BY SARAH DENNIS
Editor (interim) - TTG Media
A separate panel at Adventure Travel Networking 2024, moderated by Holly Tuppen, sustainable Travel Writer and Expert, took in the effects of economic leakage in tourism.
Alex Narracott, founder of Much Better Adventures, told the audience and moderator Holly Tuppen, who debated the justification for “getting on that plane and what happens at the other end”, that there “is such a thing as tourism that can have a positive impact”.
“Is it the norm? Absolutely not, but two main areas are the impact we can have on nature conservation and the economic incentives for protecting the natural world.
Interlinked with that is benefitting the people in those communities. They come as a package.” said Narracott.
Narracott advocated for the adventure travel sector to lead the way in communicating the benefits of minimising economic leakage, but conceded that adventure travel is not the only choice for consumers. “We can be a case study for the rest of industry and push standards. It’s about getting incredibly critical with your supply chain and asking a lot of hard questions.”
He detailed the hard questions Much Better Adventures is “prepared” to ask, including full disclosure on the ownership structure of each of its partners and assessments of bank accounts and, when looking at itinerary design, ensuring customer interactions are with local suppliers.
“By doing this you’re creating a fantastic experiential differential for the customer. We have this fantastic opportunity where we can bring small scale local businesses to the customer and really help them to reach the market.”
Editor of Adventure.com Meera Dattani, speaking on the same panel, concluded: “There are many communities that don’t have a say in the way things are run so good community-based tourism gives the chance to have a long-term impact on a place.”
But she stressed: “It’s really important not to see it as a form of saviourism. Really good community-based tourism feels really equal and there’s a lot of empowerment, when it’s done really well, and you feel that when you’re there.
TTG Media has been the trade media partner of ATN from its inception and
attended the sold-out conference.
-Ends-
The next Adventure Travel Networking Conference & Marketplace will take place
on 25 & 27 February 2025 as a hybrid event.
Register your interest HERE
