Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Unique Experiences on Social Tourism
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Increasingly more "social tourists"are saying "no" to cocktails by the pool in the Caribbean, the exclusive cruise ships of the Balearic Islands, or five-star hotels in major U.S. destinations.
And "yes" to learning first-hand about the realities of the developing South or Eastern Europe, and sharing the lifestyles and the problems of local communities.
In the Philippines, social tourism, eco-tourism, and adventure travel, are being promoted by Club Travellers at Philippine-Resorts.com, through its The Travel Buddy Program. http://www.philippine-resorts.com/travelbuddy/
Those social travellers are opting to spend a few weeks with residents of the Peruvian Andes or the Tibetan Himalayas, instead of spending their money in the posh hotels of the European capitals or the luxury resorts of Asia.
In the northern Italian city of Milan, the Pindorama travel agency organises just 25 social tourism trips each year, for groups of 15 people and lasting 20 days. They target 16 destinations on four continents. The average charge per participant is nearly 3,000 dollars.
The Pindorama clients who head to the southeastern Mexican state of Chiapas stay in the homes of the local indigenous peoples; those who go to Lima, Peru visit groups of young labourers; and the ones who travel to the Argentine Patagonia live with sheep herders.
VAL is a non-profit organisation combating desertification in rural areas and promoting social policies to create tourism infrastructures that will benefit the local population in the Massif Central region in south and central France.
Each year, 15,000 Italians travel to take part in providing aid to poor communities, under the auspices of 63 Italian associations. "In this sort of social tourism, the focus of interest is the host community, which has the right to decide what kind of visitors it will accept," AIRT president Maurizio Daviolo explained to Tierramerica.
Tiziano Colombo, an engineer from Milan, spent 15 days in Cape Town, South Africa, and although he did not travel with a social tourism operator, he hired a local tour agency, which showed him the poverty of the residents living in the outlying neighbourhoods of that city.
His guide, son of immigrants from India, took him to the homes of three families, who told him about their experiences under the racist regime of apartheid that ended in 1994. In exchange for the time and patience of his hosts, he purchased beverages from them to contribute to their household economies.
Groups that support development in poor countries obtain resources by providing services for social tourism. CRIC, an Italian regional centre for international cooperation, based in Reggio Calabria, organises 20-day trips, part with a social focus, part traditional tourism, to Nicaragua, Senegal, Ecuador and the southern Spanish region of Andalusia, charging around 1,400 dollars per traveller.
In Senegal, the "social travelers" visit the usual tourist destinations, but also Davio, a small northern community, where they spend 15 days, hosted by a cooperative of 70 women who produce colourful painted fabrics. The income generated by these visits is used to support the Davio community.
In the Andalusian city of Almeria, the trips organised by CRIC give participants a chance to learn about the traditional Easter festivities, but also the racism suffered by Moroccan immigrants and gypsies, or Roma people.
Those are shorter visits, just 10 days, and more economical, costing around 1,200 per person. The hosts are local groups involved in fighting racism, and "the tourists meet with sociologists and anthropologists who explain the problem to them, but they also take in flamenco shows," said Gabriele Ciapparella, also with CRIC.
The non-profit Jonas Association has been organising social tourism for the past 16 years in Padova, in northern Italia, with itineraries that have little environmental impact and promote vacations by bicycle.
In Italy, 300 hotels, guest houses, campgrounds, restaurants and family homes bear the Ecolab seal, created by Legambiente, the country's largest environmental group, to recognise services that follow the principles of sustainable management and environmental protection.
These businesses separate their different types of waste for recycling, use low-energy lighting, save water, provide bicycles for use free of charge, and prepare meals using fruits and vegetables in season, and no genetically modified foods.
Such experiences are expanding on the idea of "ecotourism", which gained popularity beginning in the early 1990s, say experts, as travellers not only seek to live in a way that respects the environment, but also the people of different cultures -- indigenous peoples, peasant farmers or cooperative workers.
Social tourism is aimed at benefiting the whole community by contributing to the economic and social development of regions and citizens as the whole.
Proceed now to The Travel Buddy Program. http://www.philippine-resorts.com/travelbuddy/
And "yes" to learning first-hand about the realities of the developing South or Eastern Europe, and sharing the lifestyles and the problems of local communities.
In the Philippines, social tourism, eco-tourism, and adventure travel, are being promoted by Club Travellers at Philippine-Resorts.com, through its The Travel Buddy Program. http://www.philippine-resorts.com/travelbuddy/
Those social travellers are opting to spend a few weeks with residents of the Peruvian Andes or the Tibetan Himalayas, instead of spending their money in the posh hotels of the European capitals or the luxury resorts of Asia.
In the northern Italian city of Milan, the Pindorama travel agency organises just 25 social tourism trips each year, for groups of 15 people and lasting 20 days. They target 16 destinations on four continents. The average charge per participant is nearly 3,000 dollars.
The Pindorama clients who head to the southeastern Mexican state of Chiapas stay in the homes of the local indigenous peoples; those who go to Lima, Peru visit groups of young labourers; and the ones who travel to the Argentine Patagonia live with sheep herders.
VAL is a non-profit organisation combating desertification in rural areas and promoting social policies to create tourism infrastructures that will benefit the local population in the Massif Central region in south and central France.
Each year, 15,000 Italians travel to take part in providing aid to poor communities, under the auspices of 63 Italian associations. "In this sort of social tourism, the focus of interest is the host community, which has the right to decide what kind of visitors it will accept," AIRT president Maurizio Daviolo explained to Tierramerica.
Tiziano Colombo, an engineer from Milan, spent 15 days in Cape Town, South Africa, and although he did not travel with a social tourism operator, he hired a local tour agency, which showed him the poverty of the residents living in the outlying neighbourhoods of that city.
His guide, son of immigrants from India, took him to the homes of three families, who told him about their experiences under the racist regime of apartheid that ended in 1994. In exchange for the time and patience of his hosts, he purchased beverages from them to contribute to their household economies.
Groups that support development in poor countries obtain resources by providing services for social tourism. CRIC, an Italian regional centre for international cooperation, based in Reggio Calabria, organises 20-day trips, part with a social focus, part traditional tourism, to Nicaragua, Senegal, Ecuador and the southern Spanish region of Andalusia, charging around 1,400 dollars per traveller.
In Senegal, the "social travelers" visit the usual tourist destinations, but also Davio, a small northern community, where they spend 15 days, hosted by a cooperative of 70 women who produce colourful painted fabrics. The income generated by these visits is used to support the Davio community.
In the Andalusian city of Almeria, the trips organised by CRIC give participants a chance to learn about the traditional Easter festivities, but also the racism suffered by Moroccan immigrants and gypsies, or Roma people.
Those are shorter visits, just 10 days, and more economical, costing around 1,200 per person. The hosts are local groups involved in fighting racism, and "the tourists meet with sociologists and anthropologists who explain the problem to them, but they also take in flamenco shows," said Gabriele Ciapparella, also with CRIC.
The non-profit Jonas Association has been organising social tourism for the past 16 years in Padova, in northern Italia, with itineraries that have little environmental impact and promote vacations by bicycle.
In Italy, 300 hotels, guest houses, campgrounds, restaurants and family homes bear the Ecolab seal, created by Legambiente, the country's largest environmental group, to recognise services that follow the principles of sustainable management and environmental protection.
These businesses separate their different types of waste for recycling, use low-energy lighting, save water, provide bicycles for use free of charge, and prepare meals using fruits and vegetables in season, and no genetically modified foods.
Such experiences are expanding on the idea of "ecotourism", which gained popularity beginning in the early 1990s, say experts, as travellers not only seek to live in a way that respects the environment, but also the people of different cultures -- indigenous peoples, peasant farmers or cooperative workers.
Social tourism is aimed at benefiting the whole community by contributing to the economic and social development of regions and citizens as the whole.
Proceed now to The Travel Buddy Program. http://www.philippine-resorts.com/travelbuddy/
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