Philanthropic travel company Elevate Destinations is launching the One for One Travel Alliance, a new collective of travel businesses working together to democratize tourism by donating travel experiences to underserved youth globally. For each trip sold by participating tour operators, a local travel experience will be donated to disadvantaged young people.
This is the first such model for in the travel industry. Tour operators and local organizations will unite to spread the benefits of travel in a more equitable way and help close the gap between those who have the means to explore iconic and historic global landmarks and those who don’t. The alliance will serve as a place to share best practices among members in delivering these trips and maximizing their positive impact. It will also provide a resource for travelers searching for innovative and responsible travel services.
“It is a fact that few locals have the means to visit the very sites that make their countries attractive to tourists, who spend a lot of money traveling to those sites every year. I felt that offering the same opportunity to local youth sends a message of equanimity, empowerment and equal opportunity to local communities and provides both an educational perspective and feeling of ownership of national resources for those communities. In the case of Africa, engaging locals is key to preventing poaching and preserving wildlife, so there is a great benefit there. This is how the One for One Travel Alliance was born!” said One for One Travel Alliance Founder and President of Elevate Destinations Dominique Callimanopulos.
Elevate Destinations’ Buy A Trip, Give A Trip program was founded in 2015 and has funded local excursions for hundreds of youth to learn about their country’s cultural and historic treasures. Stories of these trips can be found on the Elevate Destinations blog. Elevate Destinations won the Gold Award at the World Responsible Tourism Awards for Innovation by a Tour Operator for this initiative in 2016. The UK-based tour operator Responsible Travel followed suit late last year through their Trip for a Trip platform.