Community-Based Tourism is Sustainble Travel

Native Tours was founded with the belief that we can inspire travelers to discover our beautiful planet while making a positive impact. One of the ways we make our vision come true is by offering tours that are focused on communities, also known as community-based tourism. But what exactly does it mean? Let’s delve deeper into it.

Community-based tourism

In short, community-based tourism (CBT) is tourism that benefits local residents by giving them opportunities to earn an income. For example, tourists can get invited by local residents to visit their communities with the provision of overnight accommodation. By working with locals, it also ensures that the money stays in the communities. Additionally, it gives the local communities the opportunity to control how they are included in the tourism industry.

SHARING A MEAL WITH ONE OF OUR PARTNER COMMUNITIES IS A WAY TO LEARN ABOUT ANDEAN CULTURE AND THE BIODIVERSITY OF THE REGION.

In Native Tours, we work together with certified sustainable tour operators in Peru to ensure that travelers can maximize social and economic benefits to the local communities while preserving the culture and environment of the places they visit. This also ensures that travelers get a more genuine, authentic travel experience where they can connect closely with the local people. Oftentimes when we travel, we want to learn about the local culture and traditions. CBT enables that.

What are the benefits of community-based tourism?

There are many benefits of community-based tourism and some we have already mentioned. Besides offering travelers a more authentic experience, it gives them a chance to support locals in a way that is economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable.

Community-based tourism promotes cultural conservation, the income is more likely to stay within the local destination, it encourages wildlife conservation and the participation of women. Community-based tourism can for example empower women by offering an alternative way to earn an income and provide opportunities in areas where inequalities have kept them from entering the workforce.

Moreover, community-based tourism has the potential to protect the environment by allowing local tourism professionals to navigate in environments that they have good knowledge of, thus minimizing harm. They are more likely to provide a sustainable experience for guests as they are experts in their surroundings and can for instance teach visitors about conservation and biodiversity.

How does Native Tours commit to sustainability?

Glad you asked! We ensure that our local operators hold up to certain standards. We offer eco-friendly adventures that are designed to inspire a passion for the responsible use and enjoyment of the outdoors and encourage the conservation of our natural resources. We offer fair wages, health coverage, capacity-building, and safe working conditions for our local workers. We invest 50% of the organization’s proceeds in community-led projects to improve the livelihood of the local indigenous communities in which we work and for environmental projects. 70% of the tour price also stays in Peru with the local businesses and workers.

If you want to read more about our sustainability practices, you can find more information here: https://www.nativetours.org/sustainable-travel.

Our commitment to community-based tourism is also what instigated our partnership with Planeterra. Unfortunately, tourism has many negative impacts. Community-based tourism – especially with a small provider like Native Tours—reduces the negative impacts on local communities while ensuring those local communities reap the reward.

If you’re interested in traveling in a more sustainable way, why not reach out to us so we can help you plan your dream trip? We are just a click away!