I came across this video on what your daily expenditures could do abroad. I actually think donations do not directly improve anyone's situation without going after the systemic issues to create these cycles of poverty. Several African leaders agree and prefer training and support through micro finance and debt forgiveness. Approximately 40 cents for every dollar spent by African governments services debt to the World Bank.
From a travel perspective, the impact of going directly to the community, spending money on local services and experiencing genuine cultural exchange is significantly greater than donating money to organizations outside the country you are visiting. You control who received it and how it is spent in the community, also empowering local businesses to help meet the needs of future travelers, while supporting their community.
One of the forms of community empowerment, is simply visiting and talking to the locals. Cultural understanding through appreciative inquiry can lead to a richer, shared experience and generate the social wealth of connection and knowledge. This video helps all of us understand the value of money and how to spend and live with greater intent and awareness. Whether at home or in a less developed country, the sustainable traveler spends within the norms of the community to avoid creating false expectations that all travelers are wealthy and tourism will be the sole means to escape poverty. Does this resonate with fellow travelers out there?
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Matt:
ReplyDeleteI agree that in certain realms of international travel, that spending money in those communities goes further than donations domestically. The bigger systemic challenge is having people leave the hotels and tourist traps of certain locales.
Having lived in Oahu for a year, there are hordes of travelers who don't venture out further than their hotel/resort in Waikiki. It is a blatant tourist trap. Most dollars being spent are going to hotel conglomerates and not local economies. Yes, locals are being employed but it's not the same economic distribution that yout talk about.
The allure of comforts that many travelers seek sometimes outweights the adventuresome pursuits of others who go out and explore the island, and try out new places that the locals do.
Interesting Matt. I agree making personal connections when traveling goes a long way towards connecting the traveler to the place they visit. However, I would have to agree with threegroove that it would have to take a more adventurous savvy traveler to venture outside the compound of the false Utopia that corporate hotel chains create domestically and abroad. "Sustainable travel" is more of an umbrella mindset necessary to bring consciousness to spending that the video you posted alludes too.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it takes a mindset shift to get people out of the compound corporate resort. I am proposing methods of sustainability do you disagree with those?
ReplyDeleteMatt:
ReplyDeleteNot at all. I fully agree with everything you write. My concern is how to shift consciousness so the resort goer type would want to execute these methods you share with us.
I'm in full accord and agreement with what you share. I"m trying to bridge that with the fool who's staying Waikiki.