Giving Back through Green Travel in Central America – For the Long Term

The desire to give back, to make a difference, to contribute something positive – is a good trend to see in the world, and in travel. But how can travel companies make the link between being green and really giving something back? Community-based tourism, which links initiatives owned and managed by local residents of a destination with goals of returning benefits to the community and for conservation, may finally have the chance to make sustainable tourism a reality – the more people want to give back and the more communities in developing countries are supported in their efforts, the more chances travel has in helping the global effort towards sustainability and poverty alleviation. Sustainable, green travel is dependent on the integration of communities into experiences in a mutually beneficial way. By integrating communities, the travel experience becomes authentic, increasing its appeal to today’s ever more conscious consumer and local people receive positive interactions and contributions to their economy and environment.

El Salvador is a prime example of a country that will benefit extraordinarily from successful community-based ecotourism development. Being a country with civil war in its history, tourism has not emerged like some of its Central American neighbors. With funds from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), EplerWood International has fostered the creation of a destination management strategy, EcoExperiencias El Salvador, under the leadership of Megan Epler Wood, founder of The International Ecotourism Society (TIES).

EcoExperiencias El Salvador was created to produce successful eco-adventure tourism that results in long term benefits to communities and conservation. It is the first web portal of its kind in El Salvador showcasing the richness in natural and cultural beauty the small country has to offer. The EcoExperiencias project has readied El Salvador for the international market by integrating attractions, accommodations and transportation so that visitors can experience its volcanic highlands, colonial towns, coffee plantations and ocean waves on their own or through packaged tours. Travel to El Salvador that includes visiting indigenous villages, staying in Salvadoran-owned accommodations and purchasing hand-made local arts and crafts are simple ways that tourism is already making positive contributions to this unexplored developing country. EcoExperiencias is ready to partner with international tour operators. Currently GreenSpot.travel has two itineraries available, and G.A.P Adventures will be launching a voluntour later this year.

Another innovative way for travel to give back is taking place at the Procopio Gamboa Villalobos School, located ten miles from La Fortuna near the Arenal Volcano in Costa Rica. While the country is already famous for its ecotourism success, it is rapidly becoming notorious for its coastal mega-development, endangering the natural environment on which its fame is built, and leaking tourism revenues out of local hands at an alarming rate. Therefore here too, supporting community-based tourism with social and environmental sustainability as its goal is tremendously important.

A rural school in Costa Rica doesn’t have many resources, and especially not for renovations, a gymnasium, or other materials like computers. One way to solve that problem would be to simply make donations. While this would make a positive impact, it begs the question, is it sustainable? So the founders of GreenSpot.travel, travel specialist and social enterprise, decided to turn active philanthropy into a sustainable local enterprise – a community-managed clothing store. As Megan Epler Wood pointed out in an October 7, 2008 article, for TravelMole Vision,

“In tourism, we have relied too often on the good will of donors and philanthropists to bring genuine social benefits to local people. But the social enterprise model demands a more long term solution. If local people run their own businesses, successfully using social enterprise models, as part of the larger tourism value chain, they will cover their costs and have increasingly positive social and environmental impacts.”

Richard and Irene Edwards collect gently used clothing from donors in the U.S. and deliver the goods during their regular trips to Costa Rica. Irene Edwards is passionate about helping rural communities coming from one herself, and that passion enables her to encourage people to donate clothing to the project. And after living almost half his life in Costa Rica, Richard Edwards is dedicated to bringing real benefits from travel to countries that need it and the people who work so hard to provide tourists with genuine experiences day after day. GreenSpot.travel provides advice and business guidance to project leaders as the clothing store grows. They also provide grants from the travel agency revenues to help with start-up costs and operations as the store is getting off the ground. In the near future, GreenSpot.travel hopes that the used clothing store model will be expanded and franchised to other communities as a green, sustainable and empowering method of fundraising through recycling.

The world is changing…and travel is changing along with it. Grassroots involvement in volunteer organizations around the world is continuously growing and responsible tourism is reaching new heights. More and more, youth are venturing out not only for a backpacking trip but incorporating a volunteer portion into their adventures, making “voluntourism” a rapidly growing market segment. With new ways of making contributions through travel being created all the time, the opportunities foreseen by early ecotourism and sustainable tourism pioneers for travel to make positive impacts around the world are increasing exponentially. Once obscure, eco-friendly tours, green travel tips and carbon offsetting options are now found on mainstream internet selling platforms such as Expedia and on blogs, forums and information portals more than ever, such as the new TravelGreen.org site from the US Travel Association and American Express. It seems that travellers are longing for their interactions with local people to be more than a simple hello in the hallway of a hotel. What’s more, it seems people want to make a difference in the world and are using travel as the mechanism to reach their goals. This is certainly a positive sign for those involved in creating truly green and sustainable travel by integrating community experiences.

Go to http://www.elsalvadorexperience.com/index.php?lang=2 to learn more about EcoExperiencias El Salvador or contact Holly Jones, [email protected].

Visit www.eplerwood.com for more information on this and other ecotourism development projects around the world from EplerWood International.

For more information on GreenSpot.travel’s clothing store project in Costa Rica and for green travel itineraries to Costa Rica, El Salvador, Panama and Nicaragua, visit www.greenspot.travel or contact Kelly Galaski, [email protected].

By Kelly Galaski