Our Mission
To create a flourishing visitor economy that doesn’t cost the earth
THINKING
Using The Journey as a metaphor for making a change, Conscious Travel takes a holistic, integral approach to tourism development designed to shift tourism from extracting value to generating value by ensuring people, businesses and places can flourish.
LEARNING
Our learning program is designed to grow Conscious Hosts who will act as positive agents of change in their community and apply conscious business principles within the tourism sector
LEADING
We envision a globl network of Places that Care – destinations where Conscious Hosts have taken responsibility for ensuring tourism is a true force for good
Whom do we serve?
Conscious Travel is a social enterprise formed to serve and support three communities
HOSTS
Owner-managers of micro – medium sized enterprises of all kinds providing travel and hospitality-related services who want their efforts to contribute a positive net benefits to their community and a sustainable livelihood for themselves and their descendants. They account for 98% of all tourism-related enterprises world-wide and will determine whether tourism prospers or declines. Our mission is to help these hosts realise their full potential as leaders of flourishing enterprises contributing to healthy communities.
LOCAL RESIDENTS
Indirectly, we wish to serve those permanent inhabitants of a destination who care about the place they live in; want to steward the land; nurture the unique cultures they and their ancestors have evolved over time; and who deserve to live with dignity and be treated with respect. They are often promised many benefits from tourism but receive few. It is rare that they are given a chance to determine the kind, pace and scope of tourism that takes place in their homes and can have such a direct impact on their lives.
CONSCIOUS TRAVELLERS - particularly Millennials and Generation Z
The Millennial Generation and the generations of young people still at school will be directly and immediately affected by our ability to get things right over the next decade. They grew up in a highly connected world and already see the world very differently to previous generations. They consider travel both a right and a rite of passage and have high expectations that they will be able to make a contribution to making the world a better place. Like all of us, they have much to teach and much to learn. We want to harness their talent and passion to travel in ways that leave a positive impact.
What challenge do we wish to address?
tourism growth is becoming a “wicked” problem
there’s some BAD news
and there’s really GOOD news!
The continuous growth of tourism undermines its future success
Yet the current model depends on more visitors each year to survive
Tourism can make the world a better place and be a powerful force for good
But only IF managed properly by the communities that receive guests