Tourism Cares Going Global
$2.5 million of grants given
Tourism Cares, the non-profit organization that has been giving back on behalf of the travel and tourism industry since 1999, has gone global in a major way in the past four months. The charity has been giving grants to natural, cultural and historic tourism-related sites around North America and around the world, approximately $2.5 Million USD, and supporting the education of the future travel and tourism workforce at almost the same pace. In May of this year, through its newly organized Global Outreach Committee, Tourism Cares sought to replicate its North America model in a destination outside the US. Writes Bruce Beckham, Executive Director
GO PERU (Global Outreach Peru) was born in early 2011 and the plans were put in place. Through partnerships with the Peruvian tourism industry and the American tour operator industry, the program was designed to a) educate the Peruvian tourism industry about the sales, marketing, customer service and best practices in sustainability as seen through the eyes of the incoming visitor, b) help to restore and preserve a tourism-related site that is popular with tourists and also part of the cultural heritage of the Peruvian people, and c) create a long term effect on Peru’s treasured sites by helping create a local Peruvian organization that will carry on the practices of Tourism Cares.
It came together just as planned. Thirty-eight travel and tourism professionals, many of them tour operators from the US were part of a Leadership Expedition that took them to Cusco and Machu Picchu. In Cusco the US and Peruvian travel professionals as well as students partook in a full day bi-lingual educational forum, sharing ideas and challenges on how to better serve their travelers while maintaining the authenticity and integrity of their assets.
The delegation then spent a day working side by side painting the exterior of Mercado San Pedro, a local market in the center of Cusco that serves not only as the main shopping area for the local Inca people, but a cultural and shopping magnet for tourists visiting the area. Tourism Cares’ initiation of this project caught the interest of the city’s mayor and populace and the full restoration of the marketplace is now underway.
Likely the greatest outcome of Tourism Cares’ and its partners’ efforts was the creation of Peru Turismo Cuida (Peru Tourism Cares), a newly established nonprofit begun by the private sector of Peru’s tourism industry who pledged, along with matching funds from Tourism Cares’ partners to invest over the next two years and beyond in tourism related nonprofit sites in need of care. Peru currently has 11 UNESCO World Heritage sites, many of which need funding. That’s just the start.
Tourism Cares is seeking out other countries that wish to partner in similar ways in the future. For more information and to apply, contact Executive Director Bruce Beckham at [email protected].
Bruce Beckham, Executive Director – Tourism Cares
Valere
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Skyscanner reveals major travel trends 2026 at ITB Asia
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists