We came to their village and they welcomed us with warm smiles and simple gifts; Flowers, tea, tasty snacks. The head of the community spoke words of friendship and we walked through the village, the Annapurna range in the distance. We stopped by a well and spoke to the young people, collecting water for the evening meal. We were sharing our evening meal with a small group of families. After dinner, they brought out their iPhone and wireless speakers and played an eclectic mix of traditional Nepalese songs...

06 October, 2017 /

So often, tourism is a "bit player" in the health of a community. In the traditional models of tourism,  tour operators come and - at best - the visitors they bring spend money that contributes to the local economy. While the tourism income helps, there is a lot of  what economists call "leakage". Imagine a new type of tourism company - a company founded for the purpose of enhancing the cultural and economic benefit of the host community. Imagine a social enterprise - like Tom's Shoes or Ethos Water...

16 May, 2014 /

Sustainable tourism definitions almost always combine two big, important ideas. The first idea comes from the Brundtland Report - Our Common Future - in which they say sustainable development  "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs" . The second big idea is John Elkington's 'Triple Bottom Line" that requires consideration of not only the "profits" but "people" and "planet" as well. These big ideas provide a great foundation but they also present a real challenge for anyone attempting to develop...

30 June, 2012 /

Consumer behavior is really core to many of the issues in smart, sustainable tourism. Just how people are adopting green behaviors is still an unanswered question but it is nice to see bits and pieces of evidence that attitudes and behaviors are improving ! Here's the latest from Tripadvisor on green travel behaviors...

26 April, 2012 /

I really like grocery shopping every now and then and I don't mind going to Walmart. I'll happily wander down aisles looking at stuff. As a marketer, I find it fascinating. The other day I was struck by how many organic /green products were on their shelves - and in my trolley. For the main part I choose these products not because they were "green" but because I generally felt they worked better, tasted better or were better for me. There is no doubt I bought more organic products because...

22 December, 2011 /