News + Blog

Written by Julia Pitcher – Communications and Development Coordinator

Planeterra is proud to have such an amazing base of supporters contributing to ensuring tourism dollars remain in the hands of local people. With thousands of donors over the years joining us in protecting the environment and empowering women, youth, and Indigenous and rural communities.

If it wasn’t for our network of supporters we wouldn’t have been able to help develop 100 community tourism enterprises and get them ready to enter the international market with our partners. We wouldn’t have been able to give over 500 communities access to our one-of-a-kind online training resources and facilitate peer-to-peer learning.

In 2022, we wouldn’t have been able to start our Global Community Tourism Fund which saw grants going to 7 communities needing a hand up as they got ready to welcome travellers. Donations over the last year have enabled our team and partners to join forces yet again, helping community tourism enterprises recover from the impacts of COVID-19 and continue turning travel into impact.

It feels amazing to be able to share the transformation behind these donations. In the last year, our donors have enabled our team and partners to join forces, helping community tourism enterprises recover from the impacts of COVID-19 and continue turning travel into impact. Here are just a few examples of what supporting Planeterra looks like on the ground. 

We love sharing the positive impact our supporters have on the development of sustainable livelihoods around the world, it goes to show that when we work together, the potential is infinite. Community changemakers like No Limits Café, Zoológico Mágico, and Museo Comunitario Isla Maciel are just a few of our partners that donors have supported.

Our Global Community Tourism Network has now connected over 500 communities just like them, all working hard to use tourism to change lives. 

You’ve been following Planeterra for a while and are wondering how to support our work. First of all, thank you! We couldn’t do it without you. At Planeterra, we believe that every action counts, and there are certainly lots of ways in which you can get involved. In this post, we’d like to share five ideas to inspire you.

1. Make a donation

Planeterra is a nonprofit organization and we can continue connecting communities around the globe to the benefits of tourism thanks to the generosity of our donors. 

Donations allow us to:

• Improve existing tourism experiences.
• Provide training or professional development for community tourism enterprises’ staff.
• Give community tourism enterprises access to mentorship to create new tourism experiences based on market demand.
• Invest in building the infrastructure that local communities need to provide a tourism experience.

So, If you are able to help Planeterra financially, consider donating through this link. And, if you want to go a step further, you can become one of our Citizens of Change through monthly support. Click here to learn more. 

2. Visit one of our projects

Travelling can be a transformative experience both for you and for the people you meet during your journey. By choosing to visit a community-owned enterprise, you are creating more impact than you can imagine. You are not only supporting the economic development of people in the area, but you’re also contributing to preserving their cultures and ways of life.

You can check out some of the projects we support, here and if you’re ready to book your next holiday, don’t forget to check out the life-changing tours offered by our partners G Adventures, Travelsphere and Just You as they have integrated Planeterra projects into their trip itineraries around the world.

3. Spread the word on social media

Social media, when used responsibly, is a very powerful tool. We use these platforms to share with our followers a bit about our work and to introduce you to the amazing projects that are using tourism to change lives.

That being said, when you like, share or comment on one of our Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter posts or YouTube videos, you are helping us spread the word and raise awareness about the importance of community tourism.

And of course, we also share our monthly updates through our newsletter, so inviting people to subscribe is another great way to support Planeterra. 

4. Visit our Partner Shop

Did you know, you can support Planeterra’s community partners from home? Visit our Partner Shop and you’ll see a list of projects that have the ability to ship products directly to your home. Online orders are not just a great source of revenue for our partners, but it helps them to diversify their income.

Plus, they can be a great idea for a birthday or Christmas present.

5. Buy from our shop

And last but not least, you can uplift communities through tourism by shopping at Planeterra’s store! We have a great variety of accessories, sweaters and T-shirts with inspiring messages so you can “wear your impact” every day. Proceeds from items purchased will go towards Planeterra’s global programs.

We hope you enjoyed reading this post. Let us know in the comments what is your preferred way to support Planeterra. Thank you again for helping us make a difference.

Each year World Tourism Day is celebrated on September 27. This year the official World Tourism Day celebration will be held in Bali, Indonesia and focus on the theme: ‘Rethinking Tourism’. 

Putting communities at the centre of the conversation is something Planeterra has been doing since our inception and on the occasion of World Tourism Day, we are celebrating how the travel industry is reshaping the roles of communities in tourism. We truly believe that the potential for tourism to be a force for good is infinite and we welcome the opportunity for our approximately 450 community tourism partners to be at the forefront of a reimagined tourism industry. 

Through our Global Community Tourism Network (GCTN), we are helping the industry to build back better and in a more inclusive way that engages thousands of local people all over the world. 

While it has been an unimaginably difficult couple of years, Planeterra has been working to help our community partners to recover and prepare to receive travellers once again. Although many partners are fully operational, for others, the road to recovery has been more difficult and they are still working to be ready to welcome their first visitors. 

With the World Tourism Day celebration taking place in Indonesia this year, we’d like to take this opportunity to spotlight two of Planeterra’s community partners from this beautiful country that are working to create a positive impact:

Ngadas Community Homestay – Java, Indonesia

The village of Ngadas is home to the Tengger tribe. This community acts as the protectors of Mount Bromo Volcano, one of the most sacred sites in Indonesia. By working with the Tengger tribe, we created a homestay and community tour program that is fully owned and managed by them.

The program benefits 498 households with ripple effects supporting many micro-enterprises that include: local farmers, local guides, drivers, tour guides, and homestay hosts.

The homestay program is located inside of Bromo-Tengger-Semeru National Park and allows the older generation to diversify their income. It also creates opportunities to employ the next generation of Tenngerese enabling them to stay in their local community. Travellers have a chance to meet and stay in a traditional Tengger home and explore the surroundings on a community-developed hike.

Learn more about Ngadas Community Homestay, here.

Senang Hati – Bali, Indonesia 

The Senang Hati Foundation provides programs to develop self-confidence, and physical and economic independence as well as to create awareness for the rights of differently-abled adults in Ubud, Bali. The centre provides skills training that enables members to become self-supporting through jobs related to hospitality, painting, sewing, and woodworking. Every year, 30 students benefit from the program, moving on to start their own businesses and families.

Planeterra supported Senang Hati in renovating their dream kitchen. This kitchen is fully accessible with counters, sinks, shelves, and working spaces customized for those using mobility devices. 

When visiting them, travellers enjoy a traditional Balinese lunch that is prepped, cooked, and served by the members at Senang Hati.

Learn more about Senang Hati, here.

Tourism is an $8 trillion global industry, but many local businesses and communities do not benefit from it. There are some forms of tourism where $0 reaches the hands of local people. Planeterra is working to change that.

Each year World Tourism Day (WTD) is celebrated on September 27 to spread awareness about the importance of tourism and its impact. This year’s WTD invites us to “Rethink Tourism”, to collectively reflect on where our sector is going, what have we all learned in the last couple of years having experienced the impact of the pandemic, where we want to go and most importantly, how we get there without leaving anyone behind.

It has been an unimaginably difficult couple of years for the tourism sector due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The road to recovery has not been easy, though as the world opens up again, travelers are slowly returning to our partners and we can take the lessons learned to strengthen our impact on the future.

Planeterra cannot think of a better way to celebrate tourism than by continuing to amplify the voices of communities, finding the best ways to put people at the center of key discussions and supporting community tourism enterprises that have big social and environmental goals. This way, tourism dollars stay in the community, creating jobs and training opportunities, with profits invested into community development and environmental programs locally. 

We also wanted to share that over the past few months, we have been working on our flagship initiative, Project 100, in which we plan to incorporate 100 community tourism experiences into G Adventures tours. As countries have been opening back up, new community experiences have been integrated into these exciting tours and we are so close to reaching our milestone!

Today, we want to introduce you to two community enterprises that are part of Project 100. These businesses are making a difference in their communities by working with travelers and giving them the chance to experience the local culture and create lasting memories. 

Good Work Foundation – Hazyview, South Africa

The Kruger National Park is a well-known tourist destination and while it is a thriving financial hub and creates many job opportunities, in the villages that surround the glamorous fences of the park, thousands of people live in poverty, with no access to education and basic livelihood needs. This is where Good Work Foundation (GWF) comes into play.

GWF is a nonprofit organization that trains local youth in technology, conservation as well as Tourism and Hospitality. They provide opportunities in the tourism sector for youth in the villages bordering the Kruger National Park. Every year the GWF provides free training to 25 youth and bridges them into opportunities in the hotels and lodges in the area.

Thanks to the GWF, youth are gaining skills in entrepreneurship and tourism to break the cycle of poverty around the Kruger National Park by generating sources of income. Additionally, through the training provided by the GWF, youth are able to access much-needed education.

Planeterra partnered with the GWF and their Hospitality Academy to create an express Coffee Bar that serves delicious coffee and a tasty macadamia snack sourced locally to travellers who are visiting the Kruger National Park.

The Coffee Bar supports covering tuition and is also an opportunity for youth in the program to receive practical training in barista skills as well as earnings for their work. Tourism allows the GWF to reduce their dependency on grants to fund the academy, increase class sizes and train more youth.

To learn more about GWF, click here.

Safi Kitchen – Southern Ghawr, Jordan

Creating opportunities for women and youth and preserving the local culture and natural resources of the southern region of the Jordan Valley (Ghawr) inspired Safi Kitchen to open its doors at the end of 2019. This nonprofit organization invites locals to participate in an authentic farm and meal experience to showcase their traditions and culture through food.

By engaging in tourism activities, community members receive a much-needed income from the kitchen. Women can now make their own financial decisions and youth are leading up conservation activities in their communities. 

The community continues to value their environment and more businesses are being led by women. They are also sharing their culture authentically and are working to position their region as a tourist destination.

Through a partnership with Safi Kitchen, Planeterra facilitated a market connection to the tourism sector, where travellers enjoy an authentic meal experience and understand the traditional methods of farming in Jordan while seeing the fresh ingredients picked and used in their meals. They also get an opportunity to learn about how this community is using agriculture to preserve their environment.

Safi Kitchen provides a traditional lunch, tea and snacks to travellers. They also have an in-community bike trail for active travellers with a mountainous backdrop. The tour is led by youth from the community who are receiving an income from the tours.

To learn more about Safi Kitchen, click here.

Stay tuned to discover more community enterprises that will benefit from hosting travelers!