Travel That Gives Back: How Holidays Can Support Communities and Conservation

Tourism, managed thoughtfully, can be a genuine force for good in host countries. Managed badly, it can cause real harm. The choice of how and where we travel matters – and it belongs to travellers as much as to the companies arranging their trips. A well-chosen journey can leave a destination’s natural beauty intact while giving visitors a genuine understanding of other people and their cultures.

Some lodges, tours and activities actively benefit local communities and help protect threatened habitats and endangered species. The most rewarding trips often involve stepping off the beaten track, and there is no need to sacrifice comfort or wildlife sightings to do so – if anything, the experience is richer for it.

Lodges and reserves with a purpose

Saruni Samburu in Kenya played a central role in establishing the Mara North Conservancy. The conservancy matters not only for protecting species diversity, but also for the employment and support it brings to the communities whose land it occupies.

In South Africa’s Garden Route, boutique properties such as Hog Hollow work to address past inequalities by helping local people from nearby townships realise their potential.

Malawi’s Majete Wildlife Reserve offers one of Africa’s great conservation success stories. Its elephant population, once decimated, is thriving again thanks to animal restocking and anti-poaching education.

Uthando: community projects in South Africa

A donation is made from every South African holiday to Uthando, a non-profit and Fair Trade in Tourism organisation that raises funds for community development projects across the country.

Among them is the Isiseko Educare Centre, founded by Mama Zoliswa Siko, which now provides education for 100 of the most vulnerable and underprivileged children in Mfuleni Township. Others, such as the eKhaya eKasi ‘Home in the Hood’ Art and Education Centre, offer safe after-school activities for children living in extreme poverty, covering literacy alongside performing and visual arts.

Money for Madagascar

Money for Madagascar has been supported for many years, through fundraising events and a donation from every Madagascar holiday booked. The charity funds projects tackling the country’s most pressing problems: extreme poverty, loss of biodiversity, poor health, food insecurity and limited access to education.

Each year, more than 1,000 street children receive food, education and medical care at drop-in centres funded by the charity, while 95 classrooms built by the NGO educate over 4,000 children across the island.

Travel for Impact: practical support in Botswana

A donation from every Botswana holiday goes directly to Travel for Impact, an in-country NGO that works alongside local charitable schemes, offering practical guidance on effective and sustainable operations so each community project can reach its full potential.

Its beneficiaries tend to be small-scale groups. One example is Polokong, which provides vital support to elderly people in Maun – a country where there is no provision for ageing members of society. With help from Travel for Impact, Polokong can offer daily meals, personal care and the chance to socialise for those over 60 who have no family or support network.