Over the past several weeks we have been receiving images and videos from our partners as they welcomed their first travelers since many had to shut down due to the pandemic.

Thanks to the support of our donors, we helped provide flexible grants to support and ensure several partners could be ready to once again welcome travelers and begin generating income for their communities.

The smiles on the faces of our partners and the travelers have been incredibly uplifting for our whole team. This is why we thought we would share and shine a spotlight on some of our partners who have begun welcoming travelers once more:

Salaam Baalak Trust – India

Salaam Baalak Trust is an Indian non-profit organization that provides safe housing, counselling, education, and support to over 5,000 children in New Delhi, as well as managing five safe homes across the city. They run a “City Walk” program, a youth-led walking tour that provides a different perspective on Delhi while allowing youth to gain new skills. 

Funds from the City Walk program are used to provide scholarships and job placements for youth, as well as resources for the shelters. By connecting the program to our tourism partners, they now have a reliable stream of income to support their education and social service work.

City Walk has not only given the youth a new set of skills but also helped boost their self-confidence by improving their communication skills and shaping their personality while interacting with tourists from across the globe.

Learn more here.

The GoodWork Foundation – South Africa

The GoodWork Foundation (GWF) is located on the route to the Phabeni Gate of Kruger National Park. They aim to provide learning opportunities to rural and marginalized communities in Africa. To achieve this, they work with young people from the villages around Kruger National Park to help them develop business and barista skills as well as tourism and hospitality training. 

Travelers who visit the GWF Cafe on their way to the park enjoy a variety of hot coffee and macadamia-based snacks (Kruger National Park is also known for its macadamia, banana, and cashew farms). 

Learn more here. 

Thailand Hill-Tribes Trek – Mae Hong Son, Thailand

The Hilltribe trekking in Northern Thailand creates job opportunities for individuals in three communities Pha Mon (Red Lahu), Meung Pam (Red Karen), and Jabo (Black Lahu). This helps them to continue to stay in their home village, retaining culture, and preventing urban migration. 

Thanks to their community development plans, 10% of each tourism activity is invested in a wider community development fund. This fund benefits the greater communities’ needs such as the local school, and community environmental programs. The community can also use these funds to allocate loans to individuals looking to start their own businesses or to fund different emergencies.

Earlier this month, they hosted their first group of travelers since the pandemic started and we couldn’t be happier.

Learn more here. 

Osmose – Tonlé Sap Biosphere Reserve, Cambodia

Osmose is a non-governmental organization dedicated to the environmental preservation and the socio-economic development of the Prek Toal area, located in the Tonle Sap UNESCO Biosphere reserve.

Over the years, Osmose has developed more projects to support the local population to protect their incredible environment. One of the projects is their sustainable community tourism tours, accommodations, and handicrafts that work to support the conservation of the area. ⁠

A group of travelers recently visited the Saray water hyacinth handicraft workshop, where the village families fabricate and sell beautiful handicrafts made from dried water-hyacinth stems to supplement their incomes. They also learned how to make these handicrafts which is not only a great experience but also an opportunity to support this amazing project!

Learn more here.

Baracoa Community Tours, Baracoa – Cuba

We are very excited to see travelers enjoying the cultural immersion tour in Baracoa again. Planeterra has worked with the Baracoa Community to include visits to multiple family-owned micro-enterprises related to local cultural activities. Three villages are visited in this tour, resulting in 200 people being impacted by responsible tourism.⁠

When visiting the community, travelers have the opportunity to learn from local guides, participate in local living experiences and make some traditional delicacies. ⁠They can also purchase unique handicrafts as a souvenir, all supporting the women, men, and youth of Baracoa. 

Learn more here.

Puesta del Sol Association – Ometepe, Nicaragua

The Puesta del Sol Association is a community rural tourism initiative from the Community of La Palma in Nicaragua. Puesta del Sol has created new job opportunities which have strengthened the economy and quality of life of the community and they couldn’t be happier to host travelers!

The Association has created a community fund that allows them to provide scholarships, support the elderly and invest in community infrastructure (such as a local school, a local park, and others).

They have also developed a series of training programs related to tourism and new tourism initiatives. Planeterra helped introduce Puesta Del Sol to our tourism partners to help provide a steady stream of travelers. 

Learn more here.

Guneysinir Community Park – Guneysinir, Turkey

This almond plantation cooperative that doubles as a community park not only provides a source of shade and water retention but also a source of income – once the almonds can be harvested. Another added benefit is that it is becoming a place for families and visitors to enjoy together.

Planeterra provided the grant to plant the almond trees and has secured income for the community through corporate partners who bring travelers who visit the park and enjoy a snack made by a local family, supporting this budding social enterprise.

Learn more here.

 !Khwa ttu – Cape Town North, South Africa

!Khwa ttu is a San culture and education center based on a Nature Reserve near Cape Town. They have been one of our most resilient partners during the COVID-19 pandemic! They used our learning resources and pivoted their business by attracting more young local day travelers and campers. 

They cut out their biggest food supplier, a supermarket chain in South Africa, and started locally sourcing all their products. At the moment, they are working with over 30 local suppliers like gardeners and fishermen who are supplying fresh resources for their restaurant. And after a couple of rough years, they are stronger than ever!

Learn more here.