Industry Insight on CBT
Indeed , the philosophy of CBT has been gaining momentum in the last few years , both in Nepal and the rest of the world . A good number of creditable tour operators and industry experts have been working to amplify the concept .
During a discussion with CHN , Anton Moeskops of Shoestring Travel shared his own effort to understand the value that CBT presented , “ it is difficult to promote the CBT or offbeat travel experiences , especially if travelers have never heard of or visited the country itself . However , as a product manager for destinations in Asia and Latin America , I made sure to visit three community homestays in Nepal last year to understand and communicate the value of the product .” Moeskops is not the only one who sees the value in tour operators learning and implementing the benefits of CBT . Nora Eichkorn , an expert on sustainable tourism working with the Import Promotion Desk ( IPD ), also shares similar views , “ tour operators and organizations have a crucial role in promoting CBT to help communities build experience in hospitality and interact with travelers while managing the travelers ’ expectations .”
In fact , organizations such as Planeterra and World Challenge UK have been giving their best to incorporate and promote more sustainable travel practices across their respective audiences . Priyanka Singh , who represents Planterra , shared that the company did their best to encourage community-based enterprises by helping share the best practices they discovered across a region . Additionally , Liz Tuck , who manages the product and sustainability team for World Challenge UK , pointed out that tour operators need to account for the experiences of the destination community , as opposed to just the experiences of their clientele . Tuck states , “ many times we try to ensure the safety of travelers , however , it is equally important to mitigate and think of ways , especially during times like the pandemic , to minimize the risk of transmission to the communities .”
Paving the Way Forward
While tour operators are responsible for communicating and offering diversified tourism products to the world , they are also uniquely positioned to help communities stay at the center of tourism . Both travelers and locals should be able to be ready to accept each other ’ s culture and manage expectations respectively .
In addition to that , tour operators and travelers must seek ways to minimize and mitigate economic leakage . Tourists have traveled for many years , but have always been told the same things about destinations and cultures . This is starting to change , as more travelers have been wanting to explore beyond the usual experiences .
Even tour companies have begun to look outside of their usual offerings . The responsibility of tour operators is not only in marketing new destinations but also in presenting them with a narrative that has not been used before .
Presenting various CBT products to the rest of the world will allow for tour operators to give back to the local communities by providing them with sustainable employment opportunities that keep them at the center of development . CBT has the undoubted potential to amplify rural voices while widening the entire scope of the tourism industry .
Woman observes her field . Photo by RMT .
www . insidehimalayas . com by Royal Mountain Travel
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