Fresh Perspective On Sustainable Travel Yields Inspiring Results for Indigenous Women

Given the persistent global issues of climate change and marginalization of the poor, it's no wonder that the notion of vacations that actually benefit women (like Luisa Quispe shown above) is met with slight skepticism. After all, we experience vacations so that we can escape from our own day-to-day routines and troubles. The idea of applying one's travel "bucket list" as a tool for local community development and enrichment seems downright utopian.However, early results from an innovative new program managed by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) indicate that a private-public sustainable tourism approach to community development yields a win-win solution in the form of better local employment opportunities, increased standards of living and increased childhood education prospects as well as more authentic experiences for visitors.