TRAVELERS' AID
The idea that tourism can help lift people out of poverty—known variously as responsible travel, traveler's philanthropy, and pro-poor tourism—is nothing new. In fact, contributing to the community is one of the foundations of ecotourism, a movement that started more than 25 years ago. What is new is that the practice of giving back to the community, once the sole province of rustic ecolodges and a handful of luxury hotels, is becoming a trend at some of the world's most cosseting properties: Now travelers who choose accommodations with care can be socially responsible without having to sacrifice comfort or luxury.

"Foreign hotel companies and locally owned luxury hotels are increasingly giving back, although it's not happening with the big chains," says Margot Sallows, a professor in the tourism school at England's Leeds Metropolitan University. Of course, there are exceptions. Best Western, for instance, has raised millions to aid areas affected by the Asian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina. But in general, experts say that giving back to the community is not yet part of the corporate culture at large international hotel companies.

How much of a difference can tourism really make? A significant one, according to numerous international aid organizations. With some $500 billion spent by travelers annually, tourism has been singled out by international bodies, including the United Nations and the World Bank, for its potential to alleviate poverty, largely through job creation and community programs such as those at Shinta Mani. "In most of the poorest countries of the world, tourism is the only really viable form of economy," says Walter Jamieson, dean of the School of Travel Industry Management at the University of Hawaii. "It's a low-skill industry that creates opportunities for women and young people where there were none." In Tibet, for instance, the average annual income of the roughly 1,000 people living inside the Jiuzhaigou National Nature Reserve has risen from about $365 twenty years ago to $15,000 today because of the 1.4 million tourists who arrive each year. Former herders, these Tibetans now own or are employed by hotels and other businesses that cater to the wave of international arrivals.

But the benefit of hotels contributing to the community can extend beyond improving the lives of locals: It can also enhance the experience of the guests. David Sewell, a dean at England's University of Hull, stayed at Shinta Mani with his wife last fall after a travel agent recommended the 18-room property for its intimate size. "We weren't looking for a hotel that works with the community, but it was good fortune that we found one," he says. Sewell and his wife, who donated a well and two piglets to a local family, says that the event was a high point of their trip. "We've traveled to the Gambia, which is very poor, but we were shielded from the poverty by the escorted sightseeing. Having the opportunity to get closer to the people, to hear them tell about their lives under Pol Pot, and to experience their warmth and grace under such desperate conditions, was humbling. Afterward, you realize the impact of what to us is a small amount of money—that you may have done something that will save someone's life."