Liziwe Ngcolcoto prepares carrots in a potjie pot, a traditional South African style of cooking

Liziwes Bed & Breakfast in Cape Town, South Africa

As a long but growing list of travellers has already discovered, little rivals the cultural experience of staying overnight in a township of Cape Town, South Africa. Our choice, one among several, is Liziwes Bed & Breakfast. What was once little more than a shack in the same location, the current cheerful and welcoming structure has a heart-warming story. Liziwes’ husband worked for 25 years at Sappi Kraft (a paper and packaging company), from which he received donations of bricks over the years. With these, one brick at a time, he and Liziwes worked hard together to build what is today an internationally recognized accommodation right in the heart of a Gugulethu township. There’s also a restaurant, where visitors can savour the delicious local cuisine, learn about township culture and have a laugh with Liziwes and her family. Travellers can also experience everyday township life on walking tours that can be arranged by the guesthouse.

Buhoma Community Rest Camp of South Western Uganda

Looking for a Jane Goodall moment and to try a hand at gorilla tracking? Set on the edge of Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest – the only place in the world where chimpanzees and gorillas coexist – is the Buhoma Community Rest Camp. This locally run campsite is part of the Uganda Community Tourism Association (UCOTA), created to support the local people and improve their lives through community-based tourism.

Overnighters can choose to stay in a traditional banda (thatch-roofed bungalow) or a furnished safari tent and enjoy views of the forest canopy from the on-site restaurant. During the day, travellers are encouraged to take a village walk on which they can meet local artisans, healers and coffee farmers, as well as visit the local hospital, a pygmy tribe and a homestead where Waragi (Ugandan gin) is made and banana beer brewed. Proceeds from the camp go toward local initiatives.

A traditional safari tent accommodation overlooks the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest of Uganda

Shewula Mountain Camp of Swaziland

This is experiential travel at its best. In the stunningly remote Lumbombo Mountain range of Swaziland, Chief Mbandzamane Sifundza II and the Shewula community welcome travellers to their village and a chance to discover the rural lifestyle of a Swazi community. Walking trails in the area are a great way to interact with the friendly community and absorb the pristine scenery of the region, all while learning about Swazi culture and the Shewula Mountain Camp’s pioneering, homegrown model for sustainable tourism.

Given the success of the mountain camp, many more community projects have been launched, including an orphanage, community resource centre and environmental ventures such as solar and wind power testing. The lodging – primarily in authentic thatch-roofed huts, although family and private accommodations are available – and three hearty meals a day are all 100% local, sourced from materials and produce immediately available.

Shewula Mountain Camp sits on a plateau of the Lubombo Mountains with views out to large parts of central and northern Swaziland

Malealea Lodge and Pony Trek Centre of Lesotho

Immerse yourself in Basotho culture. With unique accommodation options ranging from rustic rondavels, Basotho huts or forest huts to a comfortable stay in a farmhouse, the Jones family welcomes visitors to Malealea Lodge, set in the midst of the spectacular lands of western Lesotho. Pony trekking is a must-do while staying here, a chance for travellers to see the ‘real Africa’. As ponies are the traditional form of transport in the region, animals hired from local owners and led by Basotho guides are a fine form of community tourism, especially on trips into nearby rural communities, where travellers can learn about remote village traditions and even stay overnight in rented Basotho huts.

The Jones family’s knowledge of and commitment to the local community is fathomless – they have dedicated themselves completely to development projects, including building schools, HIV/AIDS awareness, and environmental protection – and they encourage travellers to get directly involved.

Damaraland Camp of Etosha, Namibia

Considered one of the most successful community-tourism projects in Namibia, Damaraland Camp is situated in the Huab River Valley. Once desolate and devoid of animals (killed by poachers), the region now teems with wildlife due to the efforts of the Torra Conservancy and Wilderness Safaris. Visitors are invited to stay in one of the ten thatched chalets run by the local community amidst beautiful plains surrounded by the Brandberg Mountains.

During the day, travellers enjoy drives to see the desert-adapted elephants and other wildlife in the region; in the evening, they gather in the open-roofed communal area and bomas around the campfire. Awarded the 2005 WTTC Tourism for Tomorrow Conservation Award, the camp aims to continue enriching the lives of the community and alleviate poverty by training and employing locals.

This article was originally posted on the whl.travel blog.

“The Awards give us the opportunity to acknowledge operators who are making a difference and to increase our understanding of the industry and good practices,”

Wild Asia 2008 Awards / Photo by Wild Asia

Dr. Reza Azmi, Founder and Director of Wild Asia, explains. “The awards act as both a showcase for the exemplary resorts and as an inspiration to others.” Since the inception of the Awards, Wild Asia has identified 12 winners and 27 finalists from all over Asia as leaders of Responsible Tourism.

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Pentecost Jump, Vanuatu / Photo by John Nicholls

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Travel 1.0

Travel - 1.0

This was the travel agents (off- and later online), travel media, guidebooks etc. It was a time of trusted brands (National Geographic, Lonely Planet, Four Seasons, Thomas Cook, Virgin Holidays etc.). With the exception of some friends and family advice, travellers took counsel from experts and planned their travel accordingly.

Hence the world of travel information up to around 2005 looked very much like the image seen above right.

Travel 2.0

Travel 2.0 (which coincided with Web 2.0), was (and still is) about travellers telling everyone about their travel experiences. This has caused major trauma for the travel industry, as brands are (largely) replaced by or created around traveller feedback, and push-marketing is replaced by social networks. The new big names in travel information are the likes of Tripadvisor and Lonely Planet’s Thorn Tree.

From 2005 until very recently, the world of travel information became like this the image seen above left.

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@Grayline_Cabo [shared]

@Grayline_Cabo [shared]

@GoLocalTravel

@whltravelblog

@TravelTbilisi

@BrisbaneDayTour

@lcordiner

@JenAston

@peterfabricius

@staycapetown

All #whltravel tweeters can be found in the whl.travel list.

What I love about this part of the country (and all of Mexico) is the fact that people don’t question your presence. Tequila is a small town that has only recently been recognised for its tourism potential, so occasionally we saw Canadians or Americans walking around. Still, most of the places we visited were predominantly visited by locals, and yet no one questioned why we were there or even gave us a mal-intentioned expression. If we didn’t understand something whoever was around tried their best to explain it to us.

Variable night and day temperatures

One thing I couldn’t get used to is the winter in Mexico – the desert weather. It drove me nuts how the temperature was in the 30′s at night, then during the day it was in the high 80′s! For any traveller preparing a trip to Mexico any time soon, be ready to freeze your bum off at night and morning, then get ready to layer off during the day.

More firecrackers, another parade

Before we knew it more firecrackers were being thrown. Zack counted one morning – 74 firecrackers set off in one morning. Our consensus was that they were making sure all of Tequila was awake. Just like the night before, another parade was headed down the streets of downtown Tequila. This time there was a float with a priest holding a Bible in front of children dressed up as angels. The dancers were present again, preceded by lines of people reciting the rosary as the parade made its way to the church in the town square.

Parade making it's way to the church

Mexico still struggling from Swine Flu

Later that night we went to a fairly nice restaurant a few blocks down from our hotel. Being completely empty, we got first dibs on our table. We sat around drinking our free margaritas wondering how such a nice restaurant was empty. Unfortunately, the swine flu outbreak and the recession has caused the town of Tequila, along with much of Mexico, to really suffer economically. Some of the accommodation providers we spoke to mentioned how their occupancy rates were lower than normal due to these conditions.  Thankfully, Mexicans have stayed optimistic, and the country seemed to have been getting more beautiful by the day.

Further Information:

• Bienvenidos a Tequila!
• Tequila, dia uno!
• Tequila, dia dos!
• Tequila, dia tres!
• Tequila, dia cuatro!
• Turning tourism into a social enterprise
• Tasting the Tequila trail
• WHL Consulting continues its work in World Heritage Sites  with a focus on Tequila(whl.travel Blog)

He explains why relying on business to pull countries like this out of poverty is of little use when corruption penetrates to the government level:

“There’s no point investing in a business because the government will not protect you against thieves. (So, you might as well become a thief.) There’s no point in paying your phone bill because nobody can successfully take you to court (so there’s no point being a phone company). There’s no point getting an education because jobs are handed out on merit (and in any case, you can’t borrow money for school fees because the bank cannot collect on the loan, and the government doesn’t provide good schools). There’s no point setting up an import business because customs officers will be the ones to benefit (and so there is little trade, and so the customs office is under-funded and looks even harder for bribes).”

Where businesses can function though, dealing with them as a business and providing them with a way that they can afford to invest in their own success and tap a new market seems like a far more effective approach for generating social change than simply instigating isolated donor funded projects.  This doesn’t mean giving them handouts, but an opportunity to enter the marketplace and purchase services.  It means that cash-rich countries are tasked with innovating new ways to do business with cash-poor countries.  An interesting article was written in the Guardian last week titled ‘Brain Food: Forget the Harvard MBA – learn from Africa‘.  In it Indian entrepreneur C.K. Prahalad is quoted as saying:

“If we stop thinking of the poor as victims and start recognising them as creative entrepreneurs and value-conscious consumers, a whole new world of opportunity will open up.”

I think this is an interesting approach, and is in fact one that WHL Consulting has recently taken with its latest tourism development initiative named Project:Exposure. Designed for small and medium sized tourism enterprises, the project takes room nights in exchange for services.

Small tourism business can afford to invest in their success

Overcoming obstacles / Photo by Stephen Chapman

Every participant gets a complete audit of their existing tourism products, professionally written content, photographs, marketing material, a completely spherical 360° immersive tour of the area and a website that has full online booking functionality. Participants are also given the opportunity to view first hand the benefits and effects of these services through seminars conducted by WHL Consulting on the dynamics and significance of the Internet and e-commerce.

The idea is to work with a local sponsor so that Project:Exposure can deliver essential e-commerce tools and training to the small and medium sized tourism enterprises with little knowledge, experience or presence in this area.  The services are all offered to businesses at a significantly subsidized rate by working with a local sponsor or donor agency. Participants are not asked to pay cash for the services, but instead a newly developed Tourism Development Bank has been created to take their payment in room nights, which will be sold through the WHL Group network.

The WHL Group made its first transition from development work into the social enterprise field way back in 2006 when whl.travel was transformed from a World Bank project to a private company by a visionary CEO, Len Cordiner; and more recently it has continued along that path with its ongoing tourism development work conducted by WHL Consulting, led by CEO Zachary Rozga.

Supporting the World Heritage Site of Tequila, Mexico

Project:Exposure has already been rolled out in 4 destinations in South Africa with the support of the South African Business Trust, and is now being made available to small businesses in the World Heritage Site of Tequila, Mexico through the support of the Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF), a fund administered by the Inter-American Development Bank.

The recent rise of social enterprise is all about stimulating fresh thinking, new ideas and solutions to the world’s problems from anyone dynamic, creative and highly motivated enough to make something happen. There have been some incredible success stories and Project:Exposure looks set to be another one.

Our Contributing Editor Michelle Rodrigues will be in Tequila, Mexico to help with the roll out of this project.  We look forward to receiving some updates from the field as things progress.

Chrystel Cancel

Chrystel Cancel grew up in Toulouse, France. After earning both a Bachelors and Masters degree in Business Administration from the University of Toulouse, Chrystel graduated from the University of Paris in 1999 with another Masters in Political Science, specialising in developing countries. A passion for travel, adventure and international development led her to Washington, DC, where she obtained a Masters in Tourism Administration from the George Washington University in 2006.

Chrystel spent the majority of her career as a dedicated sustainable tourism consultant leaving her lasting legacy on a variety of projects around the world.

We will never be able to give voice to the thousands of people Chrystel touched, both directly and indirectly. We hope that a few short remarks from some of the people with whom she worked will impart a sense of her spirit, her character… and the empty space we now feel in her absence.

See below for short tributes to Chrystel from:

• Len Cordiner, CEO of the WHL Group
• Zachary Rozga, CEO of WHL Consulting
• Simon Jones, Vice President of Solimar International
• Sandrine-Pia Casto, General Manager of Tucaya Panama

Chrsytel leaves behind her parents, a brother and her fiancé. Shortly after the earthquake and loss of contact with Chrystel, her fiancé travelled to Haiti to add his hands to the search for her, a heartbreaking story told in an interview with NPR.

George Washington University has devoted a special page to the memory of Chrystel.

Chrystel’s friends have also created a Facebook page through which feelings, thoughts, memories and pictures of her can be shared.

Chrystel’s remains, now back in France, will be interred in Pamiers cemetery of the village of Escosse on 13 February at 4pm local time.

From Len Cordiner, CEO of the WHL Group, on behalf of the extended WHL Group network:

My first contact with Chrystel was a coffee we arranged in Washington, DC, late one afternoon around three years ago. Chrystel was doing some work for the World Bank at the time and was keen to learn more about the WHL Group, having had an introduction through Zachary Rozga and Jodi McKeeman to our consulting activities in Africa.

The coffee stretched out to becoming a dinner as Chrystel explored possibilities for doing more business together. Subsequently I met Chrystel on several DC trips, where each time she briefed me on what she was up to and introduced me to people she thought would be interested in what we were doing. Not only did Chrystel share our vision for a more sustainable future for travel, she wanted to be part of the journey. Before long she teamed up with her friend Sandrine-Pia Casto to become Tucaya Panama, the whl.travel franchisee in Panama. Not long after launching this site, Chrystel and Sandrine had their first blog article up highlighting the special work being doneSupporting Local and Responsible Travel on Panama’s Gobernadora Island.

The last time I met with Chrystel was in August 2009 in Brazil at the WHL Group regional meeting for the Americas. As always, Chrystel was busy networking and bring to my attention all those franchisees she felt were doing exceptional things, as well as ideas she had for how we could do things better.

In fact after that meeting she started working actively to build a new program in the whl.travel network, where we would give more prominence to the local community and environmental projects our franchisees were driving. She was very keen to run a competition amongst franchisees in the whl.travel network to surface the best examples of local social entrepreneurship. In her last communication to the project team in December, she wanted to get things underway but said she was going to be busy in Haiti in January… so it would have to wait.

We will all miss her very much.

From Zachary Rozga, CEO of WHL Consulting

Chrystel was a good friend and an important colleague to WHL Consulting. Jodi McKeeman and I, cofounders of WHL Consulting, first met Chrystel while in graduate school at George Washington University, where we all studied sustainable tourism development together.

After graduation, Jodi and I left for Africa and Chrystel made her way to London, but we remained in touch. In January 2008, WHL Consulting landed a project with the government of Lesotho, which was the nexus of the Market Access Program. The problem was that none of the materials that were promised for the Market Access Training Seminars had been developed. So Jodi and I convinced Chrystel to come help us create material and then deliver the courses in Lesotho.

Those two months that Chrystel spent with us in Africa were some of the most random and wild months we had in our entire 3.5 years in Africa. Just a few of the highlights: we got stuck on a plane with the Prime Minister of Lesotho, Jodi and Chrystel danced with the King and Queen and we were invited for a VIP wine tasting in the laboratory with the owner of the largest wine farm in the Cape Winelands. More recently Chrystel was slated to begin working with WHL Consulting on the rollout of our pilot program with the MIF IDB.

She will be sorely missed. Every time we run a Market Access Training Seminar, we will most definitely pay tribute to Chrystel Cancel.

From Simon Jones, Vice President of Solimar International on behalf of the whole Solimar family

During 2009, Chrystel tirelessly led Solimar’s initiative to develop the Bocas Sustainable Tourism Alliance in Panama, a destination management organization and tourism information center dedicated to promoting Bocas del Toro’s natural and cultural attractions and an organization that will promote Chrystel’s passion for community-run sustainable tourism long into the future.

In January 2010, Chrystel was part of a team deployed to Haiti to assess the tourism opportunities and needs in the north of the country in an effort to promote greater economic opportunities for Haitians. She died dedicated to improving the lives of others and making this world a better place for us all.

Chrystel resided in Panama City, Panama, and was a valuable member and friend of the Solimar team. Her legacy will be remembered, but she will be missed by all that knew her.

From Sandrine-Pia Casto, General Manager of Tucaya Panama

One of the Tucayettes is not physically with us anymore. A passionate, restless worker, persevering and patient – all those things could be said about Chrystel Cancel. The projects she was involved with and those she wanted to pursue make this world a better place. The last thing we need is to let lights like her extinguish. We will try our best to carry on her legacy and with the spirit she has left at Bocas and Gobernadora Island. Chrystel, you won’t be forgotten.

Innovative development project

Fortunately an innovative project by WHL Consulting and the African regional office of whl.travel, a global online travel-booking network of local tour operators, will ensure that small accommodation providers in Mpumalanga, Southern Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal are all marketed internationally and domestically well beyond the hype of this event.

horse riding in lesotho / Photo by Alex Beadle

Room nights in exchange for market access services

This is a pilot project for a newly created concept called the Tourism Development Bank, where following a market readiness assessment, small accommodation owners will be able to use room nights as currency to purchase a set of services designed to increase their online exposure:

• A selection of professionally taken photos of their property, including photos for use in ‘immersive tours’ where travellers can take a virtual tour of a venue.
• A professionally drafted travel write-up highlighting the venue’s appeal to experiential and mindful travellers.
• A unique e-commerce website linked to the whl.travel global network.
• Access to a local whl.travel tourism market training seminar.

Creation of local experience packages

Eligible participants for this project will be required to pay a registration fee of R300 and donate 18 room nights. The room nights will be used later by whl.travel in affordable package holidays that combine accommodation with local tours and activities like river rafting, abseiling, horse-riding and hiking so boosting local tourism.

150 accommodations will benefit over 18 months

The 4.5 million rand project is being partly funded by the Shared Growth Challenge Fund, a Business Trust project which aims to stimulate pro-poor innovation and growth from the private sector. Over 18 months the project will aim to get 150 accommodation providers online and sustainably positioned with enhanced exposure and bookable websites.

“The project aims to get bums in the beds of small and medium tourism accommodation venues by setting up unique websites for accommodation providers, as well as offering affordable package holidays that combine accommodation and fun activities for visitors.”

- Zachary Rozga, WHL Consulting

Local partners positive about the project

Local partners of the whl.travel network involved in the project are Raw Africa, Induna Adventures and Roc ‘n’ Rope. All are extremely positive about the project and bright future it aims to provide.

“Up until now a large number of SME accommodation and activity providers have not been able to participate effectively on the internet, and this project will integrate them in a professional online e-marketing and booking service.”

- Darron Raw, Raw Africa

whl.travel local partners involved in this project

• www.mpumalangahighlands.travel run by Roc ‘n’ Rope.
• www.kzn.travel run by Raw Africa.
• www.panorama-tours.travel & www.krugersafaris.travel run by Induna Adventures.

Kids in Cambodia / Photo by whl.travel

Urban Adventures range from two-hour to one-day adventures and uncover back streets, hidden gems and fascinating sights. While these adventures may be short in duration, they’re long on real-life experiences. Step into the lives of the locals, find out what makes the city tick and get acquainted with the local food, culture and traditions, all in the company of an expert local guide. See more than just the usual sights on an Urban Adventure.

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