Responsible travel clients opt for huts or homestays over hotels
With Fairtrade Fortnight commencing across the UK on Monday (25 February – 9 March), leading ethical holiday directory responsibletravel.com announced an 87% year on year increase for 2006/07 in the number of people enquiring about community-based holidays and points to a growing trend for tourism ventures that sit in the hands of local people. However, the online company warns that the tourism industry still has a long way to go.
In the same way that consumers can buy coffee direct from growers, community-based tourism is rooted in similar principles – it’s about connecting travellers directly with local communities around the world, allowing them to stay with local people in their homes or villages. Locals earn a fair wage as a result and the traveller is provided with a unique cultural experience.
Since 2006, responsibletravel.com has worked with NGO Conservation International to provide free marketing to 55 such local community tourism ventures, based in remote locations in developing countries which lack the resources to successfully promote themselves to Western holidaymakers.
Justin Francis, co-founder and managing director of responsibletravel.com says: “This is a relatively new way to travel but one that offers a truly unforgettable experience and I believe we’ll see more people pursuing community-based travel in the future. Rather than staying in a chain hotel where local people have minimal control and involvement in the business, you are invited to be part of village life and the community is your host. This is a unique opportunity for cultural exchange and the tourist dollar contributes to local employment and provides an income for education and conservation initiatives.”
Commenting more broadly on how the tourism industry can apply the principles of fair trade, Francis said: “Unlike the grocery or fashion industry, there are no benchmarks around fair trade tourism. This means that purchasing prices are not monitored, the amount of money that goes back to the local community is not regulated and working conditions are not independently assessed.”
Francis urges travellers to ask questions of travel companies when booking holidays. “It is up to us as consumers to keep the pressure on. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Whether booking a hotel or an entire trip we must demand that companies provide us with transparent information about how they are improving the economic benefits of tourism to local people.”
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