Travelers' Philanthropy Handbook - Center for Responsible Travel

There are a growing number of examples of large tourism companies that, as part of theircorporate social responsibility efforts, are supporting projects in the host communities. But thesupport has to be real for both mainstream and ecotourism operators, and accompanied byinternal operational reform where appropriate. It cannot be “green wash” -- claiming withoutdoing. However it may make sensefor newcomers to travelers’philanthropy to engage in some“green hush” -- doing withoutproclaiming in order to allow time forimplementation, completion of pilotprojects, and development ofprocesses, or, perhaps, to avoidbeing criticized for mistakes.It is important that travelers’philanthropy retain its communityorientation, its ability to enhance theexperience of visitors, and its qualityof responsiveness to communityKids at Christmas, San Javier, Mexico. Credit: Siri Thomasneeds. Travelers’ philanthropy can:help travelers understand more than just what they see, establish revenue streams that assistprojects over the long term, and build expertise in ways to use that revenue to support the threelegs of sustainability: economic, environmental, and social well-being.24