At IndigoBe we value many things when designing a trip. What concerned us most in our early days was the “impact” of tourism in Madagascar both socially and environmentally.
From there we forged our travel philosophy, based on sustainability.
Our first objectives were:
1) The creation of a maximum number of jobs
2) Fair and equitable remuneration
3) Training of adults in the profession of guiding and in the Spanish language
4) Veto of pseudo-reserves that refused to have a wildlife protection policy.
5) The promotion of respect for the local population, fauna and flora by travelers and travel agencies
6) To the fight against the use of animals in captivity…
And so on and so forth.
Many of the travelers, fortunately the majority, share our philosophy, others look for other agencies with few scruples that agree to fulfill their wishes…
A trip should not only entertain us or provide us with knowledge, in the case of Madagascar, and I think I can extend this to the rest of Africa, it should contribute to the improvement of the living conditions of the local population.
And how can we do that? Well, basically hiring a trip at a sustainable price, not participating in low cost trips or bargaining the cost of a service. If we reflect on this practice, opening our minds, we will come to the conclusion that we may be “cutting back” on local services or salaries. It is also very helpful to denounce bad practices by other travelers or some accommodations, reserves, national parks or guides.
So, should we shy away from super offers to underdeveloped countries? This is indeed the case if we want our trip to be sustainable, responsible and meaningful. We should also refuse to make excursions or visits to centers that do not contemplate a policy of nature protection.
We want Africa to stop being a poor continent, but we accept that our trip should be as economical as possible, we bargain or even look for ways to travel for free. A total contradiction, food for thought.
For all these reasons and for some others, at IndigoBe we have never offered low cost trips, our trips are not cheap because we want them to have an economic impact on improving the quality of life of many families.
Travel responsibly: low cost travel generates low cost wages, this is our premise when designing your trips.
@sylviapallares of #indigobe_team
📸 ©Adolfo Felix
