responsible
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 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 responsible traveller – the impact of not knowing the local language
We have all seen the stereotypical struggling tourist abroad, hands flapping, shouting and getting nowhere fast. Is this a responsible way to travel? Or by not trying to learn even a little of the language native to a country we are visit, are we eroding the culture of that country? Entering a room in a […]
Local Travel – that’s what we’re talking about!
That is literally what I’m talking about below: On Friday 20 August, in my capacity as one of the initiators of the Local Travel Movement, I had a chance to chat about Local Travel with Ron Mader of Planeta.com, a global journal of practical ecotourism and an active Local Travel Movement partner. This online get-together […]
Agriturismo in Italy – a great local-travel alternative
If you want to experience Italy in a mindful way and stay true to the values of Local Travel by connecting with Italians and travelling in a way respectful of their environment, history, culture and economy, try staying in an agriturismo. Not only do you reap the benefits of knowing you have done your part […]
The Local Travel Movement in movement
When the Local Travel Movement soft-launched on March 10 of this year, we had high hopes but no real sense of what would happen. Now, nearly four short months later (exactly three months since we started pressing word to the general public), we’re very pleased. We trust that you too have found some value in […]
Local life with the Odula family on Rusinga Island, Kenya
Fed up with the endless grey and drizzle of a London winter and the monotony of my office job, I decided it was time to finally make my African dream a reality. For some time, I had been entertaining thoughts of roaming the Kenyan savannah on a big-game safari, but I was also keen to […]
Responsible Tourism Week 2010: May 17-21
For the second year in a row, Planeta.com is proud to announce Responsible Tourism Week, revving up for action from May 17-21, 2010. Created first in 2009 when the Belize Responsible Tourism Conference was cancelled due to the swine flu outbreak, RT Week, scheduled just a few weeks before World Environment Day, is “a free […]
What can ‘local travel’ learn from responsible travel’s chequered past
‘Local travel’ describes what many independent travellers have known for years – get off the beaten track, choose local, choose small and invariably you will choose well. But will the new ‘Local Travel’ Movement survive and prosper? The concept of ethically responsible travel (deeply interwoven with local travel) has been around for many years now. […]
The travel industry’s dilemma
Bridging the gap between independent and organized group travel An age-old conflict exists between travelers who prefer to strike out on their own – independents – and those who prefer to join organized tours – groupies. Independents refuse to part with their sense of self-driven freedom and adventure. The spontaneity of flying solo with a […]