Planners seeking local CSR activities and experiences often turn to established contacts (if they have them), such as hotels, CVBs, and DMCs.
One of the biggest challenges is finding carefully vetted activities.
Non-profit organization Tourism Cares has vetted 800 sustainable tourism businesses across six continents for its newly updated Meaningful Travel Map and plans to “significantly expand” it by the end of 2026.
Activities range from nature tours to urban walking tours to cooking lessons and experiences. The listing includes information for meeting planners, including group size, pricing, and whether you’ll be hosting a private event.
Featured organizations range from group tours led by people who have experienced homelessness with Britain’s Invisible City York to volunteer work with Kipuka Olowalu, an organization working to preserve Maui’s Olowalu Valley.
Tourism Cares CEO Greg Takehara said every person and organization on the map, from social enterprises to artisans, was carefully scrutinized. Criteria for included organizations include being “small businesses, emerging initiatives, nonprofit organizations, and/or community-based organizations that create meaningful impact beyond mainstream tourism models” and “actively contributing to community interests, environmental responsibility, and/or cultural preservation without harm to people, animals, or the environment.”
Each entry also includes an impact section. For example, the League of Kitchens, where home cooks lead classes and tours, was founded to “increase access to traditional culinary knowledge and provide meaningful, well-paying employment and training for immigrants.”
Takehara said these activities and experiences keep more tourism dollars circulating within the community at a time when many mission travel organizations are facing economic headwinds. “At a time when identifying and supporting truly sustainable options feels more difficult than ever, this new platform is a simple and hopeful step forward.”
