Travelers' Philanthropy Handbook - Center for Responsible Travel

conservation and community projects and organizations. Travelers’ philanthropy expands notonly the definition of responsible travel, but it also enriches the travel experience for hostcommunities, for travelers, and for travel businesses themselves.Like all development aid, travelers’ philanthropy needs to be done well. It takes careful planning;learning from and working with the host community; building bridges and coalitions; offering ahand up and promoting empowerment, not handouts. Which is why this Travelers’ PhilanthropyHandbook is so vital. This unique and comprehensive Handbook, written by several dozenleaders in the field, covers the theory and practice, as well as the pitfalls and best practices, oftravelers’ philanthropy.Remember, tourism, done well, can be a great vehicle for promoting peace. But we need toremember the bottom is heavy: if we don’t do something about the people at the “bottom”, theenvironment we depend on will gradually be destroyed by them as they try to sustain theirlivelihoods. Therefore, promoting philanthropy as part of the travel experience can help topreempt the causes of conflict by empowering communities, creating capacity, and buildingsustainability within the communities visited.Participants at 2008 Travelers’ Philanthropy Conference, Tanzania. Credit: CREST2