Kutoa’s Community Impact Awards Recognize 8 Extraordinary Travel Destinations

Feb. 6, 2012 - PRLog -- Kutoa, whose name means “to give” in Swahili, is an innovative new startup that allows travelers to find trips that make a difference.  The website, http://www.KutoaTravel.com, lists hotels, eco-lodges, and tour companies around the world that donate to social causes in their local communities.  The Community Impact Awards recognize eight outstanding travel destinations, chosen for their impact on the community in proportion to the size of their business.

Nkwichi Lodge, Mozambique, took home the Overall Winner and Best in Community Empowerment.  The owners of this intimate and green hotel and eco-lodge on the shores of crystal clear Lake Niassa established the Manda Wilderness Community Trust to foster long-term community development and nature preservation.  In 2011 alone, the Trust secured land titles for villagers and created a 120,000 hectare conservation area, built a girls’ dormitory to improve access to education for talented young women, constructed the first concrete school blocks for two remote inland villages, and put up a bridge over a high-flow nearby river that can be life-threatening to cross during the rainy season.  The Trust also organized 16 remote villages into an “Umoji Association” (meaning, “as one”) to help draw government attention to a previously neglected area and empowerd its members with a unique platform to share their views.

Desafio Adventure Company, Costa Rica, won Best Combination of Environmental, Economic & Social Projects.  The adventure company is committed to responsible tourism and launched their triple bottom-line program in 2011 called People + Planet = Prosperity.  Through the program, Desafio worked with local high school students to reforest 100 hectares of former cattle ranch, started a recycling challenge among local schools, partnered with an animal rescue shelter to allow tourists to volunteer during their stay, and worked with local authorities to help get permits to develop permanent surf waves for local kayakers to encourage the local community to appreciate their river ways.  Desafio also launched a competition of its own, the Humanitarian Hero Award, which this year recognized the director of the local orphanage.  Desafio organized a benefit concert to honor the recipient and raise funds for the orphanage.

Hacienda la Esperanza, Honduras, came in first for Best Small Hotel with a Big Impact.  The family-run bed and breakfast donates 100% of its income to support programs for the poor through Paramedics for Children, school supply programs, and the on-site health clinic called Clinica la Esperanza.  The Clinic treats up to 600 patients per month and has reduced the cost for medical appointments and medicine to approximately 20% of the normal rate in town.

Beqa Adventure Divers, Fiji, stood out as the Best in Green Economic Development.  The dive shop and SCUBA company specializes in diving around wrecks, reefs, and sharks and is one of Fiji’s premier ecotourism operators.  Frustrated with the knowledge that their boats and vehicles were emitting carbon into the atmosphere and thereby contributing to global warming, Beqa Adventure Divers set out on a mission to off-set their carbon emissions through locally-grown mangroves that could provide a livelihood to the local Fijian population.  The company started Mangroves for Fiji, which encourages businesses to completely off-set their carbon emissions by sponsoring the planting of mangroves in Fiji.  Local Fijian planters receive the money, and the mangroves act as carbon sinks that help combat global warming.  

Ecoventura, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, won Best in Environmental Education.  The company is a leader in luxury and sustainable Galapagos cruising and is a recognized leader in responsible tourism.  In 2006, Ecoventura established the Galapagos Marine Biodiversity fund in partnership with the World Wildlife Fund to support environmental education and marine conservation by strengthening the local communities’ ability to manage natural resources.  To date, the fund has provided scholarships for local students to study at the university level, a micro-enterprise business that creates alternate sources of income, and control of illegal fishing activities through a permanent floating station at Darwin Island and refit of National Park patrol boats.  Ecoventura has also pledged to sponsor the cost of 12 scholarships for a course for local students age 16-17 from the islands of Isabela, San Cristobal, and Santa Cruz to study conservation and ecology-related issues.  The program is under the auspices of Ecology Project International, a non-profit NGO that has benefited over 600 Galapagos students since 2003.

The Hale Ho’okipa Inn Makawao, Maui, Hawaii, secured its place as Best in Inspiring Guests to Volunteer.  The tiny and welcoming bed and breakfast created a website for volunteering on vacation, which inspires travelers to spend some time doing good while away from home.  Guests who volunteer receive a 5% discount at the inn, and in an ingenious win-win scheme, the inn then donates that same 5% to the group where the guest volunteered.

Marlin Lodge, Mozambique, took home Best in School Development.  The beachfront retreat on the spectacular and serene clear water coast of East Africa is more than a luxurious place to stay.  Marlin Lodge has been involved with the small island school since 2008.  There are just over 300 students at the school, Grades 1 through 7.  Along with Rotary Canada, the lodge built a classroom with a library and toilet facilities in 2010.  All the desks in the school were supplied by guest financial donations over a period of approximately 18 months from 2008 to 2010.  In 2011 alone, the lodge raised over $7,000 USD from guest donations to pay for school equipment, stationary, school uniforms for all children, building maintenance and water system, International Children’s Day celebrations, and the annual Children’s Christmas Party.  Guests also contributed books for the library, stationary, and sports equipment directly.  In addition to their school projects, Marlin Lodge supports the local children by running a weekly soup kitchen on Sundays throughout the year.

Estrela Community Tours, Brazil, won Best in Community Based Tourism.  The small British/Brazilian charity works alongside local youth in Salvador, Brazil, training and preparing them to give educational and informative cultural tours to visitors.  In 2011, Estrela Community Tours organized over 800 volunteer hours and directly benefited approximately 50 young people and women from disadvantaged communities in the area.  Estrela is new but growing and, in 2011, formed 9 new partnerships with tour operators, universities, official guides, and local governments.  The company donated approximately $8,700 USD in direct financial contributions and volunteer hours.

To read more, visit http://www.kutoatravel.com/community-impact-awards-2012/.