Travelers' Philanthropy Handbook - Center for Responsible Travel

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,72