Community travel experts Evaneos and Planeterra have formed a partnership, dedicated to advancing fairer tourism globally.
The collaboration aims to integrate and fund community tourism experiences within Evaneos’ vast network of independent local travel agencies, fostering authentic and responsible travel experiences. To start, Evaneos and Planeterra are working with three community tourism enterprises, one in Africa (Madagascar), one in Asia (Indonesia), and one in Latin America (Peru).
Evaneos’ support includes grants to enhance tourism facilities, technical training, and long-term mentorship through Planeterra, and finally market connectivity by integrating custom experiences into the Evaneos offer. In parallel, Evaneos will also integrate at least 50 already existing community tourism enterprises into its offer before 2025.
To inaugurate the partnership, Evaneos is investing €300,000 in 2024, with plans for continuous scaling and funding in the future.
Aurélie Sandler, co-CEO of Evaneos, will join the Planeterra Board of Directors, reflecting a shared commitment to empowering local communities.
Planeterra is the world’s leading non-profit organisation using tourism to uplift communities. Planeterra helps local organisations and communities use tourism as a catalyst to improve people’s lives, protect their natural environments, and celebrate their culture.
Evaneos was created in 2009 with the goal of revolutionizing the travel industry, with a simple model: through a marketplace, connecting travelers directly with a meticulously selected and constantly evaluated community of expert local agents around the world.
“This partnership with Evaneos enables Planeterra to advance our mission of using tourism to uplift communities worldwide. Together, we strive to make a meaningful impact on the destinations where Evaneos’ local partners operate, supporting communities while promoting a better way to travel,” said Jamie Sweeting, President of Planeterra.
Aurélie Sandler, co-CEO of Evaneos, said: “We are extremely proud to announce this partnership with Planeterra, which will ensure that the income and benefits generated by the tourism industry stay within the communities that it takes travelers to visit. Simultaneously, the partnership aims to cultivate enriching and meaningful experiences for travelers, which has been our goal for the last 15 years.”
