responsible travel

Africa Foundation’s Future Leaders Program Manager Lebogang Matlakala is a paradox. A girl who grew up in the dry and dusty interior of South Africa who is an avid diver and oceanographer. An impressive academic and public speaker who advocates for simple and effective communication of complex issues to local communities. A mentor and inspiration for others who remains thoroughly grounded and humble. Listen to her tell her story of personal growth and community development as she literally and figuratively learns to swim with sharks, whether in the depths of the Indian Ocean or among the big fish of the scientific community. 

Jessica Blotter is on a mission to change the world through the power of responsible tourism.

A chance encounter on a trip to Belize sparked the flames of what would eventually become “Kind Traveler”; an online initiative that empowers travelers to positively impact the communities they visit through their signature Give + Get hotel booking platform.

In this week’s episode of the “ Conscious Folk” podcast, Jessica speaks enthusiastically about the origins of “Kind Traveler” and the importance of leaving a lasting, positive impact on the places travelers most love to visit. 

Welcome to this inspiring episode of our podcast, where we dive deep into the world of sustainable tourism and philanthropy. In today's interview, we have the honor of hosting Bruce Beckham, the visionary founder of Tourism Cares, a renowned non-profit organization at the forefront of transforming the way we approach travel and its impact on local communities.

During our conversation, Bruce takes us on a remarkable journey, sharing his insights, experiences, and profound understanding of the power of tourism as a force for positive change. With a mission to preserve and enhance the travel industry's social, cultural, and environmental impact, Tourism Cares has been instrumental in fostering sustainable practices and addressing the pressing challenges faced by destinations around the globe.

Bruce delves into the origins of Tourism Cares, shedding light on the pivotal moments that led him to launch this groundbreaking initiative. He shares heartfelt stories of the organization's work in empowering local communities, preserving heritage sites, and supporting vulnerable populations, all while ensuring the long-term viability of tourism as a sustainable industry.

Throughout the interview, Bruce discusses the innovative programs and partnerships that Tourism Cares has developed to create a more responsible and inclusive travel ecosystem. From community-based tourism initiatives to capacity-building projects and conservation efforts, he illustrates the incredible impact that the organization has had on destinations worldwide.

As a true visionary, Bruce also explores the future of sustainable tourism, highlighting emerging trends, opportunities, and challenges that lie ahead. His compelling vision inspires both individuals and businesses to take action, encouraging listeners to engage in responsible travel practices and contribute to the preservation of our planet and its diverse cultures.

Join us as we unravel the transformative power of tourism with Bruce Beckham, a passionate advocate for sustainable travel, and discover how we can all make a positive difference in the world through our journeys. Get ready for an enlightening and thought-provoking conversation that will leave you inspired to embark on your own meaningful adventures.

Business Class is brought to you by The Tourism Academy - harnessing the power of science, business psychology and adult education to advance the tourism industry and build sustainable economies. Learn how to engage your community, win over stakeholders and get more visitors at tourismacademy.org. 

In conversation with writer and sustainability expert Juliet Kinsman, five voices across three continents came together to share tales of their unforgettable travel experiences to enlighten, enrich and inspire, with interconnected musings on a topic that has never been more vital.

Discover epic stories, epic adventures and epic solutions about how travel can make a positive impact. Listen now to discover how travel may not only be life-affirming, but authentic and yes, epic, as it leaves our world a better place.

In this podcast, we chat to andBeyond Group Sustainability Manager, Jonathan Braack, and architect, Jack Alexander, about sustainability in the design and rebuild of the new andBeyond Grumeti Serengeti River Lodge. We hear about Jack’s inspiration for the new lodge, and learn about what sustainability in lodge design actually means in terms of architectural choices, building materials, overall design, and environmental considerations. We also chat to Jonathan about the inclusion of new, exciting sustainable practices in energy and water consumption, and waste management, which are now integral to the running and success of andBeyond Grumeti Serengeti River Lodge.

Crispo Ndembeka, Africa Foundation Regional Manager for East Africa, speaks about his background as a medical doctor and how it motivated him to join the Foundation and work towards improving the physical, social and emotional wellbeing of the region’s rural communities. Crispo describes Africa Foundation’s work in Kenya and Tanzania, focusing on the provision of healthcare and describing their projects' impact during the Covid-19 pandemic. Listen as he describes the challenges faced by local communities and talks about his hopes and dreams of continuing to help overcome them in the future.

Mill Creek winds its way through a beautiful red rock canyon and right into the heart of Moab. Once a quiet local favorite, you can now expect to see thousands of visitors hiking, swimming, and recreating in the area each year. In our final episode of chapter one, we speak with Betsy Byrne, a landscape architect with the National Park Service, who is working to preserve and maintain accessibility to Moab’s Mill Creek.

visitutah.com/sixcorners

It’s home to the best view in Moab you’ve probably never heard of, but there’s more to Dead Horse Point than its stunning, big screen-worthy vistas of the Colorado River. Park Ranger Spencer Stokes sits down with Matt to share some of his favorite ways to experience Dead Horse Point State Park at the rim and beyond.

visitutah.com/sixcorners

While many of us were just waking up this summer, Arches National Park was already closing—as early as 7 a.m.—due to overcrowding. It’s become the center of a national conversation: How do we protect the parks in an era of high visitation and viral social media posts that leave no natural wonder undiscovered? In this episode, we talk with Joette Langianese from Friends of Arches and Canyonlands about the Arches Problem. 

visitutah.com/sixcorners

Rain is uncommon in Utah’s dry Southeastern corner, but delicate plant life can still be found blossoming across its fiery red soil. What makes this flora so special and what is being done to protect it? Kara Dohrenwend, owner of Rim to Rim Restoration, shares her insights from working to revegetate the Upper Colorado Plateau. 

What does it truly mean to give nature a chance? Is it enough for us simply not to interfere or is a more active approach required? &Beyond CEO Joss Kent talks about the meticulous planning and management that is necessary to drive the regeneration of the world’s wild places. 

How can the travel industry navigate the return of tourism while balancing growing environmental awareness with the demands of travellers starved for new destinations and experiences? Find out what themes and topics are truly important in sustainable travel and how both tour operators and travellers can help to drive genuine change.

&Beyond Conservation & Community Impact Director Tony Adams unravels the meaning of responsible travel and speaks about how tourism can help make a difference to the world’s wild places, their inhabitants, and the communities that surround them. He provides advice for travellers who seek to leave behind nothing but footprints, detailing what questions to ask to ensure that they are travelling with a responsible tourism company. Lastly, Tony provides some practical examples of how companies like &Beyond can help leave the world a better place. Read more about &Beyond’s impact initiatives. 

&Beyond CEO, Joss Kent looks back on nine years spent at the helm of the conservation-led travel company, building on its vision to leave the world a better place. He describes the magic that happens when an unshakeable sense of purpose comes together with the financial discipline and planning necessary for long-term sustainability. Find out about the sound business decisions necessary to achieve true sustainability and listen to practical tips and hints for business leaders seeking to drive sustainable goals. Learn more about how &Beyond’s strong sense of purpose has made the business resilient in spite of the impacts of Covid-19.

Nomadic Resorts CEO & Founder Louis Thompson discusses the perks and the challenges of re-wilding hospitality today.

Nomadic Resorts is a design company specialized in Masterplanning, Architectural Design, Landscape Design and Interior Design which uses a holistic approach to create sustainable projects that reflect a true sense of place and fit organically into their natural surroundings.

"Re-Wilding Hospitality & Building Sustainably" episode is where Louis and Dolores discuss the quest for farther and wilder locations and sites to develop hospitality concepts but also the challenges of building sustainably.

Louis shares his views on:
- who's investing in developing future hospitality concepts with sustainability in mind
- the role played by the institutions in creating the right framework
- why building sustainably mitigates the results of climate change

More about Nomadic Resorts here


Truth Behind Travel Podcast is delighted to be shortlisted for the International Women’s Podcast Awards 2021 in the Category “Changing The World One Moment At A Time”.

REPORT: Top 10 Travel Behaviour Trends in 2022: https://thetravelrecoverymethod.com/trends
Blog Post: Post-pandemic tourism marketing strategies: the power of acknowledging fears of travel: https://www.doloressemeraro.com/post-pandemic-tourism-marketing-strategies/
Your Host: Dolores Semeraro

Hospitality Virtual Keynote Speaker Dolores Semeraro combines more than 15 years of experience in hospitality, marketing, and trading into helping her clients develop the leadership strategies they need to restore travel confidence and win their customers back.
www.doloressemeraro.com



The Hospitality & Tourism Roundtable is a virtual gathering of tourism and hospitality professionals with a strong and clear vision of where travel recovery is heading and how to get there fast. Every month, an engaging and informative program unfolds bringing together hospitality professionals, independent tourism consultants, travel experts, and hoteliers

Dolores Semeraro is an internationally recognized tourism keynote speaker and trainer who has inspired thousands of people in the tourism industry to build a stronger, more sustainable, and more resilient future of travel.

In her keynotes, Dolores shares with her audience how to develop sustainable marketing thinking through her action-oriented thought process, which observes the interconnectivity of the stages in the travel product life cycle.

By applying this process, operators in the tourism, travel, and hospitality sectors can visibly enhance the longevity of their marketing strategies, effectively rendering them more sustainable in the long term for the well-being of all stakeholders involved.

Dolores is a passionate advocate for responsible travel, sustainability, and innovation. With her signature Mediterranean warmth and straightforwardness, she encourages audiences to challenge their "Business As Usual" status and strive for the improvement of the tourism industry and the well-being of all stakeholders.

Through her decades-long experience in the industry, she has motivated hoteliers and tourism professionals to take action, enhance their communication, and create a purposeful and innovative tourism ecosystem.

She also advocates for slow travel, exemplified by her extensive travels with her husband and beloved dog in their campervan. When not chronicling ...

Skipper Mareja, Regional Human Resources Manager for &Beyond Botswana, talks about his experiences in tourism, from managing lodges in the Okavango Delta to making a difference in the lives of local communities. Discover what it’s like to run a brand new lodge in the Delta and the intricacies of working with tented camps that move every five days. Find out about the challenges faced by the communities living on the outskirts of one of the world’s best-known natural wonderlands, from wandering wildlife to lack of drinking water. Hear more about the projects being put into place to assist them.

NEWS!!!
Truth Behind Travel Podcast is delighted to be shortlisted for the International Women’s Podcast Awards 2021 in the Category “Changing The World One Moment At A Time”.

About this episode:
Vice President of Sustainability for Six Senses Hotels & Resorts Jeff Smith shares how sustainability can be at the core of the travel industry and what's at stake if we don't.

During this episode, we discuss how the travel industry operators can re-think the future of travel with sustainability in mind by taking a step-by-step approach, understanding what are the technologies currently available and how to make the most of them regardless of the destination in which they operate hotels and resorts.

In particular, Jeff is very passionate about how to reduce the carbon footprint of the industry, and develop energy-efficient frameworks for the hospitality industry. He shared the ambitious Sustainability Goals of Six Senses, a company he has been working with for the past 6 years, and how to make sustainable initiatives part of the guest experience.

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About Dolores Semeraro

Hello! I am a Hospitality and Tourism Communication Expert and Speaker with 15 years of industry experience.
For the past 20 months, I have helped tourism organizations and travel professionals restore travel confidence and restart their tourism businesses.
I focus on tourism marketing strategies, hospitality digital marketing and communication, and tourism innovation in every keynote, training, or coaching session I deliver across the industry.
You can learn more about me by listening to my travel recovery podcast called ‘Truth Behind Travel’ where I interview tourism industry leaders and travel experts on the core topic of Travel Recovery.

FREE RESOURCE: Download the Top 10 Travel Behaviour Trends in 2022 report: https://thetravelrecoverymethod.com/trends

Learn more about the TOURISM RESILIENCE TRAINING PROGRAM HERE

Thank you for joining me today on Truth Behind Travel Podcast, did you enjoy today’s episode? Every conversation brings tips, values,

Dolores Semeraro is an internationally recognized tourism keynote speaker and trainer who has inspired thousands of people in the tourism industry to build a stronger, more sustainable, and more resilient future of travel.

In her keynotes, Dolores shares with her audience how to develop sustainable marketing thinking through her action-oriented thought process, which observes the interconnectivity of the stages in the travel product life cycle.

By applying this process, operators in the tourism, travel, and hospitality sectors can visibly enhance the longevity of their marketing strategies, effectively rendering them more sustainable in the long term for the well-being of all stakeholders involved.

Dolores is a passionate advocate for responsible travel, sustainability, and innovation. With her signature Mediterranean warmth and straightforwardness, she encourages audiences to challenge their "Business As Usual" status and strive for the improvement of the tourism industry and the well-being of all stakeholders.

Through her decades-long experience in the industry, she has motivated hoteliers and tourism professionals to take action, enhance their communication, and create a purposeful and innovative tourism ecosystem.

She also advocates for slow travel, exemplified by her extensive travels with her husband and beloved dog in their campervan. When not chronicling ...

Africa Foundation’s Nonhlanhla Ambrose talks about the Hustle Economy Programme and how it is empowering young people and women in South Africa’s rural areas not only to make a living but to plan for a brighter future. Find out about this innovative project, which equips young ‘hustle-preneurs’ with the skills and insight to turn their dreams into reality, earning not only profits but also the respect and recognition of their communities. Warm your heart with success stories from the pilot project in KwaZulu-Natal and find out what’s in store for the future as Africa Foundation plans to take the initiatives live throughout Africa. 

Find out more about the relationship between &Beyond and Africa Foundation. Read about Africa Foundation’s vision and impact. Find out more about the Hustle Economy Programme or make a donation. Discover more about &Beyond Phinda Private Game Reserve.

What is slow travel?

And what does it really mean to travel slowly? 

Let's start with this scenario:

You probably have a relative or friend who has traveled to a country in Europe.

As he or she recounts the trip — that was all of 10 days on the ground — they list off about 25 places they visited.

It was a whirlwind and your head spins at all that this person saw and did.

But did they really see it?

Did they really do anything?

And, more importantly, what did they truly experience?

Slow travel is the opposite of this.

It’s spending more than one night in any given town or city.

It’s getting to know the destination, the history, the culture and the people of that place.

Slow travel is more about experiences and connection.

And it’s not about spending an hour or so at some site or landmark, checking it off your list then moving onto the next site.

In this short episode, I'll bust a couple of myths about slow travel and offer up some tips and advantages to traveling slowly.

Need more help in planning a trip to Europe?

Then check out the website at wanderyourway.com or send me an email at lynne@wanderyourway.com.


In this episode:

2:52 What is slow travel?

4:15 Busting a myth about slow travel

5:00 Hone in on a region / Eliminate "one night stands"

6:49 Have a richer travel experience

8:11  A slow travel story

8:49 Avoid exhaustion and remember what you did

9:42 My fast travel story

11:02 Slow travel saves money

11:50 You get better information

12:59 Making connections

16:00 My slow travel hope for you


Important links:

Why I Believe Slow Travel Is the Best Way to Travel

6 Tips to Help You Travel Cheaper to  Europe

The Art of Slow Travel

The Slow Travel Trend Is Here to Stay

Sadly Saying Goodbye to Northwest Scotland

Why Kenmare Is the Perfect Irish Town


If you haven't subscribed, please do so.

And I hope you'll leave a review and tell your friends all about the Wander Your Way podcast.

For more information on all things Europe travel, visit the Wander Your Way website.

Thanks to Callisa Mickle who edits the audio.

Follow Wander Your Way:
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How to ease your anxiety levels before traveling but setting up pre-travel habits with Well-being Coach James Granstrom.

This podcast episode focuses on
- How to develop a mindset of well-being around travel
- How to ease your anxiety levels before traveling but setting up pre-travel habits
- How to Shift your ability to focus on what’s ahead by tapping into your natural wellbeing

The episode's insights are coming directly to you from a wellness and well-being master and coach whose life is dedicated to helping people build their inner strength based on their natural capabilities. He is a former international model turned podcast host turned well-being coach whose teachings and insights are based on first-hand experiences and learnings. I trust his intuitive wisdom and I wanted to have a conversation with him about how we are better travelers IF we are better humans first. 

During this episode, James Granstrom also shares the daily golden habits he never gives up, how to set your intentions before traveling and why meditation changed his life's energy and brought him to his current state of regenerative well-being.

More about James on https://www.jamesgranstrom.com


Your Host: Dolores Semeraro

Hospitality Virtual Keynote Speaker Dolores Semeraro combines more than 15 years of experience in hospitality, marketing, and trading into helping her clients develop the leadership strategies they need to restore travel confidence and win their customers back.
www.doloressemeraro.com



DOWNLOAD THE TRAVEL RECOVERY IN FOUR-STEP VIDEO TRAINING
https://thetravelrecoverymethod.com/foursteps
For those of you working in hospitality and travel, putting your brand message across and ensure is heard and felt by the travelers of today, is not that easy anymore.
And you know why?
Travelers’ choices and priorities have changed. So if you are wondering why your content online is losing momentum and you see your loyal customers no longer engaging with your brand but buying from the completion instead, I want to share with you the 6 reasons why your message i

Dolores Semeraro is an internationally recognized tourism keynote speaker and trainer who has inspired thousands of people in the tourism industry to build a stronger, more sustainable, and more resilient future of travel.

In her keynotes, Dolores shares with her audience how to develop sustainable marketing thinking through her action-oriented thought process, which observes the interconnectivity of the stages in the travel product life cycle.

By applying this process, operators in the tourism, travel, and hospitality sectors can visibly enhance the longevity of their marketing strategies, effectively rendering them more sustainable in the long term for the well-being of all stakeholders involved.

Dolores is a passionate advocate for responsible travel, sustainability, and innovation. With her signature Mediterranean warmth and straightforwardness, she encourages audiences to challenge their "Business As Usual" status and strive for the improvement of the tourism industry and the well-being of all stakeholders.

Through her decades-long experience in the industry, she has motivated hoteliers and tourism professionals to take action, enhance their communication, and create a purposeful and innovative tourism ecosystem.

She also advocates for slow travel, exemplified by her extensive travels with her husband and beloved dog in their campervan. When not chronicling ...

Dr Raghu Chundawat talks about tiger conservation in India, from the inception of Project Tiger in the 1970s to the threats and challenges facing India’s tiger population 50 years on and his hopes for the future. Find out why tiger reserves were established in India almost 50 years ago and how they work. Learn about the successes of Project Tiger and what they have meant for the conservation of other species in India, as well as the new set of threats and challenges facing tigers. In between, enjoy personal stories and anecdotes from one of India’s premier conservation biologists and tiger experts.