Chapter 2: - Center for Responsible Travel

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Country WalkersBy Sonya BradleyTour Manager and Chair, Responsible Tourism Program, Country WalkersCountry Walkers, based in Waterbury, Vermont (www.countrywalkers.com) was established in1979 and is the world‘s premier, small-group active tour provider. Offering well-crafteditineraries for Guided, Self-Guided and Private & Custom adventures, each trip unfolds withexceptional accommodations, regional cuisine, a dedication to best practices in tourism, andtalented, local guides. We have 20 employees, not including over 100 guides in over 60destinations worldwide.When and Why Did You Begin Your Company’s Travelers’ Philanthropy Program?While on a Country Walkers tour in Peru in 2003, guests visited with the people of Patacancha,a small village 13,000 feet in the Andes. Moved by the tremendous spirit of the villagers, thetravelers, asked their local guide, ―Is thereanything we can do to thank the villagers fortheir generous welcome?‘‖ Their guide, aPeruvian native, turned to the Patacanchaschool principal, with this question: Theprincipal suggested that a dormitoryadjacent to the school would be beneficialto the local children, providing a place forthe students to stay during the school week.Guests from this Peru tour, as well asothers returning from Country Walkers tripsfrom around the world, have been excitedabout their ‗off the beaten path adventure‘and they are interested in supporting thePatacancha School Dormitory, Peru.Credit: Country Walkerscommunities they visited. And so began the idea of our ―giving back‖ projects. This case studywill focus primarily on the Patacancha Project as it was our first. Our other projects around theworld are being set up to replicate the Patacancha project.How Do You Select Projects?We work directly with the communities to which we travel. Our guides, who are local to theregions in which they guide, help us create the bridge between us, our travelers, and the localcommunities. Projects are selected by the communities -- for example in Nepal, our goodfarming project was suggested by the ―mothers group‖ in the small village of Daharampani.Today we support three ―giving back‖ projects in Peru, Nepal, and Egypt. Additionally, we havepartnered with organizations and initiatives throughout other regions where we operate tosupport their efforts. From Rainforest Alliance projects (www.rainforest-alliance.org) to theYellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative (www.Y2Y.net), Country Walkers has committedfinancial and staff resources. We rely on our relationships with host communities, guides,48
vendors, our guests, and our established criteria to ensure we select partner organizations whoshare our beliefs. In turn, this ensures our supporters‘‘ commitment to designated organizationsand projects.How are Your Employees and YourCompany Involved in the Philanthropy?Our giving back programs and responsibletourism efforts are integral components of ourcorporate culture, reinforcing the importance ofthe immersive tour experiences we offer ourguests. Guest donations to on-tour projects andto global initiatives assure us that they have hada truly authentic experience with a deepunderstanding of the region and communities inwhich they traveled.Students from Patacancha, Peru.Credit: Country WalkersHave You Provided Staff Training to Support the Philanthropic Work?Yes, we accomplish this by providing ongoing updates to our in-house staff andworldwide guides; this can occur during staff meetings, scheduled presentations by ourcompany‘s Responsible Tourism Committee, email updates, and staff tour reviews.Every tour itinerary includes a Responsible Tourism component with ongoing tourdiscussions and presentations reviewing and reinforcing these efforts. Guest commentsand feedback citing these initiatives are shared with all staff. Post-tour guide reports areshared as well. Our larger guide family is educated and involved with initiatives andprojects via our guide handbooks, guide webinars, and in guide trainings.How are Funds Actually Raised from Travelers?We have been sending travelers to the Center for Responsible Travel‘s Travelers‘ Philanthropygiving portal at http://www.travelersphilanthropy.org/community-projects/patacancha-dormitoryproject.shtmlafter they have returned home in a follow up email. Also our guides give a gentleask at the appropriate time during our trips. Usually this occurs after the guide has taken thetravelers to one of the project sites. (For more information, see guide Juan Carlos Yañez, ―MyRole as a Guide,‖ in Chapter 6).How are Funds Distributed? What is the Structure to Ensure Accountability?For the Patacancha Project, every year we (our guide Juan Carlos, the school principal MauroCrisostomo Masias Condori, and myself) conduct a planning session to assess and determinefuture Patacancha community projects. Costs are estimated per project. Upon projectcompletion, receipts are sent to the home office for reconciliation.No project money is disbursed unless its expenditure was previously identified and agreedupon. The Patacancha Project is structured with a Peruvian bank account that includes threeauthorized persons or signatories. Additionally, all new projects for the school including the49
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Chapter 2: - Center for Responsible Travel

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