Gallaway recently hosted an event in the Crimson Room at the University of Utah for the organization that she said reinforces travel and global impact. Along with a panel of experts, she highlighted some of the current statistics about the travel industry and some ways that the public can get involved in making travel and small local businesses more sustainable.
“The travel industry is a multi-trillion-dollar industry,” said Galloway. “But for many, including those tourist locations, it is not just about the fun part of travel –– there is an impact and sometimes a negative one.” Galloway suggests that people continue to be aware and make sure they give back.
The ability for consumers to actually find options for social enterprise has been increasing, according to Galloway. “There are over 43 percent of people now booking travel and purchasing from businesses that actually have a social return policy and mission,” she said.
Members the Travel and Social Good panel included Sean Crotty (Peace Corps), Deb Bilbao (Women’s Business Center), Kaitlin Eskelson (Utah Tourism Board), Ian Shelledy (Sustainable Startups), Clark Cahoon (World Trade Center Utah) and Suzy Gustafson (SG Travel).
Giving advice on the dos and don’ts of traveling conscientiously, the panel also provided counsel for opening or being a part of a socially aware and sustainable business.
“First of all, it comes down to being educated,” said Gustafson. She believes that awareness about which companies give back locally and provide a social good will help create sustainable local businesses internationally and at home. “We are a rich society, regardless of where you are,” she said. “We can give back. We can support companies that help local communities, even if it is just here just locally in Utah.”
As the owner of SG Travel, Gustafson is working on giving back with a company that will be taking a cruise to both the Dominican Republic and Cuba. While they are there, Gustafson said they will be both on vacation as well as participating in volunteerism.
Crotty, project specialist with the Peace Corps, agreed with Gustafson on the importance of education when choosing which programs and businesses with which to engage. “Check NGOs (non-government organizations) and nonprofits you want to do business with beforehand, because a lot of nonprofits say they have the same mission, but they don’t.” He suggested doing homework and even calling the president of the nonprofit to get more information.
On volunteerism, Crotty spoke about some of the misconceptions one often has as a volunteer. He lived in a rural part of southeast Asia for a couple of years and said that, based on his experience, when volunteering with these different organizations (such as the Peace Corps), the effects can take a long time. “The word sustainable is a pretty overwhelming word, at least for me. I still don’t know what it means.” He advocates spending a lot of time in the community to better understand what its specific needs are, instead of taking a top-down approach.
Shelledy, an expert in local startups, agreed with Crotty. “You don’t tell your customer what they want, how they want it and what their problems are. Treating business issues is the same way,” he said.
Shelledy spoke further about his meaning of sustainability, especially as it pertains to startup businesses: “Sustainable businesses are the ones that create more value than they destroy.” He also spoke about sticking to values to create a sustainable business. “Just because you can turn a profit doesn’t mean you should,” he added. He advocates defining values for a new business and sticking to them.
With tourism creating about 220,000 jobs for Utahns, Eskelson, a member of the Utah Tourism Board, has a responsibility to help keep the businesses in Utah sustainable. “Sometimes local companies in rural Utah go upside-down when they get bombarded with tourists, so we try to educate tourists, making sure they are coming in very respectfully.” She also has been working with local businesses to help them to not over-promise and under-deliver in correspondence with the ebbs and flows of tourism in Utah.
At the end of the day, whether supporting businesses to be sustainable in Utah or abroad, Gustafson said, the concept of teaching a man to fish versus giving him a fish is what sustainability in travel and local business is all about. But she also cautioned that it must be done according to local culture in order to preserve it.
The SLC chapter of Travel Plus Social Good will host quarterly events such as discussions, gatherings or parties showcasing hospitality and travel partners, the state and businesses that work with women.
