Businesses – Benefits
The benefits and pitfalls of Travel Philanthropy
Civic-minded travelers and travel companies gain satisfaction from furthering the well being of the places they visit. But what other reasons exist for a travel company to create a foundation focused on Travelers' Philanthropy? Before reviewing the benefits of travel philanthropy, please consider the challenges you must overcome to create a successful program.
First, since many tourism providers don't have development experience or experience working with NGOs, it may be difficult for them to select appropriate partners and projects. Second, and perhaps more importantly, travel philanthropy should not foster dependency. It should foster giving, by encouraging recipients to become self-reliant philanthropists in their own right. Travel philanthropy is most likely to succeed when it focuses on individual achievement, and where it rewards personal initiative and self-reliance.
Once you've taken these issues into consideration, consider how travel philanthropy can benefit everyone involved:
-
Responsible Travelers. There is ample research to support the size and scope of the conscientious consumer (LOHAS) and sustainable tourism markets. Nonetheless, it can be challenging for responsible travel companies to determine if new business stems from their commitment to sustainability.
Measuring your positive impacts and marketing them along with your responsible tourism policy will help to send a strong message about your company. If you ask the right questions, you may be surprised to find that your clients' decisions to travel with your business were directly influenced by your company's values.
-
Media. Most travel writers and editors are inundated by press releases, familiarization trip offerings, and exciting story angles from travel companies around the world. As a result, unique stories tend to be the only stories that attract their attention.
Set your business apart by framing your press releases and story angles through your businesses' commitment to environmental, socio-cultural and community-based issues. By focusing on your positive impacts and how you've improved the well being of local communities, you will position your business in a positive light, creating an opportunity to dramatically increase your media exposure.
-
Industry Evolution. In tough economic times, travel companies are hesitant to buy into the benefits of responsible tourism. Often, tour operators, for example, are more concerned about their supplier's pricing structure and amenities than their commitment to destination stewardship and environmental management.
The tides, however, are now beginning to turn. Travel companies are promoting the ways in which they positively impact the people and places they visit. This is an exceptional brand and reputation builder as it reflects a company's values.
-
Community Benefits. It is a simple fact that businesses based within successful communities are more likely to be successful themselves.
Your business can also affect the local communities where you operate in a meaningful way if you take into account their needs and aspirations and provide them with quantifiable benefits. By forming partnership with local non-governmental agencies and community leaders and focusing on positive outcomes for all, you will strengthen your community as well as your business.
Focus on efforts that help support community development, biodiversity conservation, and other improvements including providing jobs, educational and professional training opportunities, health care and environmental stewardship.
