The importance of sustainable tourism
Derrick Chanda
Today I would like to talk to you about the importance of sustainable tourism.A solidarity trip can really make a difference because it allows you to get in touch with the people and culture of the place by knowing the country from the inside, but above all because it helps those who choose it as an alternative form of tourism to grow within.
Volunteering to give a new meaning to travel
Is the extemporaneous help of a boy who has chosen to invest his holidays in a solidarity trip really useful? The answer is undoubtedly YES. Many associations dedicated to volunteering projects in Africa explain how important sustainable tourism is for them: for the children of an orphanage, for example, volunteers represent a precious stimulus, a new language to learn, a different skin color and a way unprecedented to relate; it means companionship and learning. For the local staff it represents the sharing of effort and concrete help. For battered women who join mutual aid projects, volunteers are an opportunity for discussion, while for associations that deal with the maintenance of local infrastructures such as schools, kindergartens, wells and homes they are a fundamental support.
The benefits for local people are undeniable, but those for those who choose the volunteer experience are also important.
After a solidarity trip we return home with a new perspective on the way of living everyday life, we abandon prejudices and preconceptions, we rediscover the beauty of what we have.
Responsible tourism: the reasons why it is also good for those who do it
Making friends with people from other cultures, abandoning prepackaged ideologies, strengthening the critical sense by stripping it of stereotypes and taking an inner journey that calls into question a lot of who we are: volunteering is a way to see inside ourselves, giving a new dimension to travel experience. Here are the main reasons for doing so.
Confront the locals
The best gift we can receive from our fellow man is sharing time. Especially if that someone lives in a completely different reality from ours, miles away from the place where we usually spend our daily lives. Confronting with a native means getting out of the routine to get closer to an internal perspective, that of the host country.
The language used, the background, the environment, the climate, the rhythms, the foods, the habits and customs, the relationships: everything is different for those born in another country.
Chatting with a local, for example, you can find out a lot about his childhood and his work, his family and his passions, his political ideas and values that are essential for him. And so, even involuntarily, you know the place from a new angle, that of someone who has always lived in Africa.
Experience the most unusual places
Normally, before leaving, we inform ourselves about the destination thanks to a tour guide, and once on site we look for confirmation in the monuments and finds exhibited in exhibitions and museums. A new country, however, can also be discovered on the street. A small remote village or a sprawling shanty town in a big city can reveal much more than we expect. Especially from an emotional point of view.
So what is the value of a solidarity trip to Africa? The balance between giving and having, between the moments lived with those who participate in the project and those face to face with ourselves.
Derrick Chanda corresponding Lukasa Zambian roots project
