Balancing commercial success with what’s right for people and planet is the fundamental challenge for the tourism industry.
To make it work, we need to embed sustainability into the core business model. I know that’s a long-term approach, we won’t see success in a year, but it will be worth it.
It all started for me at university, or rather out of it, as I used to skip class to volunteer with a US NGO in Ho Chi Minh City, helping guide groups to visit rural communities in the Mekong Delta. We renovated homes, improved classrooms, and supported local families. I used to think that volunteering was just helping out, but that experience opened my eyes. It made me realise what I wanted to do with my life. I joined the Buffalo Tours Educational Travel team, running logistics for educational groups. When we became Discova in 2019, I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to focus solely on community projects. It’s still my passion today.
I see firsthand how tourism can be a powerful tool for celebrating local culture and benefiting the whole community. But I’m also aware, that if best practice is not observed, how over-tourism can harm the community and environment.
I believe we have to shift from volume to value. That means, rather than chasing large numbers of tourists at any cost, we must prioritise high-quality, meaningful travel experiences with genuine benefits to local people.
