Our Impact

What changes through Community Tourism?

Community Tourism can create effects that extend beyond the tourism experience itself.

Through our annual Impact Survey, organizations in the Planeterra Community Tourism Network tell us what is changing in their organizations and communities. These findings reflect what network members report and describe broader outcomes associated with Community Tourism.

See what our Network members reported in 2025:

Income, skills, and entrepreneurship

Tourism can help people develop practical skills, gain experience, and pursue new opportunities in work and entrepreneurship. 74% reported increased skills and knowledge to start or grow a business.

Education

Income from tourism can contribute to education and create opportunities for further learning. 79% reported greater access to education for themselves or other community members.

Gender equality

Tourism can create opportunities for women to earn income, develop skills, and take on leadership roles. 77% reported increasing gender equality in their communities.

Cultural traditions

Community Tourism can create opportunities for communities to share, maintain, and pass on cultural knowledge and traditions. 80% reported increased participation in and protection of culture and traditions, including increased youth participation.

Nature and biodiversity

Community Tourism can support conservation, restoration, and more sustainable local practices. In 2025, work supported through Planeterra and its partners resulted in 2,063,583 trees planted and growing, and 116 communities benefited from climate and biodiversity initiatives.

The Impact Can Travel Further

The impact of Community Tourism doesn’t always stop with the person directly involved. When people earn income, gain skills, or access new opportunities, that impact can extend to their families and wider communities, education, employment, cultural traditions, or whatever priorities the revenue gets reinvested in. What it looks like depends on what each community values and chooses to prioritize.

These ripple effects can include:

• Women starting their first jobs outside the home
• Children gaining increased access to education
• Youth gaining skills and experience that support long-term employment
• Women taking on leadership roles in their communities
• Communities generating income through cultural activities and traditions
• Communities protecting and restoring their natural environment for future generations

Our Role and How Impact Gets Built

Planeterra provides support that helps Community Tourism Enterprises strengthen their organizations, access tourism markets, and develop new opportunities, including training and mentorship, funding and grants, experience development, market connections, organizational support, peer learning, and climate resilience and nature restoration support.

The direction, priorities, and decisions stay with the organizations and communities we work alongside. None of this happens through one organization alone, it grows through the work of community partners, travel companies, donors, and supporters who help create access to markets, resources, and opportunities.