Travelers' MAP
We want to create income for underdeveloped nations and Korean rural communities by applying sustainable tourism strategies, and thereby to ensure regional economic, social and environmental sustainability. Our major project is to develop engaging travel products that can directly create value for the region and to market these to ethical consumer groups; we thereby support the establishment and growth of tourism-based community business organizations.
Sobre Você
Sobre Você
Sobre Sua Organização
Nome da Organização
Travelers' MAP
Página da organização na internet
País da organização
Coréia do Sul
Países onde este projeto vem gerando impacto social
Coréia do Sul
Sua organização é
Privada
Há quanto tempo sua organização está em operação?
Entre 1 e 5 anos
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INOVAÇÃO
Nome Projeto/Inovação
Travelers' MAP
Qual a mudança que você quer trazer para o mundo?
We want to create income for underdeveloped nations and Korean rural communities by applying sustainable tourism strategies, and thereby to ensure regional economic, social and environmental sustainability. Our major project is to develop engaging travel products that can directly create value for the region and to market these to ethical consumer groups; we thereby support the establishment and growth of tourism-based community business organizations.
Quais são as principais atividades do seu projeto?
As the leading Korean social enterprise in the travel sector, Travelers’ MAP designs sustainable tours in accordance with our motto of “benefit local, protect nature, respect people.” In addition to developing, planning and selling our approximately 30 domestic travel products and 20 overseas travel products, we operate travel studies projects for young people including our (short-term) Youth Travel School and (3-year) Road Scholar program. By means of these projects, Travelers’ MAP is working to improve unfair trade practices and exploitative structures, improve environmentally-destructive travel products, develop low-carbon green tourism through carbon footprint minimization, promote mutual exchange and respect for local culture, respect and protect the human rights of local people, and convert travel products from a structure of competing on low prices to competing on quality.
O que é inovador sobre a seu projeto? De que forma ele é uma nova contribuição para esse campo de atuação?
By linking tourists’ changing demands for a focus on ethical consumption, well-being, eco-friendliness, and self-improvement through cultural exchange to regions where aging, depopulation and impoverishment are accelerating, we can provide tourists with a new kind of satisfaction and stimulate revitalization of the local community. We have implemented optimal techniques for minimizing the consumption of various resources including carbon, while also avoiding harm to the conserved natural landscape. In addition, because a community tourism business centered on the local people works to conserve the core local tourism resources of the natural landscape and environmental resources, a new cycle is established in which travelers, locals, and the environment protect each other. In order to accelerate this cycle, we link the support of national and local governments to local communities and underdeveloped countries, and also promote projects to raise tourist awareness about responsible travel.
Em que estágio está seu projeto?
Em execução entre 1 e 5 anos
Conte-nos sobre a comunidade em que atua. Por exemplo, as condições econômicas, as estruturas políticas, normas e valores, as tendências demográficas, história e experiência com as tentativas de mobilização.
In Korea, the population in non-urban areas is aging rapidly, while local populations are also rapidly dropping. As a result, the basic industries that maintain society, such as farming and fishing, are collapsing, and the income discrepancy between city and country is increasing. The tourism culture is stuck at an inadequate level, and famous tourist attractions are consequently suffering from deterioration and underdevelopment, while the village-based tourist facilities in which the government has invested are not being put to proper use and have become eyesores. Local communities cannot find a clear path to development due to low income and the lack of key labor force components such as young people; as a result, there is an urgent need to establish a strategy for developing tourism resources while also increasing income and environmental resource conservation. These phenomena are also mirrored in other regions of Asia where many Korean tourists go.
Compartilhe a história do(a) fundador(a) e o que o(a) inspirou a iniciar este projeto
The founder of Travelers’ MAP has been traveling with young adults for more than 10 years as an instructor at an alternative school. By walking more than 3000 km with young people, he has had the opportunity to explore every corner of Korea, and to understand the local circumstances and issues. In addition, he has confirmed that participant consciousness can be changed through travel that is closely connected to the local economy and culture. This type of travel may be a little uncomfortable, but it has much greater cultural and educational impact, and he became convinced that it could provide an alternative that could assist local communities by changing Korea’s short-term tourist culture centered on snapping photos of famous attractions.
IMPACTO SOCIAL
Temas relacionados à inscrição
Por favor, descreva como o projeto tem sido bem sucedido e como esse sucesso é medido.
As of 2011, Travelers’ MAP is undertaking travel projects in about 20 regions in Korea and 20 regions elsewhere including Asia. Our sales grew by 309% from 2009 to 2010. The number of tour participants grew by 561%. The proportion of total travel costs invested locally has reached 40%, and this is an improvement of more than 8-fold over the Korean tourism industry, in which less than 5% is invested directly in the local area while the rest leaks away. In relation to our projects currently underway in Korea, at least 3 tourist business organizations are being established centered on local communities, and overseas, we are supporting the establishment of social enterprise in Nepal together with corporations, and in Cambodian villages in Banteay Chhmar and elsewhere we are supporting the development of tourism business, We are also providing tour services for neglected groups, such as field trips to the home country for children from multicultural households. In Korea, we have also succeeded in attracting investment of $150,000 from clients, funds and individuals by publicly performing social investment for the first time.
Quantas pessoas foram impactadas por seu projeto?
> 10.000
Quantas pessoas poderão ser impactadas por seu projeto nos próximos três anos?
> 10.000
Como seu projeto se expandirá ao longo dos próximos três anos?
In the next 3 years, Travelers’ MAP will expand the regions it serves by at least 3-fold, and will increase the number of participants at least 6-fold, ensuring the actual generation of income for local communities. Through the Korea Association for Sustainable Tourism, which Travelers’ MAP played a key role in founding, at least 20 local community businesses will be discovered and promoted. In addition, we will attract foreign tourists and begin to provide a global level of service in sustainable tourism in the Asian region.
SUSTENTABILIDADE
Quais são as barreiras que podem dificultar o sucesso de seu projeto e como pretende superá-las?
Currently low-quality travel products predominate, competing for low prices; travel products that preserve local communities and pay reasonable costs are considered high-end. The ethical consciousness of travelers is changing rapidly, but in reality there remains a clear discrepancy between these changes in consciousness and any changes in the actual style of travel. In the Asian region, Korean tourists still chiefly engage in modes of tourism that exploit local communities. Accordingly, we are spreading the “fair travel” culture in cooperation with national government agencies at industrial networks, and are working with them to improve practices that are unfair to local communities. In order to achieve a dramatic improvement in the quality of service and focus on disadvantaged communities, we are focusing on training, consulting and product development to foster self-reliance and establish a foundation for change in the tourism industry.
Por favor, explique de que forma o estabelecimento de parcerias é importante para o sucesso de sua inovação
In Korea, we are cooperating with 8 similar agencies through the Korea Association for Sustainable Tourism; in each travel destination we are participating with specialized business partners. We are carrying out and advancing cooperative projects with strategic partners such as the Korean Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Korean National Parks Service, and Korean Tourism Organization. The Haja Center, a hub for youth innovation establish in cooperation with the Seoul city government and Yonsei University, assists in founding of businesses with Travelers’ MAP and is currently carrying out spatial and industrial cooperation; we are carrying out joint projects approximately 10 innovative social enterprises based at the Center. Internationally, we are cooperating with local partners including in Cambodia (CCBEN) Indonesia (INDECON), Nepal (3Sisters Adventure Trekking, AHRCDF), Africa (Nomad Tour), Vietnam (AMAP, KOTO), and China (Xintour). In the coming year, we plan to join The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) and participate in the ESTC international conference.
Orçamento anual atual do projeto em US$:
> $1 million
Detalhe as suas escolhas acima
We have acquired project capital through social investment in early 2011 from individuals and fund investors. We have succeeded in acquiring a total of $150,000 and of this 80% has been invested by individuals including our customers; the remaining 20% has been invested by funds specializing in social enterprise. We are proceeding with several projects in collaboration with NGOs to support social enterprise, and are also carrying out tour projects for neglected groups in cooperation with foundations that support these groups. We are additionally supporting neglected-group tours through corporate sponsorship, and corporations are also involved in the expenses for supporting local development. Local and central government and public agencies are carrying out joint projects with us to revitalize local community businesses while also assisting in project development costs and labor costs.
De que forma você planeja fortalecer financeiramente seu projeto ao longo dos próximos três anos?
We will continue to diversify the regions our project serves and our service types. In this way, we will enable real contributions to these regions while improving product quality. By strengthening our cooperation with industrial networks and national and local governments, we will create Korean models for sustainable tourism and focus on expanding these models nationwide. We will present a model for cruise tours, which have not yet been attempted in Korea, and scale up the size of our travel business; at the same time, we will grow into a leading global service enterprise in the Asian region in the field of sustainable tourism by expanding our local footholds. In this way, we will expand our industrial networks in the sustainable tourism sector across Asia.
Desafios
Em quais obstáculos ao emprego e trabalho o seu projeto atua?
Por favor, selecionar até três por ordem de relevância para seu projeto (maior relevância recebe um "1" e a menor, "3").
Primeiro
Acesso restrito para novos mercados
SEGUNDO
Ausência de eficácia
TERCEIRO
Ausência de capacitação / formação
Por favor, descreva como a sua inovação aborda especificamente os obstáculos listados acima.
We are moving forward with projects to improve travel culture through the national government and public agencies, and to strengthen affiliation and cooperation among similar corporations in order to create markets. We are strengthening publicity through large-scale cruise travel events and generating issues such as endangered species. In order to create an organizational culture that is both democratic and efficient, we are consulting with specialized agencies while also holding organizational workshops, and we are providing systematic opportunities for self-improvement and professional development in order to enhance the professionalism of key workforce components.
Como você está aumentando o impacto da sua organização ou iniciativa?
Por favor, selecionar até três possíveis caminhos em ordem de relevância para você (maior relevância receberia "1 " e menor "3").
Primário
Influenciando outras organizações e instituições através da disseminação das melhores práticas
SEGUNDO
Reforçando o impacto existente através da adição de serviços complementares
TERCEIRO
Alcance geográfico: Global
Por favor, descreva qual ou quais das atividades de seu crescimento estão em curso ou planejadas para o futuro imediato.
We are preparing an inbound tourism project for Japanese tourists; this will be extended to the areas of China, Europe and North America. We are making the first effort at cruise-based travel projects within Korea, and are adding new travel products to our lineup that protect and conserve endangered animals through our “Animals in Crisis” series. In 3 regions in Korea, we are establishing community-based eco-tour models, and plan to expand this nationwide.
Você colabora ou faz parcerias com algum dos abaixo? (marque todas que se aplicam)
Governo, Fornecedores de tecnologia, ONGs / entidades sem fins lucrativos, Empresas, Academia / Universidades.
Se sim, como essas colaborações e parcerias vêm ajudando sua inovação a obter sucesso?
Industrial innovation is not something a single company can accomplish by itself. In Korea, the conditions are still inadequate for a new type of tourism to spread. In order to create tours that can benefit local communities and environment, the most important thing is to form a robust network of collaboration with the above organizations; over the past 2 years, a 1st step in that cooperation has successful y been achieved. As a result, in just two years, “fair travel” became a hot topic of discussion in the tourism industry, and is appearing as a core theme in various conferences.