Three apps and websites that offer travellers a local experience, and make sure money you spend benefits people on the ground
Platforms that cut out the travel industry middleman and connect you with service providers not only add value to your holiday by helping you meet local people, but ensure they share in the profits from tourism
Did your last once-in-a-lifetime trip benefit anyone that lives wherever it was you went? Mass tourism has become a curse to local communities in some cities, but a flurry of new sharing economy apps and online platforms are trying to make tourist activities more profitable for local people.
Booking locally – whether it be a short walking tour, a meet-up or a two-week itinerary – can bring you benefits, too. As well as meeting many travellers’ desire for authentic experiences and micro-adventures, it gives them the chance to meet local people. It can also make travel cheaper by circumventing the accepted practice of foreign travel agents taking generous commissions.
“We grew tired of overseas travel agents taking 60 per cent to 100 per cent commission on top of what we earn on tourism here in Africa,” Dr Jessika Nilsson, an anthropologist and CEO at Safarisource, one of the new sharing economy services, says.
“We want to make travel inclusive, keep the revenue within Africa, and make sure our continent profits optimally from tourism,” she says. Safarisource is a way of establishing a direct link between travellers and the people who would in any case be guiding them and taking care of their needs on their tours and safaris.