Impact travel - what does that mean?

Sustainable travel, responsible travel, conscious travel - do all these terms confuse and unsettle you and are you wondering what exactly we mean when we say: Explore with Impact? Today we'll explain how we define impact for ourselves and what this means for you when you book via socialbnb.

Why tourism needs to change

Unfortunately, tourism also has its downsides in many parts of the world.In addition to a high environmental impact due to waste, rising CO2 emissions, exploitation of workers and mass tourism, tourism also leads to negative social effects in many places. This is mainly expressed by the leaching effect in the tourism industry. This refers to the economic profits from tourism that do not remain in the region visited, but flow out to external actors. This happens when travelers stay in international hotel chains, book with global tour operators or buy imported goods. A significant amount of revenue thus leaves the host country instead of supporting local businesses and communities. This effect weakens the potential of tourism to promote sustainable development and economic benefits for the local population and often means that the social and environmental impact of tourism is not offset by adequate economic benefits.

Mass tourism also leads to the phenomenon of "touristification". This is a process by which a city, a region or a place becomes an object of tourist consumption.

This means that changes are made to the city, region or place by and for travelers in order to make it more attractive to them. For the locals, on the other hand, their own surroundings become foreign in the process

Impact travel – our definition

At socialbnb, we want to change that and have made it our mission to create meaningful encounters that have a long-lasting positive impact for travelers and the local population.We call this approach Impact Travel.

Impact travel refers to a form of travel in which travelers consciously aim to have a positive social, economic and environmental impact on the destinations they visit.This includes activities such as supporting local businesses, participating in environmentally friendly initiatives and getting involved in charitable projects.

At socialbnb, we do this by offering accommodation and experiences provided by social and environmental projects.The travel price paid supports the respective local project and thus ensures that the social and ecological impact of the projects is maximized.The aim of Impact Travel is to promote sustainable and responsible travel that benefits not only travelers, but also local communities and the environment.With our concept, we want to come a little closer to our vision of fair tourism that creates unique experiences and benefits the local population.

What does Impact travel look like?

We open up ecological and social projects worldwide that have an impact on the respective region and make them available to travelers.On site, you will get to know the people behind the unique projects. People who want to make a difference and make the world a better place through their work - true impact hosts.Your stay supports the financing of valuable project work and thus makes a positive social contribution to the region and the local population.