Summary
The Global Vision Awards honorees in this category demonstrate a clear vision for how the travel and hospitality industry can become more sustainable and benefit underrepresented or underemployed communities around the world.
The Global Vision Awards aim to identify and honor companies, individuals, destinations, and organizations taking strides to develop more sustainable and responsible travel products, practices, and experiences. Not only are they demonstrating thought leadership and creative problem-solving, they are taking actionable, quantifiable steps to protect communities and environments around the world. What’s more, they are inspiring their industry colleagues and travelers to do their part.
In choosing the honorees in our annual Global Vision Awards, the first thing we look for is real, tangible impact. The five companies in this category are thinking both broadly and deeply about concrete ways that travel can spur long-term, positive change. Whether they’re in the business of planning enriching itineraries led by the communities where people are traveling, innovating in the aircraft industry, or finding ways for tourism to lift up marginalized communities, these honorees are dedicated to turning their ideas into actionable projects that will improve travel — and the world — for generations to come. — iBestTravel Editors
Alaskan Dream Cruises
Plenty of cruise companies offer expeditions through Alaska’s majestic Inner Passage, Glacier Bay, and frontier lands, but only Alaskan Dream Cruises is owned and operated by Native Alaskans. The Allen family, whose lineage is Tlingit, has been welcoming curious cruisers for more than 50 years. The company’s six vessels, which range from five to 38 cabins, are staffed by Alaskan naturalist guides who dispense personal insights that only locals can. Ports of call often include Indigenous villages such as Kasaan, where guests visit the last Haida longhouse in the United States. The onboard experience also highlights the state’s treasures: bath amenities are Alaska-made; bed scarves were designed by local artists; cocktails are prepared with glacial ice; and local seafood features on every menu. Guests can spot whales, otters, bears, sea lions, deer, and eagles regularly, while the sounds from the fathoms below burble to the surface thanks to a shipboard hydrophone. The company’s newest ship, the six-stateroom Kruzof Explorer, takes passengers to communities where larger ships can’t dock, landing at hidden gems including Lituya Bay, Dall Island, and Baranof Warm Springs. — Heidi Mitchell
Black Cultural Heritage Tours
Despite infusing $109.4 billion into the leisure travel industry, Black Americans have been sidelined from mainstream travel experiences — their companies omitted from itineraries, their histories left untold. However, Stephanie M. Jones, founder of the National Blacks in Travel and Tourism Collective, is changing that. In 2016, her group debuted the Cultural Heritage Alliance for Tourism, Inc. (CHAT), “to level the playing field for micro local Black and Brown businesses within underrepresented neighborhoods,” she says. This year, she launched Black Cultural Heritage Tours, which aims to drive tourists’ foot traffic and revenue to underrepresented businesses so they can become sustainable and scalable. From September onward, travelers can explore itineraries throughout the Southeastern U.S., which may include journeys through the Gullah Geechee Corridor, deep dives into the Civil Rights Movement, and in-depth explorations of the Underground Railroad. Notably, all tours include church visits, culinary adventures, and contemporary culture excursions. “Our approach to our itineraries is to provide transformative experiences for culturally curious travelers who seek a broader understanding of the Black experience and culture in the U.S.,” explains Jones. “We want travelers to become intentional about depositing into local communities as much as they take away.” — H.M.
Boom
As Blake Scholl sees it, travel has been a net good for the world: “Since the dawn of the jet age,” he says, “people have been able to spend more time with other people in other cultures.” However, as he pondered why everything—from computers to phones to cars—was getting significantly more efficient and environmentally friendly, he was puzzled by the stagnation in the aircraft industry. Thus, Scholl made it his mission to help air travel become “faster, more affordable, and dramatically more sustainable than it is today.” By 2029, his Denver-based company, Boom, plans to introduce the 65-seat Overture, the first supersonic commercial aircraft since the Concorde. The Overture will minimize noise and run entirely on sustainable aviation fuel. Furthermore, the team has designed the aircraft with airborne efficiency and future recycling in mind. United Airlines has already ordered 15 Boom Overture jets, which will whisk passengers from New York to London in less than three-and-a-half hours. “We want to make the airplane you most want to be on — with speed, comfort, and convenience,” Scholl states, “and also the best one for the planet.” — Jeff Chu
Kerala Responsible Tourism Mission
Five years ago, the government of the south Indian state of Kerala unveiled a groundbreaking new agency. Its mission: to leverage tourism as a platform to eradicate poverty, empower women, and safeguard the environment. Its guiding philosophy? “Making better places for people to live in and better places for people to visit.” Since then, the Responsible Tourism Mission has carefully mapped the state, identifying communities with rich yet overlooked cultural expertise. A new database connects artists and performers with players in the tourism industry. Moreover, farmers are trained to host visitors on their land. New itineraries highlight (and produce new income streams for) artisans. These include visits to ceramicists in Nellarachal and metalworkers in Kunhimangalam — a town long known for its handcrafted bells and Hindu idols. The RT Mission also implements environmental initiatives — cleaning waterways, for example, or adopting more efficient waste-management practices — across nearly two dozen communities, from the Arabian Sea village of Mararikulam in the west to Thekkady, on Kerala’s eastern border, which borders a sanctuary for elephants and Bengal tigers. — J.C.
Saira Hospitality
Harsha L’Acqua has always been passionate about the hospitality business. While working at luxury hotel brands such as Six Senses and the Standard, she became disillusioned by the unsustainable turnover rate of employees at most properties (almost 50 percent). Consequently, in 2016, she decided to launch her own nonprofit to help remedy this issue. Saira Hospitality develops bespoke pop-up hospitality schools that partner with hotel brands launching new properties, training underserved and disadvantaged individuals from the surrounding community. This approach not only creates more jobs and better prospects for long-term growth in communities but also fosters enriching experiences for hotel guests who benefit from interacting with locals who are most knowledgeable about a given area. Saira has seen its model thrive worldwide in locations including Namibia (Habitas), Mexico (Hotel San Cristóbal in Todos Santos), and the British Virgin Islands (Rosewood, Virgin Limited Edition, Autograph Collection, and Bitter End). This year, Chanrai is opening a permanent Saira location in London, a city currently facing a shortage of hospitality employees due to the pandemic. — Gisela Williams
