The Third International Travelers’ Philanthropy Conference is jointly organized by the Center for Responsible Travel (CREST) and the Monteverde Institute, with the support of the Advisory Committee. The conference will open in San Jose on Wednesday, July 20th and then continue, Thursday, July 21 – Saturday, July 23, with plenary sessions, workshops & site visits in the cloud forest destination of Monteverde.
Travelers’ philanthropy is a relatively new concept, but it is rapidly growing into a worldwide movement and becoming part of the definition of responsible travel. At its core, travelers’ philanthropy is about tourism businesses and travelers ‘giving back’ to tourism destinations by providing financial support, volunteer expertise, and material contributions to local projects and community initiatives. The conference will explore evolving best practices in travelers’ philanthropy, including how your business, non-profit, or destination can set up and manage a giving program, and how to maximize benefits for community and conservation while avoiding common pitfalls. CREST hosted previous International Travelers’ Philanthropy Conferences at Stanford University, California, USA in 2004 and in Arusha, Tanzania in 2008.
