THE ROAD LESS TAKEN...Turning Travel into impact

Tourism is an $8 trillion global industry yet very little of that money makes its way into the hands of local businesses and communities. Fortunately, there is an organization called Planeterra that is trying to change all that. They have helped create nearly 500 community-based initiatives in more than 77 countries. Each one provides travellers with a unique travel experience that also  benefits the local community and many marginalized groups. 

Their articulate Director of Partnerships and Development, Tricia Schers, pulls back the curtain and tells us how they do it and more importantly, how you can travel in a way that makes a difference.

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Transcript

Tom 0:32

We started this month's podcast with a fun fact. Did you know, tourism is an$8 trillion global industry. Get very little of that money makes its way into the hands of local businesses and communities. Fortunately, there is an organization called planet Tara that is trying to change all that. They have helped create nearly 500 community-based initiatives in more than 77 countries. Each one provides trial bridge with a unique travel experience that also benefits the local community and many marginalized groups. The director of partnerships and development. The articulate Trisha sheers pulls back the curtain and tells us how they do it. And more importantly, how you can travel in a way that makes a difference. The podcast is called the road less taken. Turning travel into impact.

Jessie 1:27

so the trip that I was on we climbed Mount Kilimanjaro and we were between that and going to see these iconic game parks as Serengeti and as part of this, they drove us to a little community. guided us around to meet community members, have a meal. See some of the cooperative work that was being done between, G Adventures and the local community to build up the community, provide job opportunities for some of the people there, and to showcase the. Culture, the traditions, the, craftsmanship of local people. And that was spectacular. The thing that really sticks out with me, was woodworking. We got the chance to see some woodworker making these just incredible. pieces with, something that about 50 faces carved into it. It was the most beautiful woodwork I've seen before or since in my entire life. And so I had this chance to, to eat and chat with people and see things being made that I would never have otherwise had the opportunity to.

Tom 2:22

That was Jessie Hildebrand and Intrepid world traveler. Talking about his experience, visiting a planetary sponsored project. Jesse's day job is working for a fascinating company. Called exploring by the seat of your pants. Where he can X groups virtually to environmental and scientific projects around the world, safe to say. Jessie knows a good travel experience when he sees it. Thanks. Stop. We chat with Trisha sheers. Hello Tricia and welcome to the podcast.

Tricia 2:51

Tom. I'm really happy to be.

Tom 2:54

Uh, you know, it's interesting, Tricia, when I first read about Planet Terra, I thought, you know, that's such a bright idea. And then I started reading more about you and I noticed a few months ago, a well-known travel publication put you on their first ever list of bright ideas in travel. So obviously I'm not the only one that thinks you're onto something here,

Tricia 3:17

Definitely I would say that we've been catching the attention of a few folks lately. I think as travel strives to build back better, after a couple of really devastating years, the industry is catching on to what Planeta has been advocating for years. the power of community tourism.

Tom 3:34

Maybe take us back a bit, Tricia. Who originally had the quote, bright idea to start planet Tara. And what was the original goal?

Tricia 3:42

planet Terra was, founded, by the same founder who created G Adventures. So Bruce Poon tip, back in 2003. And the goal was really to raise money to do good things around the world. So, pretty simple. Let's do some good things around the world. and certainly over the. we've been able to do that. We've contributed literally millions of dollars towards projects in areas of social enterprise and healthcare conservation and emergency response.

Tom 4:11

And what about the name? Planet Tara. How did it come about?

Tricia 4:15

Well actually, uh, we're named after one of Bruce's daughters who also happened to be born in 2003. So, Tara, so it, it became Planet Tara

Tom 4:26

I gotta tell you, if I was a betting man and n I am, I would've put a lot of money on, planet Earth as, you know, planet Terra kind of thing. But it's named after the daughter. That's very cool.

Tricia 4:35

I think it's a kind of this double meaning double nuance, which is really lovely about the name. It worked out really well that way.

Tom 4:42

You mentioned earlier that when you first started, the idea was to fund a specific project. Like supporting a hospital or building a water tower, but it seems there was a major shift in focus. What was that shift and what was the thinking behind it?

Tricia 4:56

Yeah. You know, it's, it boils down to sustainability. We realized over time that we could create a lot more impact by working with and through the tourism sector itself, creating jobs and giving people who don't always have the knowledge and access to the market. that opportunity. So nowadays we help local organizations and communities use tourism essentially as a catalyst to improve people's lives, to protect the environment and to celebrate culture. at the same time, we're also providing travelers with better experiences,

Tom 5:34

Okay. we'll get into all this. I have a lot of questions for you, but I like to learn a bit more about you Tricia. Even working for nonprofits tourism and international development for more than 20 years but in your bio you mentioned an experience you had while working in suriname in south america that opened your eyes to the potential for the tourism industry to create economic opportunities especially for women tell us a bit about that experience

Tricia 6:00

So at the time I was working with an organization, as a marketing advisor, supporting aid service organization, so international development work, and I had the opportunity to be in surname for just over half a year. And being an avid traveler myself, I knew that while I was there, I wanted to try and see as much of the country as I could. if you're gonna be somewhere, go and experience it. So, on the weekends I would try to arrange short trips and I ended up connecting with a woman. Who was starting her own tour business. She was a single mother. And, and starting this business was a way for her to support her and her kids. And she was carving out a path that not many women in surname had explored. And, and in particular opportunities in tourism at the time that I was there. wasn't a major, economic activity, but it was growing. when I was there, less than 20 Canadians would visit Cerna in a

Tom 6:57

Wow.

Tricia 6:58

And so when I returned back to Canada, I thought to myself that I would love really to explore this space and working in this space, this idea of using tourism as an economic driver, in particular for women in developing countries as a way to improve communities. So when I returned to Canada, I continued to work in international development before eventually moving into the tourism industry. And it was then that I actually. Heard about Planet Terra and I thought, amazing. Here is an organization doing exactly that. So years later, this is a bit of a dream job for me.

Tom 7:36

But isn't it cool how a single experience in travel can change your your career or or your view of the world just from that one, experience with and, and that group.

Tricia 7:45

Absolutely. I think it's the, really, the beautiful part of travel is how it opens up our horizons and opens up our minds and helps us, you know, launch into whole entire new paths for ourselves.

Tom 7:58

So that was an example of something positive. But on the flip side, have you seen examples where communities have been exploited by tourists to the detriment of the local population?

Tricia 8:07

Yeah, absolutely. It's funny enough, when I started working in the tourism industry, I used to work in a small community in northern Manitoba called Churchill, and, being home to the most accessible polar bear population in the world, and thousands of beca whales and northern lights throughout the year with so much to offer, it's not a surprise that, Churchill attracts visitors from around the world and has a really, really robust. Tourism industry, and I was fortunate that I worked for a local family owned and operated tour company that invested a lot of money and infrastructure into the community and as much as possible aimed to hire local Manitobans and Churchillian. But there was also a large American owned and operated tour company bringing travelers to Churchill, and they brought in guides mostly from the. So as a Canadian I and a manitoban, I found it disappointing to see a Canadian tourism destination being capitalized by an American company. It felt to me like Manitoba was giving away its resources and that income was leaving the province. to benefit a US company and leaving that community. So I will say on the flip side of that, happily over my nearly 10 years in the industry in Churchill, I did see some improvements being made with local people being employed in tourism. but it took a long time for that to happen and it's a difficult thing to watch and I think that that's a true experience for a lot of communities around the.

Tom 9:40

that's kind of the yin and yang, the good and the bad, So. let's talk a bit about Planet Terra. on your site you have a model that you try to follow. Is that something you can explain to us? What is the model that, planet Terra is based on?

Tricia 9:53

Sure. I mean, essentially the tourism industry supports, one in 10 jobs globally and generates about 10% of the world's G D P according to the World Travel and Tourism Council. but a lot of the money. Being spent by tourists often, does not go to locally owned vendors and businesses. So from the beginning, planet Terra sought to find ways to make the tourism sector fairer and better. And so how do we do that? we collaborate with. Different community partners around the world, that invest their time and profits in creating a better future for people where they live. And we look at those enterprises and say, okay, well how can we connect them to the tourism industry? How can we help them to gain, income revenue from these tourists coming into their own backyard? And at the same time, how can we use that? To, conserve culture, to protect environment. what we've really learned, our model of success is really based on a market driven strategy. So travelers are already coming into these communities, and the communities see these travelers there, but they don't know how to tap into the industry. Well, we do because We were born by a travel company. so, we look at you know, travel companies, geo Ventures being one of them, and other travel companies. and how do we connect them to community enterprises? And then what you end up with, This ripple effect, it ensures that money stays in the hands of local people instead of being taken out of a destination.

Tom 11:22

from your experience, Tricia, you've got a lot of these programs. What do you think are the major hurdles facing a lot of the communities that you're trying to help?

Tricia 11:32

Communities have identified that it's a lack of tools and resources and experience and market access. they know they wanna work with the tourism industry, but they don't know how to, and they don't have those connections. so as a first step planetary, back in 2020, we, we created the Planetary Learning Hub to break down those barriers and give our partner. Practical training at their fingertips. they want training, market access and assistance and plantera we can provide all of those things to the communities who want it. the learning hub actually evolved in 2021 during pandemic. One of the positives that came out of the Pandemic for Planet Terra is that we created something called the Global Community Tourism Network. the network was created to share what we have learned throughout these, 14 plus or longer years. so that we could, help make community tourism available to a broader audience. we're gonna celebrate 20 years in 2023,

Tom 12:31

well just, to cut to the, basics, how do you decide which enterprises to focus on and what part of the world to work in?

Tricia 12:39

it becomes part of a collaboration between a tour operator, and a community. So we have found, That by taking a market driven approach. we are looking at places where travelers are already going. We're not, trying to create tourism in places that there aren't travelers. Not to say we may not look at that down the road. But at this point, we're looking at places, and I'll give you an example of one in Peru, one of our very first, community tourism enterprises. it was a, something called the Kaka Koya Women's Weaving Cooperative. This was a group of women in a community in Peru near Machu Picchu. Travelers were going by in the thousands. and a lot of these women, their husbands, were porters. They were, you know, helping people get through the, the Inca Trail. and so they wanted to also earn an income. They wanted to earn an income from Travelers. And so we worked with them to create a tour experience. And then we brought the travelers there. They were going right by, they were driving by on buses. So it was just a matter of adding a stop on the tour. And now that cooperative has grown, I mean, they've been around with us for almost our entire existence as well, and they've added a homestay. experience. So not only have they been able to. create an experience and, help create an income for a number of the women in the community, but also keep their young women in the community. Cuz now there's job prospects and opportunities. So with that kind of growth, it snowballs.

Tom 14:12

another thing I noticed about your model, it's not top down, I see in some cases older initiatives share their experience with new enterprises to help them out based on their experience. Now, that doesn't always happen with nonprofit organizations.

Tricia 14:26

No, that's true and I think that stems back to exactly what we tried to achieve when we created the Global Community Tourism Network. we're able to provide these opportunities. For enterprises to connect and learn from each other. So for example, we may host a webinar or a meetup with enterprises that offer handy craft experiences. We'll bring together the enterprises from different areas around the globe. So there might be one from Zambia there, one from Mexico, from Cambodia, and they come together and share their experiences and learning with each other. And you start to. Best practices develop, we get a lot of feedback from communities about how valuable this connectivity is. Although partners telling us things like, how this access to other communities, resources and the planetary team, have helped to build, confidence for these communities. It's something we're really proud of.

Tom 15:22

I know you also, focus a lot on marginalized individuals and groups and there seems to be an emphasis on women. can you tell us what's behind your thinking in terms of, helping this particular group out?

Tricia 15:33

you know, let's be honest, when women are uplifted, they are more likely and sad, but true, are more likely to invest back into their communities. So they're, they're gonna make sure, and for a lot of the organizations and groups that we've worked with over the years, it's meant, you know, what's the real, tangible result? Of what we call the ripple effect. It's women who now pay and invest and send their kids to school. Some of these families are getting their kids to, go to university for the first time in their generation. so we focus a lot on women's organizations, I think partly because, we know that that investment is gonna happen back into the. But I think we also see the opportunity to uplift women. This is about creating empowerment and entrepreneurship. So women working in fields, in jobs and things that they may never have imagined or been completely left out of, prior to, having their own enterprise with Planet Terra. there are a lot of women working in the tourism industry and there's still a lot of parts of the world where women aren't given the opportunities for leadership. So if we, if we can break down those barriers, we are going to do it

Tom 16:48

Well, you gave the example from Peru, which was fantastic, and I thought maybe Jessie gave her listeners a flavor of the impact you're having. Maybe we could just briefly talk about some of the programs that I've learned from going to your site that. I thought were very interesting. So I've picked three, one that focuses on women, another on youth, and another on a very marginalized group. let's start with the women in India. You have helped sponsor a group known as Women with Wheels. Gotta be the best name ever, by the way. tell us a bit about what that initiative is all about.

Tricia 17:20

For sure. So Women With Wheels is, is this really amazing nonprofit organization, social enterprise based out of Delhi, India, and their whole mission is to create livelihood opportunities for women and break down barriers. so let me give you a tangible example of what that means. these women. Especially, they were a lot of them coming from poor resourced areas, so coming from slums around the city. So how do we empower them not only to get a job, but a job that breaks down cultural barriers? Many of us probably don't consider. The barriers that these women were facing for a, for a woman to be behind the will in India, she probably didn't have id. So first, how do you get your id? You've never driven a car. How do you get your driver's license? You wanna feel safe so that when people are getting into a vehicle with you, you feel safe with them in the vehicle So we're gonna get them self-defense training. So all things that go to building up confide. for these women to sit behind the wheel. they'll go through about six months of training. To help get them ready to be on the road as one of the Women with Wheels drivers. And then, when, in this case our partner with Women with Wheels is G Adventures. Travelers. They'll arrive in Delhi and they're picked up at the airport and transported to their hotel in a car driven by one of these women. Planet Terra's role in this was we actually supported them with a fleet of vehicles. We, and we were the first travel company to use their services, bringing them to the international tourism market.

Tom 18:53

No, I hope people will check out the photo of these women on your side, Trisha, because the pride in their faces is on full display.

Tricia 19:00

Yeah. and there's, over 50 women who are directly employed through this social enterprise with the majority of their business being supported through this market partnership that Planet Terra facilitated with Geo Adventures. it's. Pretty remarkable. these women are gaining confidence, but they're also absolutely breaking down barriers that existed that they may not ever have considered just getting behind the car wheel of a car. Yeah.

Tom 19:27

then on the youth side, you've got a group you've helped in Vietnam called Oodles of Noodles, another great creative name. Now tell us about them.

Tricia 19:37

Speaking of pictures, Tom, somebody sent me a picture of somebody buying the Oodles, oodles of Noodles t-shirt, because they love the name so much, so,

Tom 19:46

Well, maybe a fundraising

Tricia 19:48

right. right. so the Oodles of Noodles, restaurant is actually part of a module of a curriculum from an organization, a social enterprise called Streets International. and they. Work with youth who are living on the streets. they help to create a future for these youth by giving them job skills training and helping them set up in careers in the tourism space. So the youth will take part in a year long program, they'll graduate with top culinary arts certifications. And from planet Terra's perspective, we helped develop a tour experience with oodles and noodles so the students would have a chance to practice their English language and presentation skills, which are really critical in hospitality. So the experience involves students leading a noodle making class with travelers and teaching them about, and get this. Tom, I don't know if you've ever realized this. I did not know this, but there are 26 different types of noodles available in

Tom 20:46

Uh, have you tried the mall, Tricia? That's amazing.

Tricia 20:49

I know, right? I

Tom 20:51

I, I did not know that

Tricia 20:52

I had no idea. I was like, how is there 26 different types, but, okay, so, so it's an on the ground training, international travelers coupled with, this culinary experience with streets. it's really having. this long-term impact because it's helping to create opportunities for students today and in the future cuz they're gonna learn hospitality skills and travelers will continue to visit Vietnam.

Tom 21:17

I'll move to the third group. Just proof you don't just work in, poorer countries. I saw a program in London, England, and maybe because we just did our last podcast on the issue of homelessness and houselessness in Toronto. This really caught my eye. there's so many aspects of this story I like, maybe you could just elaborate on how it works.

Tricia 21:36

Sure. So this is on Tours in London and they are one of the members of our Global Community Tourism Network. So I talked to you a little bit earlier about the Network and. we have pretty ambitious goals to grow the network, but right now, considering we launched in 2021, we have just shy of 500 members now. So Unseen Tours is one of those nearly 500 members, and they provide training and meaningful work opportunities for people affected by homelessness so that they. curate and lead walking tours in London. I think a lot of people look at, planet era and, and projects, and organizations like this and they think, about developing countries but we actually have projects in Europe, in Canada, in the US we're all over. Community tourism is everywhere. and so we have projects everywhere. So unseen tourism is one of those. And, their mission, what they're really striving to do is improve the public's misconceptions about homelessness in the process. And they're providing a really unique way to see the city.

Tom 22:43

You know, you took the words. I don't know. That's the part that I really liked about this program is it not only creating a job and, and giving people the view of the city that maybe a homeless person has, but it gives the homeless people a chance to show what they have and what they're all about and maybe change people's views on how we look at this.

Tricia 23:01

Exactly, when we are improving those perceptions around homelessness by sharing those local stories that aren't found in the guidebooks, and at the same time we're able to. Provide work opportunities for people affected by homelessness. I think this is when you really start to see impact and the opportunity for something really different. and for the tourism industry to get turned on its head a little bit. I mean, who wouldn't wanna see a city, especially if you've been there more than once, you know, who wouldn't wanna see it from a different perspective that you may not have thought of before?

Tom 23:33

So I understand better now how your organization works, but what I'm not clear about is what about like, say me as an individual. I'm planning a trip. what do I do if I want to take advantage of this kind of travel? Do I contact you? Do you put me in touch with someone? just don't know the logistics of how a listener could, take advantage of what you guys are

Tricia 23:53

I think that the simplest way would be to book a trip with one of our travel partners. That is definitely one of the easiest. G Adventures, travel sphere, just you true travels, we're, and happily. A growing list of companies I think a lot of people over the years have seen us as a partner to Geo Adventures, cuz we have the same founder. but during the pandemic, one of the biggest changes for Planet Terra was, moving to work with other travel partners as well. so, that's one way. The other way is Travelers can certainly visit Planet Terra's website, and you can see the stories about some of the. Tourism experiences we've helped create and support. And please by all means reach out to us directly. the challenge with the tourism experience and tourism, world, the way things work is that some of our community tourism enterprises welcome individual visitors. so certainly people can reach out to us by our website and we can. Which partners welcome individuals. but you know, one of the things we've been looking at is we continue to grow as an organization is how do we take these almost 500 potential tourism enterprises and connect them to the market? we're trying to figure out how can we develop a tool or a resource. To help connect more travelers with our partners globally. 2023 might have something in the works

Tom 25:19

Well, you're not shy about your long-term goals. I saw on your site that by 2030 you hope to have 50 million travelers experience your programs and hope to produce a billion dollars of income for communities and impact 35 million lives. Is that pie in the sky or can you actually hit that target?

Tricia 25:38

Well, they are definitely ambitious targets, and they, and, and we're not shy about it. We say these are, these are aspirational goals, but you know, we absolutely believe that they are attainable. we're realistic. we need to grow beyond our relationship with Geo Adventures. so working with other travel organiz. Is critical to that. we're able to then take what we've learned through and with Geo Adventures and continue to build on this relationship. but asking that bigger question of how do we change this whole industry so that communities are part of, and that the heart of tourism and its benefits, Happily, the industry seems to be taking note. We've, we've been getting a lot more phone calls,

Tom 26:23

you also fundraise, right? what are your sources of income as an organization?

Tricia 26:26

Yeah, we're really lucky. We have, some great support, obviously through corporate partners. we've had different grants and things. We actually just wrapped up a really big grant about connecting, tourism, in nature, in proximity to. National parks, and that was with, I U C N. but we get a lot of revenue from donors, people who have experienced the projects themselves and want to continue supporting. So we're really lucky that way. A lot of travelers, want to see this kind of tourism continue and support us in that.

Tom 27:01

this is a bit of a sidebar question, but we had a guest on our podcast a few months ago, uh, environmentalist Sarah Las Aerobic, and she was quite adamant that in the fighting games climate change, we really should cut back on plane travel. your organization, you have a stellar reputation for, environmental impacts supporting sustainable projects, but is this a conundrum for you? Because A lot of your initiatives need travelers to come to support them.

Tricia 27:29

Absolutely. of course, it's. A challenge, you know, people, people aren't going to stop flying. And the reality is that some destinations can only be reached with a flight. if you're in Australia and you wanna go somewhere other than Australia, you're getting on a boat or a plane, So, as travelers, I think it's our job, to consider our footprint. And any decision to fly really should be carefully considered. instead of shorter trips and multiple flights, maybe it's longer, longer trips than just one flight. If we need to fly or use some other form of transport to get to a destination, then how can we, when we're in that destination, if it makes sense. Ensure that what we do on the ground has benefits for local communities. You know, at Planet Terra, we absolutely believe that travel can be a force for good. that our choosing to get on a plane and visit a destination can have positive benefits and impacts. So yes, you took a flight and had this environmental impact, but rather than compounding that by choosing a hotel and activities that also have big footprints, can you choose activit? That can improve a community, it's absolutely possible. We just need to see more travelers and to our companies making those choices. I have to say, We are seeing that, we are seeing that there are, companies out there recognizing, and the industry of course, after the last couple of years has recognized within itself that we need to do a better job. and I guess now it'll be whether or not we prove that we can do it.

Tom 29:04

I guess the other thing, Trish, is you aren't just counting on travelers coming in. I'm guessing the local community, the host country people that live there, they can visit and take advantage of these, same initiatives, right?

Tricia 29:20

Absolutely. when you're talking about a tour experience, you don't have to be from the other side of the globe. you're supporting that local enterprise the same way. the other understanding is we talk about community. we're talking about a group of people coming together to support and improve, lives of people within a geographic area.

Tom 29:39

I think we've covered just about everything. I like to end the podcast, Tricia. We always ask our guests what they like most about the city of Toronto. Now, I know you have a love for Manitoba. I'm not going there. I'm all for that. But your head office is in Toronto. So how would you answer that question?

Tricia 29:57

Sure I'd be happy to answer it and talk a little bit about Toronto being Planet Terra's home, but that we're a global team. while Toronto will always be our home, we're truly a global team with team members across the globe in Cambodia and India. And. Peru in Costa Rica. and of course I am here in Canada and spend part of my time in Toronto, I have to admit that my favorite part is getting a chance to get into the wine region in the Niagara.

Tom 30:24

Okay. That, that, that counts. Trisha you've just been a, a great guest. I really appreciate. you taking the time? I kind of think the stars are aligning, for your organization right now. I mean, People are more concerned about the impact of travel these days. And I think they want to support the places they are visiting. and it seems to me that Planet Terra gives them an opportunity to do that. So I wish you lots of success. We'll be watching your organization and see what, you have as you work towards 2030.

Tricia 30:53

Thank you so much, Tom, and we hope so too. We, certainly look forward to working with lots of other travel companies and helping the world to see how great community tourism can be.

Jessie 31:07

You know when you're in a community and you're talking with people and they're grinning, eared ear the entire time, and it's clearly not a forest thing, they're excited to have you. They're excited to share their culture, their experiences, and planet terrorist provides this opportunity to. Fostered that sort of connection. planet terrorist providing that opportunity in countries and places that otherwise would not have that opportunity. And so you see people. Livelihoods improved. You see basically the village or the area that you get the chance to go visit compared to other places that you see on your travels, and it's noteworthy. it's, it's obvious to see the impact that that connection has for the people living there.

Tom 31:46

Before we Talk about our next podcast. I want to take a couple of minutes to do some housekeeping duties. First, we were really gratified by the response. We received from our last podcast. About homelessness and houselessness in Toronto. Our guests, Zach grant clearly touched a nerve. To that end. I want to remind everyone that on the second Tuesday of every month at 12 o'clock, there is a Memorial for people who have died on the street in the past month. It takes place at the church of the holy Trinity. Adjacent to the Eaton center. Zach would really appreciate your support. And secondly, we mentioned on an earlier podcast that our good friends at w N E D the public broadcaster serving upper state, New York and Southern Ontario. Is including us on their list of top community oriented podcast. And during the week of February 19th, They're going to do a special promotion focusing solely on hidden gems, Toronto. You can find all their chosen podcasts by Googling amplify B T P M pods. We are thrilled to be part of their team. On our next podcast. We are very excited to introduce you to the founder and president. Of a marvelous exhibit in Toronto called little Canada. we tend to think that wealthy, successful business people like to think big in their projects. But our guests prides himself in thinking well, small, I mean really small as in miniature, you will not believe what he has created. Tune in on March 1st for all the details. The hidden gems. Toronto podcast is edited by Sharon Scanlon.