More than 500 million people travel each year, generating over 800 million tourist arrivals internationally and approximately 680billion dollars in worldwide revenue, according to UNWTO figures for 2005.  Worldwide travel is expected to grow at a pace of 4% annually, and South America Travel expects a growth rate of closer to 8.1% in 2007.  In fact, this continued growth of the tourism industry has placed it amongst the top categories of international services trade, along with oil exports, food products, and transportation. 

If these billions of dollars in industry revenue are generated and distributed responsibly by way of responsible travel organizations and ecotourism, the potential for poverty reduction and sustainable development is extraordinary! 

It is widely understood that tourism creates a great deal of direct employment to the transportation, hospitality and travel industries, and in doing so, it also creates indirect employment for sectors such as agriculture, commerce and manufacturing.  Tourism also induces further investment in the way of roads, services, utilities, and ICT.  It is true that all of these factors benefit the economic development of countries, unfortunately, traditional mass tourism can also negatively impact destinations in a great number of ways and in many cases, this ultimately equates to the unsustainable development of countries.  The most severe environmental effects include pollution, depletion of natural resources, and the alteration of ecosystems. This is often combined with adverse affects on the people and host communities being visited, including loss of indigenous identity and values, resource use conflicts, cultural deterioration and land-use disputes.   

Responsible travel provides a vehicle for increasing employment and spending while eliminating and/or minimizing the negative impacts on local communities and their surrounding environments.  Mindful Traveler and fellow responsible travel companies offer the responsible traveler a wide variety of vacation alternatives that seek to educate, excite and inspire, while treading ever-so-lightly.  Whether it is adventure travel, volunteer travel, or an eco-friendly relaxing holiday, Mindful Traveler will help you make an informed choice, and one that is sure to be rewarding on many levels. 

Mindful Traveler is a responsible travel company that educates travelers about local environmental, socio-cultural and economic issues.  We promote constructive interaction between travelers and the communities being visited, to enhance cross-cultural understanding, unity and the sharing of knowledge and skills.  As a responsible travel company, we support all things local, including transportation, accommodations, tour operators and guides. This approach to travel ensures that economic benefit goes directly to local businesses and communities and for the responsible traveler, it allows for greater interaction with local people and cultures, creating a more authentic travel experience.

Travelers can make a big difference through responsible travel. By contributing financial resources and time to the destinations they visit and adopting sustainable tourism practices, mindful travelers have the ability to leave places better than they found them by preserving natural resources, honoring traditional cultures, and acting to advance positive economic development.