Len Cordiner, CEO of the WHL Group, has been with the company since its earliest days, having helped establish it as a project of the IFC (International Finance Corporation, part of the World Bank Group) in 2002.

In anticipation of this fifth anniversary, we asked Len to take stock of things – look back, look around and look forward.

As often as possible, Len Cordiner (centre) works closely and directly with WHL Group staff and local partners. Photo courtesy of Ethan Gelber

The Travel Word: Tell us about the earliest days of the WHL Group: How did it all get started?

Len Cordiner: We started as a project of the IFC (International Finance Corporation, part of the World Bank Group) looking for a way to assist small accommodation providers in the developing world by helping them gain access to global markets using the Internet. The project started in 2002 with a few people only, and after a number of failed attempts we ended up with a model that worked.

The basic model, which has endured until today in our whl.travel business, is a sort of destination-based hub-and-spoke model. The hub (a local partner domiciled in a destination) is provided a website, booking platform, payment gateway, training etc. and supported with global sales and marketing. The local partner in turn reaches out to all the local accommodation and tour/activity providers and gets them loaded into the system so they can be displayed and booked.

It is a unique model combining the best of local with the best of global and allows us to connect many small properties and operators to the web who otherwise would never have this chance. We also have a strong focus on building sustainable tourism.

On March 31, 2006 we were spun off as a private company.

TTW: How has the WHL Group grown and changed since those early days five years ago?

Len: It has obviously grown significantly in scale – we now operate in over 100 countries and 300 destinations – but even more importantly we broadened both the range of products we distribute from local partners and the ways we distribute them.

Today, in addition to accommodation bookings via whl.travel, we now provide eco friendly airport transfers (Green Path Transfers), experiential day tours (Urban Adventures) and local collective-buying sites/destination guides (Lime&Tonic), all built in partnership with local organisations and all supporting sustainable outcomes for the local communities. A new business to launch shortly is Gunyah, which focusses on short-duration experiential packages for independent travellers.

These new businesses are different from whl.travel in that products are being sold under global brands and are priced to allow for global distribution via third parties (wholesalers, affiliate partners etc.)

Len Cordiner, CEO of the WHL Group, enjoys a rickshaw tour with Urban Adventures in Saigon, Vietnam. Photo courtesy of Ethan Gelber

TTW: Has it been a smooth ride? (Have there been a lot of unexpected changes or influences?)

Len: No, it has not been smooth. Like all start-up companies, we are continually reinventing ourselves as we learn and as technology evolves. This is stressful, particularly when cash is tight. In addition, as a franchise business, we have had the challenge of building a global network of business partners, many of whom are in emerging economies, where technical skills, online business skills and infrastructure are poor.

We are not simply a technology play; rather we have positioned ourselves as suppliers of unique products from local suppliers with the technology and business model to connect a very fragmented array of travel products to the global market.

TTW: Are you surprised about where the WHL Group is today? Why?

Len: Yes and no. Sometimes when I stop to look at what we are doing and where we have come from, I am amazed at what we have achieved. The daily reality however is that most of what we want to do is still to be done. It always seems as though we are going incredibly slowly.

TTW: What do you consider the most unique qualities of the WHL Group? Are they same today as they were when you first started?

Len: First, I think we are building a truly impressive network of people (local partners, suppliers and staff) with a shared vision of a better way to travel (local, slow, caring, authentic, win-win) which is quite special.

Second is the boundary-less nature of the WHL Group itself. Most of our team are spread all round the world and all very mobile; people managing their own time and their own businesses. It is quite common to have WHL staff working out of the offices of local partners; to have local partners investing in new businesses we incubate etc.

This is really great, a vision I have had for business since reading Charles Handy’s book, The Empty Raincoat, back in the early 90s. We have as a result become a magnet for young people with values aligned with our own, both as a place to work and a place to try new things.

Len Cordiner (far right) with family, staff, local partners and friends. Photo courtesy of Ethan Gelber

TTW: Given how swiftly the tourism industry is changing and how much it has changed in the last five years, do you think that the WHL Group has responded well?

Len: Probably as well as we could, given the scale of what we are involved in. I do think that the way we operate keeps us open to new ideas, ready to innovate.

TTW: Look into your crystal ball. What do you predict for the next five years of the WHL Group?

Len: Recently I was talking to a friend about this. He was asking what new businesses were in the pipeline and I had to answer I have no idea, but I am sure there will be several.

The reality is that the WHL Group is increasingly becoming like an incubator for innovations in travel. In the past three weeks alone, I have been contacted about our interest in participating in three new online travel services/ventures. All sound very interesting and leverage well from what we are. Let’s see what develops.

Apparently, that same website has been instrumental in capturing some of the same sense brilliance in “this small but fabulous destination.” Late last year, it was awarded the country’s Wild Beauty Award 2010 for Best Tourism Website.

The Montenegro Adventures team accepts their Wild Beauty Award 2010 for Best Tourism Website in Montenegro

“We are aware that our work has just begun, and we have so many plans for the future. We hope that we will be able to attract a growing number of independent travellers to Montenegro, to explore new markets. But we still have a lot to learn – the whole project is a big learning exercise for our team,” said Slavica Vukcevic, Executive Director of Montenegro Adventures. “The plan is to expand by working with a much larger number of accommodation providers, and to add various other products and services, but also we would like to post more content about different regions, traditions, culture, events, etc. We have been listening intently to all the feedback we received from our clients and will respond to many of the given suggestions in the next year.”

Wild and Beautiful

First organized in 2005 by the National Tourism Organization of Montenegro under the auspices of the President of Montenegro, the Wild Beauty Award was created with the aim of improving the image of Montenegro by promoting excellence and raising the quality of the county’s tourism sector. The awards cover everything from hotels, tourism companies and campaigns to events, projects, websites and more.

The 2010 award ceremony was held in the Government House (Vladin Dom) of Cetinje, the historic capital of Old Royal Montenegro. The building was built in 1910, the same year in which Montenegro was proclaimed a kingdom, making the awards of 2010 part of a centennial celebration.

Despite the importance of the year, the awards this year were relatively understated. In a break from routine, the National Tourism Organization decided to donate part of the resources budgeted for this occasion to the Rijeka Crnojevica community, which suffered terribly during recent floods.

King Nikola and Queen Milena in front of the Vladin Dom of Cetinje on August 28, 1910, the day of the proclamation of the Kingdom of Montenegro

Montenegro Adventures

Montenegro Adventures was established by the Centre for Sustainable Tourism Initiatives (CSTI), a local Montenegrin NGO founded as a lasting actor in the development and promotion of tourism in Montenegro. CSTI went on to develop more than 40 unique tours, most of them adventure-based or eco-cultural in orientation, some in remote parts of the country; high-quality promotional materials; and strong partnerships on the ground with local communities, national government bodies and key organisations abroad.

As demand for CSTI-developed tourism products grew, two needs were identified. First, independent travellers and small groups were asking to travel, but, second, “All of our tours were just sitting around unused,” said Vukcevic. “We had tested the tours – advertised them, taken a few people and journalists on them – and we thought local operators would carry on the tours. But they didn’t.” And so, Montenegro Adventures was born.

Whereas CSTI is an NGO that develops responsible and sustainable tourism products, Montenegro Adventures is a for-profit tourism agency that sells those products. However, their desired end result – using sustainable and responsible travel practices to improve the quality of life in Montenegro, preserve cultural heritage and protect the environment – is refreshingly the same.

Montenegro Adventures went on to sign a contract with the International Finance Corporation (IFC is a member of the World Bank Group) and whl.travel, for which it is the local partner in Montenegro and oversees three accommodation- and tour-booking destination portals covering Montenegro’s capital city of Podgorica and its surrounding mountains, the elegant seaside Budva and southern Montenegro and the Bay of Kotor.

The Montenegro Adventures and its three associated whl.travel websites were honoured with the Wild Beauty Award 2010

Looking Ahead

It was “during our work on these destination-management portals that we realized how important it is to cooperate with different institutions and businesses,” explained Vukcevic. “So far we have invested huge effort in travelling throughout Montenegro, working on different products and services, and working with different accommodation providers. In 2011, we plan to focus on transfers and tours, but also we would like to continue supporting the efforts of local tourism organisations and event organisers to promote local traditional events throughout Montenegro.”

As a young but conscientious company with lots of momentum, Montenegro Adventures is also committed to improving the business environment in Montenegro. “We are a relatively new company (almost a startup), but we think helping to streamline administrative processes and promote operational improvements for the benefit of all small and medium enterprises is a must,” concluded Vukcevic. “For that reason, we are actively participating in several working groups organised by the National Tourism Organization or the Ministry of Tourism, such as the Hiking and Biking Development Project, the Montenegro Convention Bureau and, lately, the MOA (a very informal name for a group of Montenegrin outdoor agencies). We have also recently been recognized by SNV (the Dutch Development Organization) as one of their ‘local capacity builders’ – trainers/consultants active in different projects related to enhancing the economic potential and capacity building of small enterprises in the tourism sector.”

Kalo and Nina Nathaniel own Malo Lodge on Uliveo Island, one of the Maskelyn group of islands in Vanuatu. The Nathaniels built the bungalows with basic hand tools using materials found locally (coral bamboo, Natangora palm fronds, coconut palm leaves, pandanus leaves). Cement and handmade bricks are used sparingly, as is local wood. The lodge's menu is based mainly on what can be grown on the island or fished from the water. Electricity is produced at night for a few hours from a small diesel generator... and, thanks to a refrigerator that we donated (actually paid for with clam shells), food can now be preserved long enough for when foreigners come. Helping locals can be this easy.

Precious Resources Wasted

A couple of years ago, a major donor in Vanuatu decided to provide assistance in tourism. The donor sent out requests for expressions of interest in producing (wait for it…) a ‘Pre-Feasibility Study’ on developing tourism to the outer islands of Vanuatu. Even better, the ‘Pre-Feasibility Study’ in question had two programmed follow-ups: a ‘Feasibility Study’ and an ‘Implementation Plan’!

The winning tender went to a consultant company from northern Europe. They assembled a crack team with representatives from all over the world. Unfortunately, all but one had never worked or studied tourism in Melanesia (the team leader had spent a week in New Guinea).

This is where families collect water while donor consultants sit in expensive resorts composing reports on how to best help the locals. As the sea level rises around Vanuatu, wells like this will be rendered unusable, at which time whole island populations will be without fresh water and deep-rooting trees will die off. The coconut palms are already gone from beach degradation as this small island (Uliveo) shrinks. The immediate needs are obvious: the people need help catching and managing rainwater, harnessing energy for pumps and making bricks for effective retaining walls. Soon the problems will be too big to tackle, but the donors are busy with expensive studies.

As a vital counterbalance to this, I was hired as one of three ‘local experts’. But was our combined 60-plus years of local knowledge valued? No, it was mostly ignored, our function reduced to facilitating the appointments and travel needs of the imported consultants; on many occasions, the local ‘consultants’ were actually excluded from meetings with the very same local people we had arranged. The fieldwork was completed over a two-week period and the 30-odd page document (written by the team leader) was submitted to the client two months later.

The outcome: a report so academic and long-winded that no one could keep awake long enough to read it. It has been shelved with all the other donor-requested studies gathering dust. No follow-up ‘Feasibility Study’ has been commissioned. In any case, the final report would have take its place as something like the 10th or 15th study on the topic in as many years, probably resulting in the same conclusions and recommendations as those that preceded it – predictable outcomes, since each successive study appears to plagiarize its predecessors – a process in which career consultants are experts.

The worst thing about it is the vast amount of the money spent on these multiple re-examinations of the same issues year after year. In the case above: between US$110,000 and $130,000. Sometimes two national donor organisations have conducted virtually the same study only weeks apart – one in English and the other in French – each financed by a different government. Millions of Australian, New Zealand, American and European taxpayers’ dollars are squandered by elitist consultants staying in expensive resorts, being paid salaries nearly equal to the total annual revenue of a small B&B hotel, and travelling and dining like royalty. Meanwhile, the private sector is doing the hard lifting by maintaining and growing the real economy (as distinct from the hypothetical one).

Why Must We Study the Need to Study a Need?

The public sector, including governments and donor agencies, does not generate income. It never has. It doesn’t know how to, so why is it advising on the topic? The public sector only knows how to spend (note I did not say ‘invest’), more often than not with negligible return or total loss.

It almost seems to me like the objective is to spend taxpayers’ money with no sense of how hard it was for the taxpayer to come by the income in the first place. Donors seem to believe that the pot is inexhaustible, and maybe it is, as long as people continue to pay taxes and spending excesses can be hidden in national government budgets.

This is the airport toilet for all arrivals and departures on an outer island of Vanuatu. Do donors really need multiple studies by consultants costing an average of US$5,000 a week to find out what is hampering tourism development here? Suffice it to say that I don't think it has ever been frequented by a donor. PS: BYO paper...

But that doesn’t change the deplorable ongoing waste of precious resources by some of these donors, all to the detriment (not targeted benefit) of our society, our world. As we’ve learned (and suffered) from the greed of Wall Street, is it not time to question donors about how they are spending our money? Money that, if used wisely, could fix so many problems in the developing world. The unacceptable alternative is the kind of unchecked waste that only delays fixes and pads the pockets of people on the consultant gravy train.

Let’s take a quick look at what could have been done in Vanuatu (as just one example of the world’s many developing nations). The main challenge to starting any tourism business in Vanuatu is the availability of energy. Without energy, there is no communication, no refrigeration etc. The means certainly exist for isolated indigenous operators to generate cost-effective, renewable, earth-conscious energy through hydro, solar, thermal and wind power. In fact, viable micro-systems have been established for as little as US$10,000.

Think of what we could have accomplished with the money that was spent on the most recent Vanuatu ‘Pre-Feasibility Study’. Instead of thinking about thinking about how to help, we could have given a real fighting chance for the long-term survival of a dozen accommodation providers on the outer-island, where a little capitalism and financial reward are the type of hands-on assistance required. But no, it was more important yet again to waste time with interviews and cruel teases about the potential for the possibility of better things to come in the name of research. What improvements were made? The perpetuated reputation of the futility of working with governments and donor agencies. Oh yes, and the ever-growing salaries (with perks) of donor officials and their consultant mates.

All that said, it would be foolish to tar all consultants employed by donors with the same brush. I work closely with a few that really care and are genuinely committed to their missions. Nevertheless, passions are quickly cooled in donor politics and bureaucracy.

Donors that really want to effect change aren’t (and shouldn’t be) afraid of transparency and financial accountability. They must work closely with the local private sector in order to gain the respect and cooperation from the industry they wish to ‘assist’. Until that happens, they will continue to be seen by locals as air-filled soufflés of change.

These guys want to set up a hand-painted t-shirts business but can only afford to buy one colour and have no idea what subject matter will attract tourists. WIthout consultation they would have painted their dozen shirts with the wrong design, had no range of sizes and not known where to display their goods or how much to charge for them. But everything will be all right! We have a donor that will spend another $100,000 on a study to find out how to encourage and harness private enterprise in the outer islands.

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The WHL Group Flexes

The WHL Group is a global network of companies that help travellers find unique ways to experience a destination through local tourism professionals. It now includes:

• whl.travel, a travel portal for accommodation, tours and activities;
• Urban Adventures, a travel portal for short city tours and day breaks;
• Green Path Transfers, a travel portal for airport and inter-city transfers;
• WHL Consulting, a professional services subsidiary with a singular focus on providing innovative, high-technology solutions to small businesses; and
• this blog, its online mouthpiece that pulls from a vast pool of ideas generated by WHL Group companies, local partners, suppliers and more, and showcases innovative and ethical tourism projects and practices.

Solidly Anchored in its Development Roots

Despite the expansion of the WHL Group, it’s a grand apple that has not fallen far from its tree of origin. What started in 2002 as pilot project of the Mekong Private Sector Development Facility (MPDF, the technical advisory services arm of the IFC) to create a new online accommodation-booking model that took into account the local skills gaps, language difficulties and Internet access problems facing travel service providers in the developing world is still very much in the business of empowering local partners. Today, however, while the mission remains to bridge the last mile and allow locally owned travel product to connect and be sold to the global market, the focus is on travel professionals who have practice in experiential and mindful travel and a local’s knack for identifying, explaining and sustaining the distinctive qualities of a place.

The WHL Group work methodology also remains the same: to separate all those things that needed to be done locally from those best done centrally. Local partners become responsible for identifying and negotiating contracts with local travel service providers, collecting and loading local digital content onto the web and keeping it up to date, as well as acting as the interface between travellers and accommodation providers when questions are asked, bookings made etc. The supporting global team then focuses on the technology platform, Internet marketing, provision of payment gateways and management and technical support and more.

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The Growth Has Not Slowed

Throughout 2009, when economies were slowing and travellers staying close to home, the WHL Group went through a period of incredible growth. For example, at the end of 2008, whl.travel had 150 destination websites live in 60 countries. As of mid-March 2010, the network spans nearly 300 destinations in 93 countries, of which almost 200 destinations are live in more than 80 countries. Similarly, Urban Adventures, which launched in October 2009, now has tour product in 50 destinations either live or under construction.

Of course, the WHL Group is still building its global network very aggressively and always on the lookout for travel entrepreneurs eager to assume franchise control of a destination. For more information, please follow the ‘become an operator’ links on the WHL Group website.
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Meaningful Membership

More than just a local-partner service provider, the WHL Group is an unparalleled and powerful global membership organisation. The WHL Group helps find, develop and support grassroots-owned and sustainable tourism initiatives. Its component companies then work to create sales opportunities at the global level for local tourism product.

Of course, the key ingredient in all of this is the trust and power the WHL Group places and supports in its local franchise partners. The local partners become not only a vital on-site lifeline for travellers who appreciate an often-missing personal touch, but also owners, operators and primary beneficiaries of the mechanisms that make these efforts possible. Those with a particularly keen awareness of their community needs then become mindful ambassadors for their interests and core needs.

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After all, the WHL Group believes in improving ethical standards in tourism from the bottom up… and for everyone involved.

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To learn more about the WHL Group and its member companies, please visit www.whl-group.com or the new groups on Facebook and LinkedIn. To follow the growing family of tweeps that are part of the WHL Group, see our WHL Group Twitter list.

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Situated in the southeastern Europe, the Balkans is fast becoming one of the most popular destinations for intrepid travellers. It’s a region of incredible untouched nature, delectable cuisines, rich historical lands begging for exploration and understanding, cool ocean breezes across golden sandy beaches, awe-inspiring mountain peaks dotted with centuries-old villages and genuinely friendly and smiling locals. The Balkans is also now quite a safe place to travel, so there’s no excuse not to visit this wonderful part of the world.

The Stari Most (Old Bridge) of Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina, spans the Neretva River. Originally built during the Ottoman era, it was destroyed during the Bosnian-Herzegovian War and then rebuilt according to the old design and using as much of the recovered original stone as possible. The bridge and surrounding historic neighbourhoods are now a World Heritage Site.

Bringing new Balkan travel experiences to visitors in the region has been one driving mission of the International Finance Corporation Advisory Services in Europe and Central Asia (IFC is a member of the World Bank Group), along with the WHL Group and local stakeholders. Working together since 2008 to develop tourism market readiness and infrastructure, these partners have, through a Balkan Hotel Market Access Program, succeeded in improving access to the region for independent travellers who prefer to book and pay for services online.

The project targeted eight destinations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Albania for which Web-based travel portals were developed. In each destination, a local operator was carefully selected to own and operate the website, with follow-up support in technical development and web marketing provided by whl.travel (part of the WHL Group). It was not all about building websites though; the hard work fell to the local stakeholders, who worked directly with small accommodation owners unfamiliar with new technologies and therefore more reliant on traditional marketing. Despite the obstacles, Sarajevo and Medjugorje in Bosnia and Herzegovina; the Bay of Kotor, Budva and Podgorica in Montenegro; and Tirana and Shkoder and the Albanian Alps in Albania are now directly connected to the global e-marketplace.

A screen shot of the Tirana, Albania, website

After just one year of operation, the Web portals made possible by the Balkan Hotel Market Access Program had already generated over €105,000 for small accommodation and tour operators in the region. With over 150,000 unique visitors and some 620,000 page visits, the project had far exceeded expectations. The ongoing impact of the project is now also expected to be significant, having spurred commercial development in new destinations across Slovenia, Serbia, Croatia, Macedonia and further destinations in Albania.

“We managed to achieve all program objectives and the project has been recognized by the IFC management as successful and efficient with significant impact on regional tourism development,” praised Denis Mesihovic, IFC Program Coordinator. “The fact that the program revenue for the first year of the operations was three times higher that the program budget and expenses speaks for itself.”

This is no time to rest on one’s laurels though. “While giant strides have been made with the development of the region’s first online e-commerce enabled booking portals, there is still quite a bit of work that can be done at the product level,” said Zachary Rozga, CEO of WHL Consulting (once a WHL Group company), the entity that managed the project for IFC. “As with many new and emerging tourism destinations, targeted assistance needs to be delivered to the individual hotels, B&Bs and guesthouses on issues like pricing and commissions, digital content development and e-commerce distribution.”

Nynette Sass shows all of the bold spirit, but none of the impudence, suggested by her surname. From her first talofa lava (greetings to you) of the day, her gusto is contagious, especially when she talks about her native Samoa. This is unabashedly a good thing for the CEO of the Samoa Hotels Association (SHA), a board member of the Samoan Umbrella of Non-Government Organizations and chairman of the Private Sector Support Facility. In a country where tourism represents approximately 25% of GDP and is expanding, she is very much the right person in the right place at the right time.

Nynette Sass in front of her Samoa Hotels Association office

It hasn’t always been this way. One of the tools at the expansive heart of her ability to promote what she calls her ‘Polynesian paradise’ is quite new. Opportunity proverbially knocked in 2005, when SHA launched its new website, www.samoa-hotels.ws, now the premier online booking service for Samoa. The commendable results have had an impact on her life, the stability of SHA and, more importantly, all of Samoa, especially in terms of the sustainable development of community-based travel services.

Samoa Hotels Association

SHA is a membership-based non-governmental organisation formed in 1999 and composed of hotels and other accommodation providers in Samoa. “It was mainly set up to be a lobbying and advocacy body,” says Sass, its members united by common interests, goals and objectives for tourism and accommodation standards in Samoa.

Despite its organisational inertia in the early years, SHA was approached in 2004 by the International Finance Corporation–managed Pacific Enterprise Development Facility. (The IFC is the private-sector arm of the World Bank.) They were keen to trial a new accommodation e-marketplace program designed by Worldhotel-link.com (now whl.travel) and extensively piloted in Southeast Asia’s Mekong region for use in developing countries and emerging economies.

SHA hired Sass to pull together the content and images needed for the whl.travel Samoan website package, which includes a sophisticated but simple-to-use booking system that allows for the inclusion of local establishments with no other access to a broader e-market. On 10 March 2005, the website went live with a selection of 34 providers, “including many small-scale operators remote from Apia and without any Internet access,” SHA’s then-President Papali’i Steve Young said at the time.

Nynette Sass (right) with the Fiji Islands Hotel and Tourism Association president, Mr. Dixon Seeto. SHA and FIHTA may soon be exploring collaborative opportunities.

A Growing Local Success

“It went sort of OK in the first year,” recalls Sass. “But one thing I could say is that I put online the traditional accommodation or fales on the beaches, who never had any opportunity to be promoted. This model was breaking ground for them. All of the sudden they started getting all these bookings that they never had before. From the start, that has been one of the success stories of this booking system – the opportunity to showcase the little guys internationally at the same level with the big boys.”

For most businesses, though, success isn’t immediate, but steady growth speaks of real financial promise. Thus it has been with SHA’s inclusion in the whl.travel international family of Web portals. “As the years have passed, I’ve seen the amount of traffic serve as proof that this system does work,” enthuses Sass. “There’s no doubt in my mind that we’ve come a long way in the four years that SHA has used this system.”

The value of SHA’s accomplishment, however, is greater than the dollar value of its financial returns, something of which Sass is poignantly aware given her experience with both NZAid and AusAid and her country’s heavy dependence on development aid. “We’re actually reinvesting in our own country,” she emphasises, whereas accommodation “wholesalers take a big chunk out of the earnings and they’re keeping it overseas; it doesn’t come back into our country.”

Wholesalers overseas routinely ask for commissions of 25-40% of rack rates (the published full price). Travel agents can also sometimes charge sizable overhead. By contrast, the 15% collected by SHA, a local operator, is a bargain. This also puts a lot more spending money in the hands of travellers, which is very important to the greater Samoan community. “As far as I am concerned, we are delivering the services for our people, we are ensuring that we have up-to-date information about our properties and what’s happening in the country. And we’re not asking an arm and a leg for it. Plus, we provide a better service.”

In addition, the same smaller properties that got such an early boost are beginning to flex their own hitherto unknown muscles. “With the economic strengthening of little properties, they now feel more comfortable getting out there. They’re reinvesting their funds properly in the property and improving their facilities. The confidence that these little guys are getting now has really improved delivery of services and goods.”

Caring for the Destination

One of whl.travel’s strongest assets is the particular importance it places on sustainable tourism practices through its Caring for the Destination program. whl.travel seeks out local partners who show a commitment to caring about their country, their destination, the traveller’s experience and the overall stewardship of their native land to ensure preservation for generations to come. Sass too adheres to this belief, even though it has been difficult for her to secure broad and practical acceptance of these goals.

Looking back at part of Apia from across the bay. the Government Building is on the far right and the Catholic Cathedral in the center of town (Samoa has over 1000 church buildings for a population of 180,000).

“The Caring for the Destination part of whl.travel really hasn’t taken off. It’s been pretty tough for me to get that message out to the little guys. But I know from site visits that a lot of them are doing all these environmentally friendly practices. It’s just that we don’t write about it; we tend to take it for granted. We’re used to doing it ourselves anyway and we don’t think it’s anything special. But that’s exactly what this Caring for the Destination is about.”

Still, “whl.travel is the best thing that ever happened to SHA,” Sass concludes. “SHA had no funds, no focus, nada. A few members were very sceptical at the beginning when the idea was floated. However, the association is really at a state now where it is generating all the funds to implement its activities, pay a CEO and assistant etc. Our traffic conversions doubled in one year and then doubled again the next year. We’re struggling to keep up with the demand. This is good.”

This glowing endorsement has resonated throughout whl.travel and Samoa. “Looking at the commissions likely due to SHA in 2008, it represents around US$400,000 in annual income to the (mostly) small accommodation providers,” said Len Cordiner, CEO of whl.travel. “I am looking forward to the day, not too far out there I think, when we have several hundred destinations live and this story is the norm. The impact we will be having at that point in the developing world will be significant.”

Once a well-kept secret, Albania is on the verge of being ‘discovered’ by tourists. Until 1992 a communist country closed off to the rest of the world, Albania has only recently seen greater numbers of foreign travellers venture down to its southern Balkan corner of Europe, bringing with them suitcases of western brands and influences. Not to be discouraged though, and despite a growing number of Mercedes-Benzes, Coca-Colas and Mai Tai cocktails, the country remains very Albanian. Quaint mountain villages indifferent to modern development in the cities, which also retain their own unique charm, give rise to incredible travel experiences that you would be hard pressed to find elsewhere in Europe.

A look down Lake of Koman on the way to the Valbona Valley

Neighbouring countries have therefore already started flocking to Albania, with holidaymakers from Greece, Macedonia, Bulgaria and Serbia tempted by the beautiful coastline and, of course, very low prices. As reported by the Albanian national media: In 2008, over 400,000 more foreign tourists visited Albania than in 2007, an increase of about 23%. So while the tough economic times of 2009 are expected to hit other summer destinations hard, tourism in Albania may experience a big lift as people look for affordable memorable holidays.

Going Local

In Albania, already off the beaten track, you can really enter another world. Begin with a meander along the turquoise waters of the narrow and twisting Lake Koman flanked by jaw-droppingly steep cliffs (think Lord of the Rings). Follow this with a moderate-to-strenuous hike through the Valbona River Valley, the gorgeous jewel in the crown of northern Albania. Then descend towards the Theth Valley where you can enjoy extraordinary overnight hospitality in the traditional houses of Albania’s best-preserved alpine village. The surroundings could hardly be more stunning.

The Village House Salimaj, stunningly situated in Valbona Valley

This guided trek to local village houses is just one of many unique experiences offered by Outdoor Albania, a local Albanian adventure-travel company. Although one of many tour companies in Albania, Outdoor Albania is one with its heart in the right place. “We love our city and our country and want to show travellers the true side of Albania and for them to see and do as much as possible!” said the director of Outdoor Albania, Laura Payne, Dutch-born but now considered Albanian by many. “We want to promote the protection of the natural habitats of Albania whilst also supporting the small local communities economically. We try to involve as many actors as possible in our business, using drivers, guides, craft makers, mule/horse porters, winemakers, etc., on our tours.”

Acting Responsibly

Evident in tours like the trek to local village houses, Outdoor Albania believes in responsible tourism. This community-minded approach saw Outdoor Albania selected for a project sponsored by the International Finance Corporation (part of the World Bank Group) to develop tourism infrastructure in the Balkans. One valuable outcome was the creation of the first locally-owned and -operated accommodation- and tour-booking Web portal for Tirana and a travel portal covering the Albanian Alps, both part of the whl.travel global grassroots network of travel websites.

Rafting down the Osumi kanyo, one hour south of Berat in south-central Albania

It doesn’t stop there, though; Outdoor Albania has been working to improve the local environment and alleviate the pressures from social issues felt by certain groups in Tirana. Outdoor Albania continues to promote a recycling initiative to hotels, one outgrowth of which is a programme for Romany woman to collect the discarded aluminium cans as a source of small income. Alongside this, Outdoor Albania is convincing hotels to showcase the artwork of local disadvantaged youth so that travellers can purchase a unique souvenir, the proceeds of which directly benefit the community.

With tour operators like Outdoor Albania helping lead the way in Albanian tourism, no wonder their future looks bright. When considering your next holiday destination, keep Albania in mind and, especially, organizations like Outdoor Albania who work responsibly for the benefit of both guests and hosts.

British Airways has up to seven direct flights each week from London to the Albanian capital city of Tirana; a return ticket costs around 200 GBP. Alternatively, you can connect through Budapest with Malev Airlines from most major European destinations.

Outdoor Albania is your local connection and the whl.travel partner in Albania. For more information about Albania, including hotels, tours, activities and a lot of insider tips, Laura Payne and her team are standing by at www.travel-tirana.com.

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Want to learn more SUMMER IN THE BALKANS? Read about Bosnia & Herzegovina and Montenegro.

The ghost of recent violent times in the Balkans still haunts the region; few people give it priority consideration as a destination of choice for their next holidays, perhaps least of all places like post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina. The mere mention of Sarajevo and Mostar conjures up memories of the human and material devastation that occurred during the 1990s.

Hikers in the Bosnia and Herzegovina highlands above Trnovacko Lake

However, over the last decade or so, easing recriminations have allowed for significant developments and improvements to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s tourism infrastructure. Intrepid travellers tempted to try something new have been thrilled to discover an incredible country of stunning and pristine nature, a fascinating blend of cultures including some of the oldest traditional practices in Europe, friendly people, UNESCO World Heritage sites and world-famous Balkan cuisine. For city enthusiasts, Sarajevo, the capital, is a cosmopolitan centre with trendy bars and cafes, while nature mavens will find in the surrounding mountains and countryside countless escapes and excursions.

Where to Begin – Sarajevo and Surrounds

The Hotel Ada, located in the heart of Sarajevo’s Old Town, is a great little city base from which to stage urban explorations. Travellers come here to experience true Bosnian-style hospitality and try some of the locally grown organic food.

More delicious Bosnian cuisine is the highlight of Dveri, a restaurant in the Old Town with local specialties like goulash, stuffed eggplant, mukalica (pork chops covered in a spicy sauce) and warm homemade bread.

A Sarajevo city tour is an excellent way to get familiar with the town and its fascinating, yet poignant history. Highlights include 16th-century synagogues and churches and the Latin Bridge where Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated, triggering World War I.

To get out of the city and enjoy some beautiful Bosnian countryside, take a rafting trip on the Neretva River and brave some of the best rapids in Europe. The river’s high canyon walls and emerald-green water are not soon forgotten.

Green Visions and Lukomir Village

Green Visions is a Sarajevo-based tour operator that offers a variety of travel experiences emphasising the nature and unique culture of Bosnia and Herzegovina. “We founded our company on the principles of balance and harmony between man and nature,” says Thierry Joubert, a managing partner. “We’ve pioneered a movement in creating alternative means of sustainable development while maintaining an eco-friendly approach to all that we do.”

Given this unique orientation, Green Visions was selected by the International Finance Corporation (part of the World Bank Group) as the local partner in a programme to promote tours and small- and medium-sized guesthouses in and around Sarajevo.  In cooperation with whl.travel, the global grassroots network of travel websites, Green Visions now makes these services available online through a Sarajevo travel portal.

Visiting hikers near Lukomir Village with a view to Krvavac peak

One particularly meaningful tour is the Lukomir Village Highland Walk, a hike to a secluded Bosnian settlement. The residents of this highest village in Bosnia and Herzegovina maintain one of the oldest traditional lifestyles in Europe, wearing authentic dress and living without contemporary comforts like electricity or running-water. Sadly, the Balkan hostilities of the 1990s were devastating to remote highland communities like Lukomir and are in great need of sustainable support.

Working with the Ministry of Trade and Tourism, Green Vision has embarked on a programme to preserve traditional highland practices and the local environments on which the villagers depend. Through tours, awareness of the villagers’ plight is being increased and reason provided for several families in Lukomir to receive both support in equipping their homes with traditionally crafted guest beds and furniture, and basic hospitality training. Admiring old farming methods and a lifestyle long since forgotten in Europe, travellers can now rest in a unique environment while also providing economic support to the villagers. Lukomir tours are only run during summer months, outside of which snow can stymie road access.

Green Visions has been involved in other development projects throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina, including starting Bosnia’s first ecotourism and environmental protection agency and leading ecotours (over 2,000 so far) to even the most remote areas of the country.

When considering where to go this summer, keep Bosnia and Herzegovina in mind and make a trip with a difference! For more information about Sarajevo and Bosnia and Herzegovina, including accommodations, tours, activities and lots of insider tips, contact your local whl.travel connection: Thierry Joubert and the team from Green Visions at www.sarajevo-travel.ba.

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Want to learn more SUMMER IN THE BALKANS? Read about Albania and Montenegro.

I’m always favourably surprised by how many people have heard of Montenegro. For such a Lilliputian nation, it seems to have outsized celebrity, although, sadly, still seldom as a place worthy of holiday consideration. Having been an attractive vacation retreat as recently as the 1980s, Montenegro until just a few years ago had fallen off the radar as a tourist destination for anyone outside the region. Despite remaining more or less aloof during the Balkan hostilities of the 1990s, Montenegro’s tourist infrastructure and reputation suffered as did the entire region’s: gutted by a decade of flying bullets and political barbs.

Montenegro Adventures and Green Visions guides atop Bobotov Kuk

Today, however, Montenegro is at last reaching new travel audiences. Unlike some of its neighbours – Montenegro shares borders with Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo and Albania – Montenegro declared its independence in 2006 without its armed forces firing a shot, which sent a clear positive message to travellers. Even before then Montenegro had felt free to pursue an agenda that included redeveloping tourism assets and services throughout the country.

One pair of organisations, however, set its sights on the rich natural endowment of the country’s little-visited and under-serviced north, like Durmitor National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site with numerous mountain peaks over 2,200 metres and stunning glacial lakes and breathtaking canyons carved by the Tara and Piva rivers. All this was looked at with a careful progressive eye toward keeping in step with sustainable-tourism principles and best practices. And, although the north of Montenegro continues to be a primary focus, the shared area of activity for these two organisations has expanded to encompass the whole of the country, equally enthralling both at its mountainous heights and along its 73km of beaches.

A hiker enjoying a photographic view on Durmitor Mountain

Centre for Sustainable Tourism Initiatives (CSTI)

In 2005, with funds from USAID, the international humanitarian and aid organization CHF International founded a local Montenegrin NGO called CSTI as an lasting actor in the development and promotion of tourism, particularly in the north, an area rich in unspoiled natural and historic attractions.

“The needs were clear and simple,” said Christopher Brown, Director for CHF International in Montenegro during a speech in December 2008. “Tourists had to be aware of the region as a tourism destination and adequate service had to be made available upon their arrival. In response, CSTI went to work on promoting the region, developing services and building the capacity of tourism personnel.”

Bikers on a Montenegro Adventures 14-day pilot biking tour designed by CSTI in cooperation with the National Tourism Organization

The results were outstanding: more than 40 unique tours, most of them adventure-based or eco-cultural in orientation, some into remote parts of the country; high-quality promotional materials; and strong partnerships on the ground with local communities, national government bodies and even abroad with partners able to assure visitors. On-site work was directed at tourism providers to help them improve hospitality, tour and transport services; knowledge was shared with ministries and major tourism organisations helping keep development strategies and support inline with expectations; and word of Montenegro’s beauty has begun to reach more and more ears all across the globe.

Montenegro Adventures

As demand for CSTI-developed tourism products grew, two needs were identified. First, independent travellers and small groups were asking to travel, but, second, “All of our tours were just sitting around unused,” said Slavica Vukcevic, Executive Director of Montenegro Adventures. “We had tested the tours – advertised them, taken a few people and journalists on them – and we thought local operators would carry on the tours. But they didn’t.”

And so Montenegro Adventures was born, a subsidiary wholly owned by CSTI and sharing its ideals, knowledge base and resources, but distinct in both organisation and mission. Whereas CSTI is an NGO that develops responsible and sustainable tourism products, Montenegro Adventures is a for-profit tourism agency selling those products. The end result – using sustainable and responsible travel practices to improve the quality of life in Montenegro, preserve cultural heritage and protect the environment – is refreshingly the same.

Part of the whl.travel Family

In June 2008, Montenegro Adventures accepted support from the International Finance Corporation (part of the World Bank Group) as part of the latter’s Balkan Hotel Market Access Program, designed to open the Balkan region to new markets. This brought Montenegro Adventures to whl.travel, the fast-growing global grassroots network of travel websites. Through whl.travel, three new accommodation- and tour-booking destination portals for Montenegro were launched, covering the capital city of Podgorica and surrounding mountains, elegant seaside Budva and southern Montenegro and the Bay of Kotor.

CSTI and Montenegro Adventures leading a National Geographic tour through the Tara River Canyon

In just four short years, through businesses like CSTI and Montenegro Adventures, Montenegro has put itself back on the map. So for your next summer holiday, don’t let larger countries distract you. From the top of Bobotov kuk (Mt Durmitor) to the Tara River Canyon or the medieval town of Kotor on its eponymous bay, Montenegro is one of the Balkan’s – and Europe’s – rediscovered gems.

For more information about Montenegro, including accommodations, tours, activities and lots of insider tips, contact your local whl.travel connection: the team from Montenegro Adventures at www.montenegro-adventures.com.

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Want to learn more SUMMER IN THE BALKANS? Read about Albania and Bosnia & Herzegovina.

A longer PDF version of this announcement is available as a download.

Independent travellers to Nepal and hoteliers in Kathmandu have both celebrated the early-April launch of www.kathmanduhotel-link.com. A locally owned and operated travel-booking portal, it propels Kathmandu-based small- and medium-sized tourism operators into the global e-marketplace.

“This initiation of connecting local hoteliers to the international market will aid in the promotion of Nepal’s beautiful destinations and unique products,” said the Prachanda Man Shrestha, CEO of the Nepal Tourism Board. “Nepal Tourism Board applauds…this endeavour that will certainly help the tourism of the country in the long run.”

www.kathmanduhotel-link.com is the 156^th locally managed destination website brought to the public by whl.travel, the global grassroots travel network catering to independent and responsible travellers. The Kathmandu website is also the first of two currently planned for Nepal and the 14^th travel portal in South Asia, adding to others in India, Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Outdoor Himalayan Treks (OHT) joins whl.travel as its local partner in Nepal with full responsibility for the website. In operation for five years, OHT organises treks designed to give travellers greater insight into the land, culture and its people. With a friendly, dedicated and professional staff of 18 full-timers and 16 part-time guides, OHT also offers a full range of travel services, including accommodation bookings and airline ticketing.

whl.travel was won over by OHT’s commitment to sustainable tourism. Most of OHT’s trekking clients are taken to remote villages, where they can experience traditional ways of life and develop greater understanding of their culture. Guests are encouraged and often motivated to volunteer on projects or provide financial assistance. OHT goes one step further by supporting volunteer-worker initiatives and even providing donations to promising projects and organising charity treks. In addition, OHT’s managing director, Rajendra Prasad Sapotkam, once an orphan himself, has founded and through OHT continues to support an orphanage home in Kathmandu for displaced kids.

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, played a catalytic role in bringing together whl.travel and the Nepal tourism industry. The development of www.kathmanduhotel-link.com received support from IFC Advisory Services in South Asia – the South Asia Enterprise Development Facility – co-funded by the United Kingdom’s DFID, European Union, CIDA (Canada) and the governments of Norway and Netherlands. IFC has supported similar whl.travel undertakings in Cape Verde, Madagascar, Senegal, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Tanzania and Vietnam.

For more information, include press contacts, download the longer PDF version of this announcement.