More and more tourists are opting for a more authentic travel experience, less disconnected from the realities of local populations. On the contrary, they want to give more meaning to their trip, by seeking to benefit local populations. This new trend in tourism, which has the wind in its sails, is solidarity travel.
What is solidarity travel?
Solidarity travel is one of the many branches of sustainable tourism. Solidarity travel focuses on the social impact of tourism. It seeks to benefit local populations. In this way, it fits in perfectly with a regenerative tourism approach: a desire to have a positive impact when traveling, rather than a neutral or even negative one. Instead of participating in tourism at the expense of local people, solidarity travel seeks to enable local populations to develop thanks to this tourism.
Solidarity travel thus aims to distance itself from mass tourism, and above all, to correct its damaging effects on local populations. It was when we saw the extent to which local populations could suffer from overly selfish tourism that it was developed. It seeks to correct the harmful effects of mass tourism, such as the proliferation of waste and the non-inclusion of local people in the tourism economy.
Depending on the needs of local populations, solidarity travel can therefore seek to have different impacts: educational, economic, inclusive, agricultural, ecological... Beyond this desire to benefit local people, solidarity travel also represents a means of getting to know them. It encourages contact between tourists and locals, unlike mass tourism, in which travelers experience their destination in isolation.
Solidarity travel: possible initiatives
Solidarity travel can take many forms, as long as it benefits local populations.
Involving local populations
The golden rule of solidarity travel is to involve the local population. It may sound simple, but it's far from being a systematic approach. In fact, many tourism operators may not be part of the local community, because they are based abroad or owned by a foreign company, for example. If you want to travel in solidarity, you're more likely to use cooperatives, associations or civic communities for your various local activities. The idea is to ensure that the economic spin-offs from your trip benefit those who need them locally.
A concrete example is the favelas in Brazil. Many tour operators offer tours of these underprivileged neighborhoods. However, these service providers are often complete strangers to the neighborhoods, so the money invested in the tour does not benefit the favela's inhabitants. What's more, the activity is carried out by exploiting these populations, often in air-conditioned shuttles rather than in contact with the locals. Against this backdrop, a number of local associations are emerging, offering a tour of the favela by a local resident. In this way, not only do we come into contact with the locals, but the economic spin-offs from our trip benefit them directly! This approach is therefore compatible with slow travelas it allows for a more authentic experience devoted to encounters.
Eating with local people
In the same spirit of choosing where to spend your travel money so that it benefits the locals, you can also eat at a local's home. In addition to encouraging encounters, this involves the locals in tourism and benefits the economy. You'll also be able to taste home-made local specialities, and why not learn how to cook them with your host!
There are many apps and websites that enable you to eat at a local's home, but try to select a local platform wherever possible. If you opt for an international application, part of your expenses will go abroad, rather than to the host family. Another aspect of solidarity travel is knowing where the money you invest during your vacation is going!
Volunteering on a farm
There's nothing better than volunteering on a farm. You'll be involved in the farm's various activities: milking, mowing, cleaning, feeding the animals, odd jobs... In this way, you'll be helping the farmer to develop his business. To avoid polluting the environment during your trip, be sure to select a farm that practices sustainable agriculture. In this way, in addition to developing the local agricultural economy, you'll be helping to establish healthy local agriculture.
Another option, if you wish to benefit local farmers without necessarily volunteering, is simply to sleep on the farm. You'll find many farms offering self-catering accommodation, recognizable in France by the Bienvenue à la Ferme sustainable tourism label. Sleeping on a farm is also a great way to discover alternative accommodation, often in the heart of nature, and a wonderful experience!
Workcamps
Taking part in workcamps is another way to practice solidarity travel, asyou become directly involved in development projects. Numerous associations offer travelers the chance to take part in participative workcamps, to build various structures that benefit the local community. You can take part in the construction of libraries, recycling structures to limit waste, schools or health centers.
You can also take part in cultural or ecological restoration projects. For example, you can help restore an important monument damaged by time, or a precious ecosystem. There are many mangrove and coral reef restoration projects. In this second case, in addition to practicing solidarity travel, you'll be involved in an ecotourism initiative.
