best practices
Bringing local to a global audience in Darjeeling, India
I personally believe that there is a difference between a tourist and a traveler. On the one hand, a tourist visits a country, a monument and checks the box: India – check, UNESCO World Heritage Sites – check. On the other hand, a traveler seeks experiences. Yes there will always remain a bit of that […]
Thoughts about Local Travel in Colombia
As globalisation takes over in most industries – a phenomenon to which tourism is no stranger – it is fundamental to connect people to what is really important and unique about a place: Its culture, the idiosyncrasies of its people, the traditional food. One should even go further and show international travellers how local people […]
Developing an inspiring search engine for the Local Travel Movement
The Local Travel Movement More and more travellers desire extraordinary travel experiences off the beaten track. They want to immerse themselves in the local cultures and environments of the countries they visit. They want to get the real thing. There is a steadily growing Local Travel Movement that is promoted by various people and organizations […]
Awakening: what local experiences are really about?
The other day I remembered a passing incident from the mid 90s and realised something profound about the character of local experiences. I had succeeded in becoming a shareholder (probably by looking and dancing so Cretan!) of Vamos SA, a village company for preserving local livelihoods in Apokoronas in Crete. Without being an insider it is […]
What is an ‘authentic’ Local Travel experience: rice and beans or fillet steak?
I often wonder if a tourist experience can ever be ‘authentic.’ Do visitors want authenticity? Do they even recognize authenticity when they see it? Whose responsibility is it to prepare them for it? Do people expect rice and beans or fillet steak… or perhaps a nice splattering of both? As a small travel company, aiming […]
The 2010 Geotourism Challenge is now accepting submissions
Ashoka’s Changemakers has recently announced the start of its third Geotourism Challenge. In cooperation with National Geographic and the Inter-American Development Bank’s Multilateral Investment Fund (BID/Fomin), Changemakers this year is in search of innovations that protect the environment and that strengthen the patrimony and the sustainability of local communities located on coastal, fluvial and insular […]
The first European Ecotourism Conference is soon to begin in Pärnu, Estonia
The importance of balancing sustainability and profitability is the primary underlying theme of the first European Ecotourism Conference, being held from 26 to 30 September, 2010, in Pärnu, Estonia. Established with a mission to serve as a Europe-wide forum through which stakeholders involved in ecotourism can gain insight into its development, opportunities and future challenges. […]
The Tourism Development Bank: a new funding channel for small and local accommodation providers
In international development, access to finance at the local level is one of the biggest obstacles to real and sustainable progress. Wealthy donor agencies bring exciting promise of great opportunities, but many require matching funding or only agree to short-term engagements after which local businesses scramble to secure ongoing support. The local businesses find it […]
Abraham’s Path: walking on the path of the friend
Ahlan wa Sahlan – welcome – was a common phase I heard throughout my trip to Al Ayoun. I was there as part of a volunteering team from Leeds Metropolitan University in the UK which had travelled to Jordan to embark on a pioneering experiment in ecotourism, rural development, and cross culture exchange (see video). […]
Weaving goodbye – going local in Peru
Nina Fogelman and Ancient Summit, Inc., are the inspiration for and the host of a new documentary (see the trailer below) that was filmed in the summer of 2009. The documentary features five American teenagers with a strong desire to go local, to immerse themselves in a different culture and forge a bond through the […]