Speaking at Abta’s Delivering Sustainable Travel conference on Wednesday (2 March), Intrepid general manager of purpose, Sara King, detailed the adventure specialist’s efforts in Myanmar where it launched the country’s first community-based tourism project in partnership with Action Aid, which opened to visitors in 2017.

King said the long-term project, located in the town of Myaing in central Myanmar, was developed to support a rural community of around 1,150 people living across four villages. Since the project was launched, King said it had helped the community develop multiple new streams of income, including from agriculture, and improve local roads.

Visitor numbers are controlled to lessen the impact on the community, with guests staying at a purpose-built community lodge. King said the model could be duplicated within Intrepid’s own operations, and could serve as a starting point for other operators looking to develop community tourism projects.

King added that in order to get more operators on board with community-based tourism projects, it was important to discuss how they can create value – both for operators and communities. She explained companies needed to identify where value lay in the product or experience being offered, such as the community interaction, and then ensure customers were aware of the objectives of that experience for both parties and how best they can be included in it.

King’s address also touched on Intrepid’s Reconciliation Action Plan, which was developed to bolster the Australian firm’s ties with the country’s First Nations people. The framework, set up in 2019, involves training for Intrepid’s Australian staff, with teachings from First Nation consultants and advisors on the community’s culture. Intrepid offers a number of First Nations cultural experiences as part of its tours of Australia.

Delegates also heard about the Intrepid Foundation’s involvement in VaccinAid’s Give the World a Shot campaign, which supports Unicef’s efforts to address global vaccine equity. King said vaccine equity would be crucial to rebuilding the travel industry and tourism around the world in the wake of the Covid pandemic.