“This is the first conference focused on travelers’ philanthropy ever held in Africa,” says CESD Co-Director, Dr. Martha Honey. “And we are honored that it will be keynoted by Dr. Maathai, the continent’s most eminent civic leader in the struggle for democracy, human rights, women’s empowerment, and environmental conservation.” Since 1977, Dr. Maathai has been organizing rural Kenyan women to plant trees in an effort to help combat deforestation, soil erosion, and water shortages. The Green Belt Movement has planted over 40 million trees and become a leading force in Kenya’s pro-democracy struggles as well as a model for similar initiatives in other developing countries. In 2004, when Dr. Maathai was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts, she became the first environmentalist and only African woman to receive this prestigious award.

“I have always believed in the huge potential of travelers’ philanthropy,” says Dr. Maathai. “The Green Belt Movement has been sharing its work with friends and supporters through our Green Belt Safaris which combines visits to our tree planting projects with game viewing safaris. I know that this conference will enrich our experience and deepen our understanding of this very important concept.”

The 3-day conference is entitled “Making Travelers’ Philanthropy Work for Development, Business, and Conservation.” It will bring together several hundred participants from Africa, as well as international representatives of leading tourism businesses, conservation and development NGOs, UN agencies, and other aid organizations. Plenary and workshop themes will include the role of tourism businesses in supporting HIV-AIDS education and prevention; raising funds from travelers and travel businesses for environmental initiatives and conservation of wildlife, parks and protected areas, and developing business models that incorporate Travelers’ Philanthropy as a central element.

Online registration is now open for the 2008 Travelers’ Philanthropy conference to be held in Arusha, Tanzania, on December 3-5, 2008. Website www.travelersphilanthropy.org links to the special conference registration site. It also contains information about the program and speakers, hotel and meeting venue, flight information, pre- and post- conference trips, list of co-sponsors, and latest updates.

Under the banner of “Making Travelers’ Philanthropy Work for Development, Business, and Conservation,” this international conference with a focus on Africa will examine the growing trend among responsible tourism businesses to support community and conservation projects in the host countries where they operate.

The 200 to 300 conference international attendees will include representatives from tourism companies, as well as experts from development and conservation organizations, representatives from the UN and other international agencies, academics, government officials, the media, and others interested in how responsible tourism can contribute to poverty alleviation and biodiversity conservation.

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Wangari Maathai, founder of Kenya’s Greenbelt Movement, has been invited to give the keynote address. Via plenary sessions and workshops the conference will cover a range of current issues including:

• The role of tourism businesses in supporting HIV-AIDS education and prevention.
• Raising travel funds for conservation of wildlife, biodiversity, and parks and protected areas.
• Travelers Philanthropy initiatives to address climate change.
• Developing business models that incorporate Travelers’ Philanthropy as a central element.

The conference will be held at the Ngurdoto Mountain Lodge in Arusha, a vibrant tourism town near the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Meru that serves as at gateway to Tanzania’s world renowned game parks. In addition, leading tour operators in East Africa are providing a variety of specially designed safaris that will include game viewing and visits to community projects. Details of these pre- and post- conference trips – which are open for conference attendees and their friends and families — will be posted soon on the website.

The conference is attracting a growing list of co-sponsors including leading tourism operators (Intrepid Travel, CCAfrica, and Micato Safaris) and NGOs (WWF, Jane Goodall Institute, Counterpart International, Ecotourism Kenya). Other sponsors are being arranged.

The 2008 conference is organized by the Center on Ecotourism and Sustainable Development (CESD), a US-based nonprofit which hosted a highly successful Travelers’ Philanthropy conference at Stanford University in 2004.

For More Information

Contact: Whitney Cooper, CESD Washington, DC
Tel: 202-347-9203 x414
Email: wcooper@ecotourismcesd.org

The 200 to 250 conference attendees will include representatives from tourism companies from around the world, as well as experts from development and conservation organizations, representatives from the UN and other international agencies, academics, government officials, and others interested in how responsible tourism can contribute to poverty alleviation and biodiversity conservation.

The conference will be held at the Ngurdoto Mountain Lodge in Arusha, a vibrant tourism town near the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Meru that serves as at gateway to Tanzania’s world renowned game parks. Arusha is also the headquarters of many NGOs and is close to Nairobi, Kenya, another popular safari destination.

“Over the last decade, we’ve seen a growing trend among tourism companies and tourists to donate funds, material support, and expertise to assist health clinics, schools, protected areas, libraries, and other development projects in communities and countries where tourism takes place,” says Dr. Martha Honey, CESD Co-Director. “We believe that, done well, this sort of ‘give back’ to local communities is an extremely important new source of development assistance – and our Travelers’ Philanthropy program is dedicated to helping to promote this type of responsible tourism.”

In April 2004, CESD hosted its first and highly successful Travelers’ Philanthropy conference at Stanford University. Previously, two smaller meetings had been held to draw attention to this growing practice by responsible tour operators.

“We need to recognize that philanthropy is not always beneficial. It needs to be done in ways that meet real community identified needs, supports economic and social empowerment, and is transparent in its operations. The role of CESD is to work with tourism businesses to help ensure that they employ the best methods in developing programs and supporting projects in host communities,” explains CESD Co-Director and Stanford University professor Dr. William Durham.

The Travelers’ Philanthropy conference in Arusha will also showcase the best in socially and environmentally responsible travel through safaris with leading East African ecotourism operators. These trips will combine local community and conservation projects that are supported by tourism businesses, with visits to East Africa’s world renowned game parks and the island of Zanzibar.

In Arusha, CESD has hired Fred Nelson of the Maliasili Initiatives to handle local logistics. CESD is also soliciting endorsements and sponsorships from a variety of companies, NGOs, and international agencies.

For more information about the Travelers’ Philanthropy initiative, conference, registration, speakers and program, pre- and post- conference trips, latest updates, as well as background information on the previous conference, please visit our websites: www.travelersphilanthropy.org and www.ecotourismcesd.org.

For More Information

Contact Whitney Cooper, CESD Washington, DC
Tel: 202-347-9203 x414
Email: wcooper@ecotourismcesd.org