Planners seeking out local CSR activities and experiences often rely on their established contacts — their hotel, CVB, and DMC, if they have one.
One of the biggest challenges can be finding activities that have been carefully vetted.
The nonprofit organization Tourism Cares has vetted 800 sustainable tourism businesses on six continents for its newly updated Meaningful Travel Map, with plans to “significantly expand” that by the end of 2026.
Activities range from nature tours to urban walking tours to culinary lessons and experiences. Listings include information geared toward meeting planners, such as group sizes and rates, and whether they host private events.
Featured organizations range from group tours by Invisible Cities York in the UK, which are led by people who have experienced homelessness, to volunteering at Kipuka Olowalu, an organization seeking to preserve Maui’s Olowalu Valley.
From social enterprises to artisans, every individual and organization on the map has been carefully vetted, said Greg Takehara, CEO of Tourism Cares. Among the criteria for organizations to be included is that they are “a small businesses, emerging initiative, non-profit and/or community-based organization that goes beyond the mainstream tourism model to create meaningful impact” and that they “proactively contribute to community benefit, environmental responsibility, and/or cultural preservation, without causing harm to people, animals, or the environment.”
Each entry also includes a section about impact. The League of Kitchens, for example, whose classes and tours are led by home cooks, was created “to increase access to traditional cooking knowledge and to provide meaningful, well-paid employment and training for immigrants.”
These activities and experiences keep more tourism dollars circulating within communities during a period where many mission-driven travel organizations face economic headwinds, said Takehara. “At a time when it can feel harder than ever to identify and support truly sustainable options, this new platform is a simple, hopeful way forward.”
