In our journey towards a more sustainable world, “impact travel” solutions can provide travellers with experiences that positively mark the destinations they visit.
However, there are a few considerations that are crucial to a major breakthrough in impact travel:
1. The paradox that “going mainstream” is not sustainable by its very nature (e.g. mass tourism)
2. Protecting the authentic essence and brand value of “impact travel” so it doesn’t become another marketing tagline
3. Moving beyond simple KPIs to ensure we make a measurable, positive change in the real lives of people
Do you think "impact travel" is feasible for the tourism industry to achieve at a wider scale? What other challenges does impact travel face to become a significant force and transform people's lives and society? Appreciate your feedback!
PS: If you are interested in this topic, we invite you to join the TravaPowa impact travel community (follow the links in my profile).
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Hi everyone,
As a biologist with a long standing background in tourism (my parents ran two campsites in Greece over 30 years), I have been working on a scientific tourism concept for the past months.
Although I got positive feedback from International organisations, plus an offer to start my project small in Greece, I am having massive self-doubts whether it is a good idea to start anything in tourism. I cannot seem to understand the basic - how would I gain my salary from my activity - which honestly blocks me :-(
Would any of you have recommendations, feedback, experience in the field of scientific tourism? I would love to hear more about the topic here.
I wish to build a network of individualised tours/ projects in the Mediterranean region, starting by Greece that will work together with some Internationaly important initiatives, as well with smaller established NGO´s and initiatives. All activities will be coordinated with the necessary academic/ institutional support and based on a sound scientific ground, adapted and easily communicated to a broader audience.
Thank you :-)
Hello, working in STR & real estate within the Adriatic sea, your project sounds interesting. At your disposal for a call, nice day!
gladly!
Hi Dominique - "science" is wide - but as a biologist you might be interested to take a look into wildlife conservation type of tourism. Here in Montenegro, I would recommend to get in touch e.g. with czip.me/?lang=en with their tourism arm monticola.me, as well as the dolphin research & protection folks in Kotor, balkan.green/map/blue-operation-wildlife-conservation-tours/. For biodiversity trail blazers: Jovana and Andrijana at the drustvoekologa.me/en/. In Greece again, ecotourism experts such as Frosso K. Dimitrakopolou of ecoclub.com.
thank you Kirsi. Yes, science is very wide, but I have already limited it to two fields that I believe are important for the regions and the people interested. The thing is I have an entire list of potential partners and organisations relevant to my project, it is more how to go about making effective cooperations and building the project so that I can also live from it. Though thank you for the recommendations as it includes regions I had not considered yet :)
Check out MEET (Mediterranean Experience of Eco-Tourism) Network — they operate in 9 Mediterranean countries and over 20 Protected Area destinations to develop the region into a leading ecotourism destination.
I already have MEET on my side :) thanks!