Impact

Vacations with social responsibility

For many people, it is not enough to leave the smallest possible CO2 footprint on their vacation. They want to go further - and actively do good during their travels. More and more hotels and safari providers are recognizing guests' longing for authentic experiences, encounters with locals and meaningful journeys. Social responsibility and social impact are the keywords. Where you can make the world a better place with your visit:

Thanda Safari, South Africa

At the sustainable Big Five luxury reserve Thanda Safari in South Africa, guests can do their bit for species conservation. With every booking, they enable the purchase of a GPS collar and have the opportunity to watch the Wildlife Conservation Team track, stun and put on the collar as part of the five-night "Collars for Conservation Safari". The GPS transmitters enable the conservationists to collect important data for research. www.thandasafari.co.za

Singita, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Rwanda

For more than 30 years, Singita has been committed to both species conservation and local communities. The aim of the safari operator is to protect the wildlife population for future generations and to enable the surrounding communities to achieve economic independence. The company provides access to school education, adult education and maintains several foundations that support various initiatives, including sustainability. www.singita.com

Zannier Hotel Phum Baitang, Cambodia

Guests at the Zannier Hotel Phum Baitang in Cambodia can really get stuck in. This is because the annual rice harvest is due in January and February. The guests of the 45 villas can help out alongside the local rice farmers as seasonal harvesters in the eight-hectare rice field. They learn all the important techniques, from threshing to cleaning and drying. After work, it's off to the kitchen. There, the chefs work together with the guests to conjure up outstanding regional specialties. Every year at the end of the rice harvest, the "green village", as the locals call the Zannier Phum Baitang, donates part of the harvest to an orphanage. This year it was one tonne! www.zannierhotels.com

andBeyond

The luxury hotel brand has already won several Impact Awards, including the Gold Key Award 2020 for the Sossusvlei Desert Lodge in the "Best Eco or Socially Conscious Hotel" category. Land, animals and people - these are the three areas in which andBeyond sees its responsibility. 29 lodges and camps in 21 countries in Africa, Asia and South America ensure that andBeyond protects more than 3.6 million hectares of wildlife habitat and 3,000 kilometers of coastline. Just in time for the brand's 30th anniversary, there are numerous limited edition once-in-a-lifetime experiences. One of these is a visit to the Okavango Delta in Botswana. Travelers learn all about the delta, travel in a small group of no more than four people, visit the Sexaxa school project in Maun and find out what measures are being taken to protect the baobab trees. www.andbeyond.com

Soneva, Maldives

Luxury and sustainability belong together - Soneva is convinced of this. And not just since the latter became a buzzword. Ever since the brand was founded in 1995, green thinking has been at the heart of the business model at Soneva. The introduction of the Soneva Foundation followed in 2008. 2 percent of all overnight prices are paid into the Foundation as an environmental levy. Soneva uses the money to support a variety of projects that have a positive social, ecological and sustainable impact. One of these is the Myanmar Stoves Campaign. More than 36,000 stoves have already been donated to families in Myanmar and Darfur. Each of them saves 2.5 tons of wood per year and reduces air pollution. Special attention is also paid to giving women equal opportunities.

Good Hotel

Two Dutch designers founded the brand in 2015 with the aim of helping the long-term unemployed to regain a foothold in the job market. In addition to training courses and on-the-job training (paid), participants also receive help in finding a permanent job. The Good Hotel currently has two branches: one in London and one in Antigua. No construction work was required for either accommodation; the former is located on an old harbor platform, while the latter is housed in an old manor house. www.goodhotel.co

El Nido Resorts

"Eco" is taken to a whole new level here in the Palawan archipelago in the Philippines. To give guests a luxury experience with a clear conscience, all four El Nido Resorts are made from renewable local materials. Rainwater is collected and reused, there is a desalination plant for fresh water and solar panels, food waste is reused as fertilizer and there are no motorized water sports out of consideration for the environment. Instead, guests can help with coastal cleanups and support the local Marine Turtle Conservation Program. www.elnidoresorts.com

Socialbnb.org

Like Airbnb, but with social responsibility - that's Socialbnb. The two young founders Alex and Nils launched the project in 2020. They firmly believe that tourism is an enormous force for change and should primarily benefit the local population. On the platform, they offer authentic experiences for travelers. They experience the respective project up close and get to know the country and its people on a deeper level. Every overnight stay helps to ensure that the sustainable, social and ecological initiatives are continued. To date, 180 projects in 45 countries are bookable. www.socialbnb.org