Following a report from our Treasurer, the trustees of Tourism Concern have taken the difficult decision to close the charity. The vote was unanimous. The charity has struggled financially for a number of years and cut costs to the barest minimum but despite the best efforts of talented executive directors and generations of enthusiastic and […]
Causing More Harm Than Good – The Truth Behind Volunteering With Orphans
In recent years the popularity of ‘voluntourism’ has exploded and a huge number of people are now combining a holiday with the feel good factor of ‘giving back’ to the places they visit. At face value it is a hard thing to criticise – what could be wrong with giving up some of your time […]
The Ethical Way to Go on a Safari Holiday
What is ethical tourism and how can you ensure that your safari holiday is an ethical one? Responsible travel comes in many different forms, whether it’s a positive impact on wildlife, the environment, or local communities. However, when planning and booking a safari, it can be tricky to figure out whether your tourism dollars are […]
Should you use Airbnb?
In the decade or so since their beginnings as matchmakers for lonely spare rooms, online letting platforms in the new sharing economy have mushroomed, and morphed into popular players in the holiday property rental market. But the internet is humming with fury and anxiety about the havoc this new travel phenomenom is causing. Is the […]
Ethical Animal Encounters
It always surprises me how long it’s taken for the world to realise that most of the animal tourism activities we have participated in for many years involves the harm and exploitation of animals. Only recently have animal activists begun to break through the social media feeds to shed light on the harmful effects of […]
The alarming massification process of the Rainbow Mountain
A returning visitor’s perspective It was 2016 and I had been living in Cusco, Peru, for about a year. Passing by tourist agencies with attractive posters selling tours to Machu Picchu, Titicaca Lake, Salkantay Trek and Tambopata Natural Reserve-among others- was basically daily routine. But one day something changed. It took a while until […]
A Guide to Ethical Roadtrip Travel in the UK
This is a guest post contribution from Jane Fournier, a freelance content manager and writer. Thanks again, Jane, for writing and sharing your article with us. Britain is projected to have a tourism industry worth over £257 billion by 2025 – as reported by Visit Brian – which is just under 10% of UK GDP. […]
Sustainable Accommodation and Travel: Why Airbnb may not be the Answer.
It seems that finding sustainable accommodation, or responsible accommodation is rarely a simple task. My experience has been that it’s certainly not as easy as it should be. With a myriad of accommodation options out there for our travels, it can be hard to pick the right one, let alone be able to know which […]