Here at Afar we strongly believe in the power of travel. Travel can change us—it can enrich our lives, introduce us to new cultures and traditions, and make us see the world in an entirely new way.
But it’s important to remember that travel isn’t just about us and our experiences. We launched the Afar Travel Vanguard in 2016 to celebrate organizations that are making travel a force for good. This year, we received more than 100 nominations from travel professionals and organizations around the world. Narrowing down the list was no easy task since, fortunately, there are more organizations than ever pioneering efforts in sustainability, diversity, or accessibility.
Our nine honorees (presented in alphabetical order) include a cruise line providing vital medical care to residents of remote islands, a destination focused on making vacations easier for neurodivergent people, and a resort company supporting and elevating its local communities. May their stories inspire you to travel more respectfully and consciously.
Through its program Cycle of Giving, AKP worked with women in Nakatindi Village in Zambia to open Chipego Bike Shop.
Abercrombie & Kent Philanthropy
For investing in the futures of people in the areas where its guests travel
Since Abercrombie & Kent founded its luxury tour company in 1962, it has made supporting the local community an integral part of the business. It officially established A&K Philanthropy (AKP) 20 years later. Today, the nonprofit’s network reaches across all seven continents with efforts that range widely: It offers environmental education for kids in Ecuador, supports studies on how climate change is affecting polar marine life in Antarctica, creates paths for women to become entrepreneurs in Jordan, and much more.
This year, AKP has only picked up the pace. AKP’s executive director, Keith Sproule, says, “2024 has been a year of construction for us. We finished building two primary schools in Cambodia. We’ve just finished the cutest little kindergarten in Tanzania, and we got a new classroom block for children with disabilities in Tanzania.”
AKP places an emphasis on involving guests in its conservation efforts. “A genuine belief and conviction for me is that philanthropy is a learned activity,” says Sproule. “I think it’s really a critical part of what we can offer our families. When traveling, the child’s mind is open and you have an opportunity to teach them for life that they can make a difference.” Experiences may include visiting schools and serving lunch or helping install a LifeStraw water filter that will supply clean water to a school for five years, something AKP has done for hundreds of schools across India, Vietnam, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. “A family can have that be the legacy of their trip to come see lots of wildlife,” says Sproule. “Often that ends up being one of their favorite memories of the trip.”
Among Sproule’s favorite initiatives is Cycle of Giving, which has established women-owned bicycle shops in Egypt, Jordan, Tanzania, Zambia, and Uganda. AKP provides the women with two months of training and supplies them with their first shipment of 500 used bikes sent from the U.S. The women then repair and sell the bikes, setting aside a percentage of their earnings to cover their salaries and business needs, and to pay for a resupply of bikes, which, at $18,000 isn’t cheap. “These ladies are now proud entrepreneurs,” Sproule says. “We’ve got one shop in Zambia that has resupplied 14 times. There’s nothing nicer than to get the call: ‘Mr. Keith! We have the money!’”
One of Destination Canada’s new tourism corridors connects cycling routes in Ontario and Québec.
Courtesy of Destination Canada
Destination Canada
For developing and supporting under-visited regions across the country
Canada wants to change how travelers explore the Great White North. In 2023, Destination Canada, the country’s national tourism marketing organization, launched the Tourism Corridor Strategy Program to promote new travel regions. “People generally know Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto,” says Gracen Chungath, senior vice president of destination development with Destination Canada. “We wanted to show the gamut of what Canada can offer.”
To start, Destination Canada asked communities to submit applications to become part of the program. “It was important to us that the communities have agency over the tourism that happens,” says Chungath. “It should not be happening to them.” Applicants needed to showcase potential Indigenous inclusion, job opportunities, and economic growth for the region—along with a theme to entice visitors.
Destination Canada and its regional partners then worked with the selected corridors—which, notably, cross provinces and in one case the U.S. border—to provide long-term development strategies and help determine the tourism services, workforce, and infrastructure they would need to be successful.
One of the three corridors chosen for the 2023 pilot program is the Atlantic Canada UNESCO Tourism Corridor, which links 13 UNESCO World Heritage sites across New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador. On this cultural road trip, travelers could see the world’s highest tides at the Cliffs of Fundy and fossils dating back 565 million years at Mistaken Point.
Four more corridors have been added for 2024, including one that celebrates the agricultural history of Manitoba and Saskatchewan. On a trip here, visitors can visit Wanuskewin, an Indigenous heritage park in Saskatoon, where they can learn about hunting and gathering practices of the Northern Plains people in the opimihāw Valley; they can take a self-guided tour through the barley fields of Farmery Estate Brewery in Neepawa; and they can dig into bison short ribs and bannock pizza at Feast Café Bistro, an Indigenous-owned restaurant in Winnipeg.
While Chungath is excited for travelers to see a new side of the country, what she’s most excited about is making a difference for people in the corridors. “If we can have tourism year-round in these communities, what we’re also offering is full-time employment,” she says. “If people can find meaningful work, they can make a life there and thrive.”
Paul Gauguin cruises sail throughout French Polynesia, including to the remote Marquesas Islands.
Photo by PONANT/Julien Fabro
Paul Gauguin Cruises
For providing much-needed medical assistance in French Polynesia
The Marquesas—which were named a UNESCO World Heritage site this past July—are some of the most remote islands in the world, located about 850 miles northeast of Tahiti and more than 3,000 miles from mainland North America, their closest continental neighbor. Around 10,000 people live across its six inhabited islands, but there’s only one hospital, on Nuku Hiva; the other islands have smaller medical centers, nursing stations, or first-aid posts. Last year Paul Gauguin Cruises realized they had exactly what the archipelago needed: more doctors.
Starting in October 2023, staff doctors aboard the m/s Paul Gauguin began offering free medical consultations to local residents during scheduled port calls in the Marquesas. While vacationers explored the black-sand beaches of Nuku Hiva or the rainforests of Hiva Oa (where the cruise line’s namesake artist lived and died), doctors got to work. The program, called Taote Gauguin (taote means doctor in Tahitian), was launched in partnership with the French Polynesian government.
It is still small: By October 2024, five doctors had seen more than 90 patients, some of whom received X-rays and ultrasounds aboard the ship. Visiting doctors have also made themselves available to local nurses and aids, consulting on their patients. On top of this, Paul Gauguin is providing free transport aboard the ship for doctors or specialists who have been asked by the government’s Health Directorate to come see the islands’ patients who require further care.
The collaboration is the first of its kind for a cruise line in French Polynesia, and Paul Gauguin will carry it forward in 2025. “The hope for this initiative is to continue serving underprivileged communities,” says Susan Robison, the VP of marketing and communications at Ponant and Paul Gauguin Cruises, “and to set an example for other companies to participate in similar efforts.”
Quark Expeditions’ Tundra to Table program introduces guests to Inuit cuisine and culture through meals and Q&As with chefs such as Peter Berthelsen.
Courtesy of Quark Expeditions
Quark Expeditions
For showcasing the culture and food traditions of Greenland and Canada
Since 1991, guests on Quark Expeditions’ small-ship cruises to the polar regions have not only spent time in stunning vistas but have had the opportunity to learn about them from biologists, historians, glaciologists, photographers, and other experts. In 2022, Quark added chefs to this list when it launched the Tundra to Table program aboard select Greenlandic and Canadian sailings. Co-developed with Igapall, a collective of Inuit chefs in Greenland that focuses on Indigenous cuisine, the program gives travelers the chance to enjoy and better understand Inuit culinary traditions and, in turn, empowers local communities.
“We wanted to build an authentic Inuit experience for our guests on board and offer an opportunity for cultural exchange,” says Lyndsey Lewis, Quark’s head of sustainability. “It’s about making connections. We want to encourage that curiosity and learning.”
After the very first dinner in 2022, Igapall co-founder Miki Siegstad and fellow chef Peter Berthelsen pulled up some stools and asked diners if they had any questions. The impromptu Q&A, which covered everything from hunting and harvesting to Greenlandic culture and customs, turned out to be the highlight of the night, and now it’s something they do after every four-course meal.
“Education is a big, big part of our job,” says Siegstad. “I think most [diners] are a little bit skeptical with how we hunt. We want people who are not from Greenland to understand that we do not hunt just to hunt. In our culture, we have to respect all of the animals—whether it’s a small fish or a small bird, a seal, a whale.”
Igapall works with local hunters and fishermen, and Tundra to Table dinners typically include snow crab or prawns, smoked fish, and a meat dish such as musk ox or reindeer. They don’t serve whales or seal onboard because “that can be controversial,” Siegstad says. “But almost every time we’ll have some guest who says, ‘Can we taste some?’” (Proceeds from the Tundra to Table program are divided between Igapall and the chefs onboard, and they also give a portion to food-focused initiatives in the Arctic.)
The chefs also accompany guests on visits to villages, where they serve as translators and guides. As much as Siegstad enjoys connecting with the travelers, he’s also grateful for the connections he’s made with the Greenlanders he’s met on these onshore excursions. “We’ve learned so much from the local people,” he says.
The Sandals Foundation has many environmental projects in the Caribbean, including one that supports female farmers in Grenada.
Photo by Miranda Sampson Photography
Sandals Foundation
For lifting up its Caribbean communities
For most travelers, Sandals conjures images of smiling couples holding hands and walking barefoot along white-sand beaches. But for many residents of the Caribbean, the brand evokes hurricane relief, literacy programs, and coral conservation. That’s due to the work of the Sandals Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the all-inclusive resort company, which, for 15 years, has worked to improve the communities in the eight Caribbean countries where it operates.
Education, community, and environment are the key areas of focus for the foundation, which has raised more than $104 million in contributions (from a wide array of sources, including guests and partner organizations) and helped upwards of 1.6 million people in the Caribbean. Most recently it launched a relief mission to aid those affected by Hurricane Beryl. “It all comes down to building resilience,” says Heidi Clarke, the foundation’s executive director. “First we provide relief, like food and water. Then we rebuild livelihoods, like helping the fishermen and farmers. Now we’re also working on strengthening coastal communities and training groups as first responders.” The foundation also has a partnership with CDEMA, the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency, and has funded leadership training across the region.
Over the years, Sandals Foundation has worked with more than 2,000 schools in the Caribbean, aiding more than 350,000 students. It built Jamaica’s first green school (constructed of recycled containers and outfitted with water-catchment facilities and a garden) in 2011; created a five-year scholarship program for high school students; and donated computer labs and school supplies. Earlier this year, to mark its 15th anniversary, the Sandals Foundation launched The Power of 15, an initiative to bring sustainable solar energy to Caribbean schools.
Clarke says getting guests involved in their work is essential. Each Sandals or Beaches property offers volunteer opportunities, and more than 33,000 people have lent a hand—whether by reading to kids at a local school as part of a literacy initiative, donating necessities like backpacks or tampons, or participating in beach clean-ups or school improvements. (Full-time enrolled students can even earn community service hours.) “We really feel that tourism has the power to make a huge difference in this region, and it’s only about providing opportunities,” says Clarke. “We’ve found that that’s our strength and we’re going to build on that.”
Switzerland has a robust rail network—including a train that takes riders to the Gornergrat with beautiful views of the Matterhorn—giving people a sustainable way of traveling.
Switzerland Tourism
For uniting the Swiss tourism industry in a shared commitment to sustainability
Switzerland is known for its natural beauty—from its towering snow-capped peaks and alpine valleys to its crystal-clear lakes and rolling vineyards. As more and more travelers flocked to the country to experience all this, though, Switzerland Tourism realized they needed to protect it. And so, in 2021, they launched a sustainability program, Swisstainable, to help visitors plan an eco-friendly, culturally authentic, economically beneficial trip.
Building on Swiss strengths, such as an extensive and efficient public transportation network (the country has one of the densest rail networks in the world) and a strong tradition of locally sourced food, the program encourages tourism providers to commit to sustainable practices. As of fall 2024, 2,775 businesses across the country, including hotels, restaurants, wineries, and tour operators, have joined, with nearly 700 more in the application process. The program has three levels of certification—committed, engaged, and leading—and businesses are encouraged to continually work to become more sustainable in terms of economic performance, ecological responsibility, and social solidarity.
To make trip planning especially easy for visitors, the tourism board created 13 three-day itineraries that align with Switzerland’s 13 tourism regions. A warm-weather trip to the canton of Valais, for instance, would begin with a train ride to Zermatt and could include a kickbike ride around Schwarzsee lake, a hike to Dala Gorge, or a sensorial walking experience along Nendaz’s new barefoot trail, a path lined with wood shavings, pebbles, moss, and pine needles. Via Switzerland Tourism’s website, it’s easy to find Swisstainable-certified properties, including Grand Hotel Zermatterhof and CERVO Mountain Resort in Zermatt, and restaurants serving regional produce and local wines, like Restaurant Bärgkristall in Binn. “The suggestions serve as orientation and inspiration for guests who want to travel more consciously and enjoyably while diving deeper into Switzerland’s culture and nature,” says Claudio Zemp, director of Switzerland Tourism for the Americas.
Tour operator partners such as Trafalgar and Kuoni Tumlare also offer longer Swisstainable-focused trips. Trafalgar, for example, has an eight-day rail tour called Contrasts of Switzerland that features only certified businesses.
As awareness of the program rises, Zemp hopes more and more businesses join. “Only in this way,” he says, “can Switzerland, as a holiday and travel destination, maintain its position as an outstandingly sustainable travel destination worldwide.”
Tourism Cares’ Meaningful Travel Map showcases sustainable, community-led experiences, like a local-led tour of El Tragon Trail in Achiote, Panama.
Photo by Tarina Rodriguez
Tourism Cares
For connecting travelers with more meaningful experiences across the world
When the global nonprofit Tourism Cares launched 21 years ago, “sustainable travel” was a niche concept. It’s since become an industry buzzword, but it still isn’t easy to book a trip that has a positive economic, environmental, and social impact on a destination. It takes work to create an itinerary that lessens a traveler’s carbon footprint, while also meaningfully incorporating community-minded experiences.
This is why last year Tourism Cares introduced a global Meaningful Travel Map, which today helps travelers visiting 30 destinations around the world—from Alaska to Ireland to Thailand—find sustainable, community-led accommodations, services, restaurants, and tours.
Tourism Cares first launched a Meaningful Travel Map in Jordan in 2018. The map focused on connecting travelers to social enterprises and community tourism experiences, including the Bani Hamida Weaving Project and Iraq Al-Amir Women Cooperative Society. “The response was overwhelmingly positive, and the impact was clear,” says Jessica Flores, the nonprofit’s chief experience officer. “Nine tour operators began sending travelers to organizations featured on the map, which confirmed to us that there was a need for this type of platform. We saw an opportunity to expand the concept globally, knowing that similar community-based experiences existed in destinations around the world.”
The new map is aimed at tour operators and advisors looking to feature more impact-minded tours and businesses on their itineraries, but individual travelers can also use it. And Tourism Cares is set on expansion: “We want to take over the world!” says Flores. The goal is to add new destinations every year—recent partners include VisitScotland and Singapore Tourism Board—and have them integrate the map into their websites as well.
While Flores admits “we’re not at a point where sustainability is a universal priority for all travelers,” with each new dot on the map, Tourism Cares is building awareness. “Many are just beginning their journey toward understanding how their travel choices affect local communities and the environment. Education remains crucial.”
Greater Fort Lauderdale is known for its beaches, including Pompano Beach, and its welcoming, inclusive atmosphere.
Visit Lauderdale
For being a committed ally to LGBTQ+ travelers
This past summer, Florida’s official tourism website quietly erased its LGBTQ+ travel pages from its website. Visit Lauderdale was the only destination marketing organization in the state to speak out. “It was important to us to disagree with this decision because we openly and proudly welcome our LGBTQ+ travelers,” says Stacy Ritter, the president and CEO of Visit Lauderdale, which encompasses the 31 cities and towns in Broward County, including the city of Fort Lauderdale. “Having the agency charged with representing all Florida destinations turn its back on an important segment was shortsighted and hostile. We all have the right to feel seen and welcome regardless of who we love, how we identify, what or if we worship, and what color we are.”
Greater Fort Lauderdale has a long-standing tradition of active inclusion, particularly for the LGBTQ+ community. The area welcomed its first gay bar in 1935 and the country’s first gay beach resort in 1972. Also founded there in 1972, The Stonewall National Museum, Archives, & Library now houses one of the largest archives of LGBTQ+ history in the U.S. The inclusion continues to this day, despite the political climate. In 2023, five Greater Fort Lauderdale cities received perfect scores on The Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equality Index, which measures how inclusive municipal laws, policies, and services are to LGBTQ+ residents.
Visit Lauderdale provides an exhaustive list of queer-friendly shops, hotels, restaurants, and bars on its website, as well as a calendar of LGBTQ+ events. Pride, of course, is the biggest, but there are also events like FlockFest, an annual beach party and fundraiser, and Lauderdale Tropical Bear Week, which brings in 6,000 visitors each year. The Broward County Convention Center and the Pride Center at Equality Park also welcome conferences for LGBTQ+ groups, such as Men Having Babies and the Pride Bands Alliance.
In 2022, Visit Lauderdale changed its tagline to “Everyone Under the Sun.” Ritter notes that this applies to visitors, yes, but also residents, who come from 170 nations and speak 148 languages. “It’s more important than ever before that we let everyone know how inclusive we are. Florida makes headlines for the opposite reason, but we want and need people to know we are not those headlines.”
Ripley’s Aquarium, located in Myrtle Beach, offers sensory-friendly events in partnership with Champion Autism Network.
Courtesy of Visit Myrtle Beach
Visit Myrtle Beach
For making vacations smoother for autistic families
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately one in 36 children in the U.S. have autism—and based on a 2019 study by Autism Travel, about 87 percent of their families don’t take vacations. Visit Myrtle Beach (VMB), the tourism arm for the South Carolina city, is making moves to change that.
VMB began its journey to becoming a top travel spot for neurodivergent people in 2016 when one of its communities, Surfside Beach, became the world’s first destination to be certified autism-friendly through Champion Autism Network (CAN). Two years later, the city of Myrtle Beach followed suit. Certification requires staff at hospitality-related businesses (such as restaurants, hotels, and attractions) be trained by CAN in autism awareness and in how to interact with guests. Beyond these businesses, everyone from tourism board staffers to first responders and beach lifeguards have undergone the training.
In 2022, VMB launched The Beach is for everyBODY: Sensory-Friendly Pledge, and now more than 160 businesses have guaranteed their support. (Sensory-friendly spaces might include quiet areas, unobtrusive lighting, and limited scents.) Families can find sensory-friendly places via CAN’s AutismTravel.Club app, which also offers discounts. Some adjustments may seem small to neurotypical people—like offering curbside hotel check-in so families can avoid a lobby meltdown or serving restaurant meals in to-go boxes in case a family needs to leave suddenly—but they can be a lifesaver. “The pledge was really a way for us to drive community awareness,” says Stuart Butler, VMB’s chief marketing officer. “We want to encourage everyone to actually think about the lived experience of people and be welcoming and hospitable.”
Now anyone with a Peacock subscription can see how all of these efforts affect real travelers: Traveling the Spectrum, a six-episode documentary series that follows three autistic families to Myrtle Beach, premiered December 12. Produced by VMB, the series captures the challenges families face, and ultimately the joy they experience. “We hope to inspire other destinations who see what we’ve done to stand up and say, ‘Hey, we can do this. We can create a place that’s more comfortable for people with autism or people with mobility issues or people with visual impairment,’” says Butler. “It’s about inclusion. Everyone deserves the gift of travel.”