Arabic villages to the oldest religious sites in the world. The 105-mile (170-kilometre) walking route has […]
Responsible (and local) tourism for travellers
What is Responsible Tourism? How do I do it? Why is it different to ecotourism, sustainable tourism or any other -ism tourism? How will it benefit me? And how will it benefit the people I visit? [Editor’s note: This impressive slideshow touches on a lot that is at the heart of Local Travel, especially the […]
Why all travel is local… and why conscious hosts will be indigenous
While I also subscribe to the importance of the journey and, where possible, would prefer to travel slowly and savour the transition from the familiar to the unknown, most times I have to fly. Then I stop being a traveler and, instead, become a producer of air passenger miles and carbon; a unit of yield […]
For Earth Day 2012, help commit a ‘Billion Acts of Green’
Since the very first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, over 20 million Americans from all walks of life have contributed to major environmental accomplishments, such as pressuring government leaders for the passage of the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act and many other groundbreaking environmental laws. Today, the Earth Day Network […]
An eye on local travel: Burma and Berlin
Slow Travel Berlin presents A Celebration of Creativity, Culture & Cuisine – April 22, 2012, 12pm-6pm On 22nd April 2012, Slow Travel Berlin will take over Kreuzberg’s 100–year-old covered market hall Markhalle IX for a day of local creativity, culture and cuisine. The morning will be given over to a selection of free tours that […]
Five ways to explore Kyiv (Kiev) like a local
Who said that ticking off your guide’s sightseeing suggestions is the ultimate way to see a city? How many of us have gone somewhere just to be tired of the same tour schedule, hordes of tourists with their noisy cameras and a feeling that, even though we flew/drove all this way to our destination, we’ve […]