A path towards sustainable travel | Become Nature-Positive

As the world becomes increasingly aware of the environmental impact of tourism, there is a growing demand for sustainable travel options that prioritize the protection of wildlife and habitats. In response to this need, the Nature Positive Tourism courses have been designed to empower individuals and businesses in the tourism industry to build a regenerative future that benefits both entrepreneurs and nature. Through a comprehensive training program, participants gain invaluable insights and practical experiences that enable them to actively contribute to the conservation of wildlife and habitats, while fostering partnerships with local communities.

In this interview with the Nature-positive tourism course leaders, we delve into the core principles and unique offerings of the course, highlighting the transformative mindset shift and sustainable practices that participants acquire along the way.

Participants of the nature positive tourism field course are observing wildlife on top of a mountain in the Italian Apennines.

How does your course/training on Nature Positive Tourism contribute to building a regenerative industry that benefits nature, communities and tourism entrepreneurs?

We believe that a mutually beneficial partnership between nature and people is critical, to ensure a long-term sustainable future. By stimulating a positive relationship between nature and local communities, we believe that tourism provides communities with the opportunity to remain authentic while integrating closely with wild nature.

We encourage a hands-on tourism experience where guests not only contribute to nature and communities, but add value by sharing experiences with local enterprises. We also want our participants to leave feeling responsible for ensuring the future of not only the natural areas they have visited but also the people who live in those areas.

As a Foundation we have made a conscious decision to contribute 10% of all training revenue back to nature, and to people who will benefit from this Nature Positive Tourism training.

In your course, you mention the significance of community engagement and partnerships in nature-positive tourism. Could you elaborate on the role of local communities and businesses and how your course helps participants strengthen these partnerships?

Our training provides first-hand learning and experience on:

how beneficial, authentic community partnerships are,
recognizing the value of long-term partnerships,
accepting local partnerships for the value they have and bring (and allowing them time to develop organically)
appreciating the value and importance of local culture

By delivering training in these areas with local partners, we provide the local partners with a direct impact on their businesses but also stimulate positive conversation around the role and relationship that they have with nature.

The field training portion of your course focuses on providing firsthand experiences and learnings in wildlife tourism, nature conservation, and rewilding efforts. How do these practical experiences enable participants to actively contribute to the protection and support of wildlife and habitats?

We hope that the firsthand experiences create connectivity between participants and the areas and conservation efforts we take them to, forging an emotional understanding of how valuable these examples are and then providing them with examples and ways to stimulate and support these conservation efforts. It helps to open them up to a greater opportunity to have an impact.

Just by taking this training, participants actively contribute to local communities and businesses and have a direct impact on nature (as part of their training fee is directly contributed to local conservation efforts).

One of the course objectives is to introduce participants to the concept of being “nature positive” and the mindset shift required. Could you explain how your course facilitates this mindset shift and equips participants to align their businesses with nature-positive practices?

The courses are designed to bring people closer to nature, using specially crafted moments in nature to connect people to the wild, which allows them to understand the critical role they play in ensuring nature’s protection.

Using international examples and experience we provide participants with insights and learnings that show how positive engagement with nature can be created.

These learnings include financial responsibility and contribution, selecting and stimulating the right partnerships (both locally and internationally), and being bold enough to market truly sustainable tourism offerings.

Embrace Nature Positive Tourism

Join us on this transformative journey and become a force for change in the world of travel. Sign up now, and by enrolling in this course, you contribute 3-5% of the fees to support our projects, enabling us to expand our training opportunities to individuals in economically disadvantaged regions. Together, we can create a positive impact and work towards a sustainable future for our planet.