A real treat in the Australian bush is the huge numbers of tiny wildflowers. Their real beauty is often only apparent on very close inspection, so a good camera with zoom lens becomes a mandatory accessory. This native pink hyacinth orchidn in Boronia is one of the most common bush orchids in Australia and also one of the tallest. It blossoms from around December to March. Photo courtesy of Len Cordiner

Always a shock to first-time visitors to Australia is the loud laughing song of the kookaburra. Also a large bird similar in size to the king parrot, the kookaburra is a far more common sight in both urban areas and along the coast. It is carnivorous, feeding mostly on snakes, lizards and small rodents, although they are also keen on barbecues and regularly steal sausages whenever they get a chance. Photo courtesy of Len Cordiner

Inspired, my wife and I started our own ‘slow travel’ mission. For the past four months, we have been checking out the natural world in and around Sydney – starting in our own backyard. I live in a suburb called Gladesville, located in the inner west region of the city. It borders another suburb to the north called Boronia, both about four kilometres and across Sydney Harbour from the city’s central business district. Being this close to the centre, Gladesville and Boronia are two of the older suburbs of Sydney, although as I recall from when I was a boy growing up here (some 50-plus years ago), it was rather sparsely populated and we were surrounded by dairy farms and bushland.

Sadly most of Sydney's naturally occurring mangrove forests, like this small patch in Gladesville, are gone due to urbanisation and clearing for commercial activities; however, the damage has been curbed and signs of renewed growth are apparent in several areas. The mangroves in Sydney are mostly Grey Mangrove Avicennia marina, with small pockets of both naturally occurring and planted River Mangrove Aegiceras corniculatum. Photo courtesy of Len Cordiner

Basking in the sun on the side of a walking track in Boronia was this large black snake around 1.5 metres long. They are common on the east coast of Australia, are good swimmers and tend to live near creeks and rivers. They feed on small rodents and frogs and the female gives birth to around 20 live young. They are venomous, although its venom is milder than the brown snake. Photo courtesy of Len Cordiner

Today, Gladesville and Boronia are suburbs that most people rush through on their way to or from the city. They strike most Sydneysiders as rather nondescript, perhaps also reflected in the fact that neither were selected by Louise in her 52 suburbs. Of course, living here had taught us differently. We set out to explore some of the small pockets of parkland and harbour foreshore we knew were nearby.

Of 86 species of tea tree (Leptospermum) occurring globally, 81 are endemic to Australia. You find them everywhere around Sydney, including Gladesville. They got the name 'tea tree' after early white settlers in Australia used the leaves of this tree as a tea substitute. Tea tree oil is a widely used antiseptic due to its antibacterial and antimicrobial properties. Photo courtesy of Len Cordiner

Bush turkeys are large ground-dwelling birds (up to 2.2 kg and 85 cm tall) common on the east coast of Australia. The male builds a huge nest on the ground from leaf litter in which up to 50 eggs are laid by several females. The eggs are incubated by the heat given off by the rotting leaf litter. The male maintains a constant temperature by digging holes in the mound and inserting his bill to check the heat, then adding and removing leaf litter as required. Photo courtesy of Len Cordiner

We were amazed – thrilled, even – at what we found. In the large tracts of mangrove forest and bushland, we couldn’t see any hint of suburbia. Instead, we encountered many different species of plants and wildflowers. What also delighted us was the variety and concentration of wildlife, ranging from bush turkeys, cockatoos, kookaburras and king parrots to some very healthy-looking goannas and snakes. Returning home from our first outing, when our collection of photos were taken, my wife and I both felt elated. We had (re)connected with where we live, getting closer to both the natural environment and history in a way we hadn’t expected.

Sydney is built on sandstone, something that becomes very apparent when you see road cuttings and building excavations. Most of Sydney's early public buildings were built from sandstone, much of it stained red and brown from iron. On this walk in Boronia we discovered a natural sandstone overhang displaying some of the beautiful iron colouration. On a spot not far from this location was an Aboriginal rock carving, a reminder that the area was populated originally by the Wallumedegal people. Photo courtesy of Len Cordiner

King parrots are magnificent and quite large, growing to around 43cm in height. They reside on the east coast of Australia, mainly in densely forested regions, so they are not commonly seen around Sydney, unlike their smaller cousins, the brightly coloured lorikeets. This picture is of a male in Gladesville - they have the distinctive red colouration around the head and neck. Photo courtesy of Len Cordiner

Our new resolve is to share what we have found, to encourage some of our friends in Sydney (and from out of town) to try a local Sydney suburbs walk. We also want to share how we found it – by travelling slowly in our own backyard.

Planning a trip to Sydney? Interested in other slow and local experiences? Check out Sydney Urban Adventures, unique day tours with a difference, designed to get under the skin of the city, so you get to know it like a local.

Like ‘slow food’ and ‘slow media,’ ‘slow travel’ is a part of the movement. It’s a reclaiming of what has been lost in today’s hyper pace of life and travel. It’s a state of mind while travelling. It’s a personal approach.

Today, to launch a couple of weeks of focus on Slow Travel we’ve asked the WHL Group staff what their thoughts and experiences with slow travel have been. Their answers were varied yet unified. The common message is simple – when travelling, slow down.

After you’ve read what we think (you can also click on any picture to see it on our Slow Travel Pinterest pin board), please tell us your ideas in the comments space below.

The bamboo railway in Battambang, Cambodia, is a good lesson in slow travel. Photo courtesy of Len Cordiner

“To me, slow travel is less about the number of dots on your travel itinerary and more about the quality/size of those dots. I have been travelling the world for around 40 years now, and have lived for periods of between one and five years in places as diverse as Japan, the USA, Vietnam, Austria, Nigeria, Switzerland and the UK.

Living in all these countries taught me a few things. First was that in all cases my first impressions shifted quite significantly as I got to know the people and the country better. This is not so surprising, but what was a little surprising to me was that it usually took a full year (or more) to really start to get under the skin of a place and feel comfortable, getting to a point where I could call a place ‘home.’

Being a better slow traveller required experience in my case. It is a learned skill; it is a life skill, really. I’ve found that people who are best at slow travel have a lot of empathy, and are decent people (fair, honest generous and considerate). They relate well to others.”
~ Len Cordiner, CEO, WHL Group

Tortuguero National Park, Costa Rica, is great place to spot wildlife. With no roads leading here, it's only accessible by boat, slowly. Photo courtesy of Laurel Angrist

“Slow travel, to me, means slowing down your pace to appreciate the journey you take along the way – to see sights that travellers often bypass, to experience local culture far away from the tourist traps, to meet people and get a feeling for their lives while treading lightly on the local environment.”
~ Laurel Angrist, Editor, The Travel Word

A slow travel experience through Mai Chau, Vietnam. Photo courtesy of Jen Aston

“To me slow travel is about developing a sense of belonging in the communities you visit. Learning your way around and finding the amazing bakery or the unusual market that never gets featured in guidebooks. It’s about cultural experiences and making memories. It’s not about the places you saw, but rather about the people you met and what they taught you along the way.”
~ Jen Aston, Director, whl.travel Africa regional office

In France, two wheels are the only way to go, to go slowly, to see the in-between treats. Of course, some cyclists may never get anywhere. Photo courtesy of Ethan Gelber

“My preferred form of travel is by bike. Whether I’m making a short hop as a commuter in my home city or spending weeks (and sometimes months) on the road covering hundreds or thousands of kilometres, I prefer the speed – or, relatively speaking, lack thereof – of self-propulsion. It gives me a sensory-rich sense of place. I feel the rain when it falls; I smell herbs and flowers when I roll by home gardens; I hear the braying of cattle or, better yet, a soothing depth of silence. I see the overlooked treasures between the points of departure and arrival.

Best of all, I meet the locals. It’s impossible and foolish not to, because they impart the true depth of experience that makes slow travel – travel at human speeds – so poignant. For as long as my body allows, and soon with the youthful vigour of my sons to help propel me, I intend to keep to my pedal-powered steed. And hope to continue to be able to claim that, true to this day, I have steered over more ground on two wheels than I have on four.”
~ Ethan Gelber, Chief Communications Officer, WHL Group

Can you do THIS on a plane? Photo courtesy of flickr/moyerphotos

“Does anything truly interesting ever happen on a plane? Watching a rerun of a movie you first saw 15 years ago is not interesting. Folding yourself into a bathroom mere feet from your fellow passengers is not interesting. Picking at a cube of reheated food matter as your elbows vie for space with those of your neighbour is certainly not interesting.

Slow travel may not always be fun, but it’s almost always interesting. If it’s a choice between a plane and a four-hour bus journey sitting next to a goat, give me the goat every time. You get the best views, you get the best price and you get the best stories. Even if you don’t enjoy it at the time, think about how good it’ll be when you get there.”
~ Paul Tavner, Developer, The Travel Word

When you've made it as far as Argentine Patagonia, what's the hurry? Photo courtesy of Cynthia Ord

“Slow travel is lingering somewhere rather than just passing through. It’s unpacking your bag and staying long enough to find a routine. To travel slowly is to leave your lodging without a camera sometimes, and to be able to say ‘I’m living here.’ It’s strolling, sitting, watching and absorbing the beauty in tiny details.”
~ Cynthia Ord, Newsletter Editor, The Travel Word

“Slow travel for me involves heading to a destination without a plan. In this way, instead of running around trying to hit all of the ‘major must-dos,’ I wander through neighbourhoods taking in the sights, smells and sounds of what life is like in a particular destination, giving myself permission to stop where I like and explore any street that beckons me.

Then of course there’s slow travel through slow transport. I’ve ridden through rice paddies on an elephant in Thailand, travelled calmly down waterways in India on a traditional houseboat and been pedalled through the madness of Hanoi traffic by an ultra-calm pedicab driver. When your means of transport changes, so does your perspective.”
~ Michael Franco, Chief Communications Officer, Lime&Tonic

Take a moment to stop and connect with the local people - these moments are what slow travel is made of. Photo courtesy of Klaudija Janzelj

“For me, slow travel is taking the time to hang out with local people. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to stay in one place for longer a period; it can be just a few hours, as long as you take the time and get to know a place through its locals. I would skip a sight or two for the opportunity to chat with locals, have a tea or coffee with them, and just talk about their lives, their families or even the weather.”
~ Klaudija Janzelj, Global Sales Manager, Urban Adventures

Part of a Polish backpacking adventure can involve crossing the border between Poland and Slovakia by bike, as there are no buses that take you across. Photo courtesy of Jenna Makowsky

“To me, slow travel means getting to know the vibe of a place by experiencing local, day-to-day life and its routine patterns. I love doing this by going to local coffee shops, eavesdropping on conversations (or even arguments!), taking public transportation, eating local food in local restaurants and listening to music that’s popular at the time. My favourite way to travel slowly, though, is by walking. Walking forces you to slow down and to pay attention to your surroundings. It’s a practice in observation. You catch the small details that are otherwise hard to see when you only spend a few days in a place, or only go to the main tourist attractions. Even little things, like the style of shoes that everyone seems to be wearing, can provide great insight into local trends and habits.

An example of slow travel? I recently spent a month backpacking across Poland by myself and without a car. My goal was to visit the villages that all of my great-grandparents came from. As many of these places were off of dirt roads, I was literally travelling ‘off the grid.’ I was forced to take local public transportation (and when that didn’t exist, to walk or hitchhike); I was forced to learn language skills; and I was forced to rely on the kindness of strangers to provide help. They always did. And I got to know rural Poland in a way that I never would have otherwise. I also learned a lot about myself and my ability to be self-reliant.
~ Jenna Makowski, Content Editor, whl.travel

Taking some time to get to know the locals in Varanasi, India. Photo courtesy of Maureen Valentine

“Slow travel to me is spending a solid amount of time in a place where you can see more than the Lonely Planet highlights, which usually throws the itinerary out the window. It’s about seeing the humanity in the eyes of the local people rather than crossing a destination off the bucket list. It’s about taking the time to step back and let it all sink in.”
~ Maureen Valentine, Director, whl.travel Asia and the Pacific regional office

From Varanasi to New Jalpaiguri, India, slowly, by train. Photo courtesy of Ashley Hiemenz

“Going slowly, travel is much more than ticking off a box on a list. It’s about taking time to meet the locals, learn their stories and, in return, leaving a little bit of your story behind. It’s about discovering every facet of a destination – beyond the major highlights – and taking the chance to discover a place with all your senses.

My slow travel experiences always make the best stories, even if they aren’t always the most pleasant situations! Last month, I decided to take the local train from Varanasi to New Jalpaiguri in India. The train was 12 hours delayed, so I had to spend the night in the cold train station with monkeys, dogs and cows. There weren’t any other foreign tourists there and we slept amongst other locals and families in the station. We met a lot of people during the delay and I’ve told this story at least a hundred times since I’ve returned. If things had run smoothly, then the experience wouldn’t have been nearly as interesting.”
~ Ashley Hiemenz, Product Manager, Gunyah

Slow travel is about long, lazy days and becoming the ultimate 'flâneur.' Photo courtesy of flickr/whltravel

“Slow travel is travelling without a strict schedule or itinerary. It is about staying longer and merging with the local scene, doing the regular things you would normally do in your own place: taking a bus, sending a correspondence, buying groceries. It is talking to a stranger for a long time and enjoying even the silent minutes of no talking. It is walking with your camera and realising that at the end of the day you took less than a handful of photos. It is entering an appliance shop and not buying anything, just to watch the people and their ways. It is about being the ultimate flâneur every time you walk down a street during your holiday.”
~ Andre Franchini, CEO, Hotel Link Solutions

“Slow travel to me means taking in the sights, sounds, smells and history of a destination, connecting with the locals and experiencing their culture, their cuisine and day-to-day lives, so you walk away with a real understanding of place and lasting memories of its people. The best way to do this is to take your time, being adventurous and using the slowest form of transport available, preferably ‘shanks’s pony.’”
~ Rob Shortland, CEO, whl.travel

A slow food market in Latvia. Latvia's new tourism slogan is "Best Enjoyed Slowly." Photo courtesy of Anda Cirule

“To me slow travel is about becoming a part of local life of the destination you visit. It’s about connecting to a place, its people and culture. It is something totally different from trips where you just follow the list of all ‘must-sees’ and after getting home you realise that you actually need a holiday to recover. Slow travel means to me that I can stay in one place long enough to have a favourite dish in the local restaurant.”
~ Anda Cirule, Director, whl.travel Europe and the Middle East regional office

Slow travel is straying from the postcard sites and creating your own picture-perfect moment. Photo courtesy of Wallace Faria

“Devagar se vai ao longe. This old Brazilian saying defines quite well what slow travel is to me. It means something like ‘slowly going further.’ In my opinion, haste is the enemy of the perfect trip. Rent an apartment instead of staying in a hotel. Read the local newspaper. Stray from the postcard sites and get lost!”
~ Wallace Faria, Director, whl.travel Americas regional office

Slow travel is about making local friends along the way, like here, in Yemen. Photo courtesy of Luke Ford

“Slow travel is about slowing down your travels to fully appreciate a place, its people and their culture… and making a few friends on the way.”
~ Luke Ford, CEO, Gunyah

Some transportation, like the Trans-Mongolian Express, lets you take a very long look at the world around you. Photo courtesy of Adrian Cordiner

“Slow travel is about the journey, not just the destination. Being excited about where you’re going, but being just as excited by how you get there, the people you meet, the sights you see and the experiences you have along the way. About slowing down to acknowledge that the journey you’re on allows, for the briefest moment, the chance to peer into someone else’s life and to share that moment in time with them.”
~ Adrian Cordiner, CEO, Green Path Transfers

Milky Way Rising from Australia

“I love this stop-motion clip of the Milky Way rising, filmed in Coonabarabran, New South Wales, Australia. This clip illustrates how much light pollution affects our ability to see the stars by showing us what’s visible without expensive equipment once you get out into the unpolluted Australian bush. On a personal note, I have regularly spent time in Coona throughout my life, and as an Aussie living in London it’s lovely to see the Milky Way and the Aussie scrub in a familiar context.”
~Jen Campbell, Social Media Specialist at WHL Group

The Playground Earth

“When I first saw the clip, I was simply inspired by it — the beauty of the images, the longing it created to see the places pictured. Now that I have two young sons, one of whom has started asking difficult questions about our place in the cosmos, I find the video even more entrancing. After reviewing with my son an astrology book that zoomed out from the earth to the solar system to the galaxy to the universe, this video let me zoom back in on the earth, so that we could talk about who we are, the terrestrial environment in which we exist and the responsibility we have for it.”
~Ethan Gelber, Director of Media and Communications at WHL Group

This is What Global Warming looks like.

“In this video that highlights how violently the earth ‘fought back’ in 2010, what I find most chilling is that it makes me think about the devastation that natural disasters have caused around the globe in the short few months that have followed the video. To me, it’s a haunting reminder of what to expect if we don’t take action.”
~Jennifer Aston, Africa Regional Office Director, whl.travel

Earth amazing sights

“There are many, but I like the entire series shown here. You cannot help but be overwhelmed by how truly awesome and versatile our planet earth is.”
~Rob Shortland, CEO at whl.travel

Saving the sea: Maldives cabinet meets underwater!

“This video inspires me as it is people like Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed who are leading the charge on climate change awareness. Through videos and novel ideas such as this to raise awareness, I hope that finally world leaders will act, and climate change will cease being a political issue, but rather something we must do, and do now.”
~Shaun Gilchrist, Urban Adventures associate and local partner

The Solar House

“This video captures the spirit of a new way of living – one which connects us with the earth and the communities in which we can live in joyous and fulfilling ways. The fact is that most still see anything “eco” as being uncomfortable, tasteless, boring, and something to be wary of. The reality is quite the opposite and this video is a celebration of that.”
~Len Cordiner, founder and CEO of WHL Group

‘Ice Skating’ Polar Bears – Nature’s Great Events

“I love this clip because it’s full of bittersweet ‘firsts.’ For this polar bear cub, it’s the first time venturing out onto the ice. It may be the first time that the mother has taken her young onto such thin ice, and the first time she’s had to spread her weight more widely. We can see the first signs of adaptation to the new conditions brought about by a warming planet. We’re learning that for the first time, humans have had a hand in climate change. This poignant ‘ice skating’ moment doubles as a call to action.”
~Cynthia Ord, managing editor of The Travel Word newsletter

Maya Lin – Unchopping a Tree

“I saw this video after it was shown at the Copenhagen Climate Summit and I guess it made an impression on me because I never forgot it. I think it really adds some perspective onto the damage we are doing to our planet. It has that inspirational punch that makes me want to get out there and chain myself to a tree!”
~Maureen Valentine, chief content editor at whl.travel

Female Elephants Rescue a Drowning Baby

“I love elephants, so my choice for an Earth Day moment had to be an elephant clip. See how the elephants use different techniques to pull and push the baby out. These great creatures are teaching us a few lessons here. We all can work together no matter how difficult the job. And no matter how little we are we all count and are important to somebody.”
~Sylvia Cordiner, admin support for WHL Group

Lontra Comendo Peixe | Parque Nacional do Iguaçu

“I like this video because it was a wonderful ending to our day at Iguazu National Park. This past Saturday, Wallace, Fabio (Foz do Iguaçu MPO) and I went to the park for a full day of activities. It was an amazing experience! The falls are incredible of course, but the park is also full of life. We had the chance to see a wide range of species, including Tufted Capuchin, Caiman, Common Agouti, Nasua and Toucan. The most exciting was the view of an otter having a dinner. We got really close, and I had the chance to record this cool video. Our guide, who has been working in the park for the past 7 years, said that he never managed to get so close to one for that long. It was definitely an inspiring nature experience.”
~André Franchini, Manager at Hotel Link Solutions

International year of Forests * 2011

“Forests have always fascinated me. My major interest is the trees. I used to spend hours reading about the different species, their reproduction, the seeds, flowering period, the use that the natives make of them, etc. I had the pleasure to travel widely in the Brazilian Amazon and Atlantic Forest. It’s unexplainable the feeling you get near a tree that is 300 or even 500 years old.”
~Wallace Faria, Central and South America Project Manager, whl.travel

Earth Day: Give Earth a Hand

“I like this one because it shows a great concept of giving a hand to make the Earth greener. At the beginning, it expresses Human’s ambitions, focusing just on things (cars and machines) that might cause harm to the Earth and the living environment. The clip’s message, then, is that it’s time the Earth’s inhabitants should switch their needs to something more essential, without side effects like destruction and pollution.”
~Tuan Truong, content approval on the content team of WHL Group

SchoolHouse Rocks Energy

“I grew up watching Schoolhouse Rock videos and although “The Energy Blues” first aired in 1978, the video’s message remains relevant today. Energy: quit wasting it all, will ya?”
~Laura Fornadel, Asia and the Pacific Project Manager, whl.travel

Home

(embedding disabled — click title to view on YouTube)
“With breathtaking footage of earth juxtaposed with astonishing images of defilement, Home takes us on a journey through human history and our ever-changing relationship with our planet. Sit back and get comfortable. This is a full-length documentary.”
~Ashley Hiemenz, product development at Gunyah

We would love to hear about other inspiring video clips about our earth. Share your links and thoughts below in the comment section.

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.

Travel 1.0

Travel 1.0 was about the travel professionals and travel experts telling us about the great things to see and do. This was the travel agents (off- and later online), travel media, guidebooks etc. It was a time of trusted brands (National Geographic, Lonely Planet, Four Seasons, Thomas Cook, Virgin Holidays etc.). With the exception of some friends and family advice, travellers took counsel from experts and planned their travel accordingly.

Hence the world of travel information up to around 2005 looked very much like the image seen above right.

Travel 2.0

Travel 2.0, which coincided with Web 2.0, was (and still is) about travellers telling everyone about their travel experiences. This has caused major trauma for the travel industry, as brands are (largely) replaced by or created around traveller feedback, and push-marketing is replaced by social networks. The new big names in travel information are the likes of Tripadvisor and Lonely Planet’s Thorn Tree.

From 2005 until very recently, the world of travel information became like this the image seen above left.

Travel 3.0

Travel 3.0 is about locals (and location). Locals are the ones on the ground every day – people with the intimate who-, what-, where-, when- and why-type information. Google’s relentless push to connect suppliers directly with buyers, geolocation, mobile Internet and the ‘when’ component added regularly by locals, along with a growing desire for experiential travel, are driving the next big shift in travel information… one driven by locals.

So from 2010, the world of travel information is looking more and more like this the image seen above right.

In keeping with this, the Local Travel Movement is all about locals – sharing stories told by locals, seeking out and writing about innovations in local travel and probing what all this means for travellers and local communities.

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On October 15th, 2008, I had the pleasure of attending the keynote address at the first National Geographic/Ashoka Geotourism Challenge awards in Washington DC given by Sven Lindblad, president and founder of Lindblad Expeditions.

He kicked off his talk by making reference to an op-ed published in the Los Angeles Times of July 2nd 2006 entitled “If Only Gay Sex Caused Global Warming: Why we’re more scared of gay marriage and terrorism than a much deadlier threat”. The article was written by Daniel Gilbert, a professor of psychology at Harvard University and the author of Stumbling on Happiness. The room full of attendees – mostly industry practitioners in sustainable development, academics, NGOs etc. – all found this a very amusing way to start the talk, but Sven was using it to make some very important points about the whole sustainable tourism movement to the sustainability practitioners.

The Los Angeles Times piece makes four key points

1. We humans look for enemies we can physically fight… for just about all big issues. We need a bad guy (we’re not so good at abstract enemies).
2. We need a good dose of moral outrage to get the blood boiling. We get this when we see people doing the wrong thing, like breaking taboos, but issues like global warming or the gradual destruction of tourism assets just don’t do it.
3. We are wired for imminent and present danger in our genes, but not for the maybe stuff of the future. We don’t even want to think too hard about whether our pensions are adequately funded.
4. If change comes very slowly, imperceptibly, we adapt. Maybe we shouldn’t be so ready to adapt (compare the traffic situation in Los Angeles today with that of 50 years ago for example), but we do.

It seems then that if we want to get the public (and politicians) interested and mobilised around the ‘future’ threat to tourism caused by degrading the tourism assets, we better try and nail it on some group we can identify readily so we can get swift action to shut them down. Otherwise the public ain’t gonna pay much attention.

The second point Sven made is the disastrous job of marketing ‘sustainability’ (or ‘responsible’ travel). Even allowing that Sven was unconvinced that the ‘future threat’ message was the right one to get the travelling public ‘mobilised’ in a serious way, he felt the chance of success with this message has been diluted immeasurably by the key actors not working together. Instead, the global travel industry, academics, industry bodies, NGOs etc. have all run off with their own small programs trying to brand their little corner. The result: the public is still mostly ignorant of the subject or totally confused. Mobilised, they are not.

My personal view is that the sustainable tourism practitioners should take some time out. Maybe go on holidays. Whilst they are doing this, (real) travel marketers should work with professional branding and marketing consultants (from outside the industry I think) to develop a whole new message for travellers; something like the slow food movement has been doing. You know, something along the lines of travelling to connect, smelling the roses, falling in love (again). Before you know it, we may just start getting travellers wanting to do this. It even sounds like it might be fun.

It’s generally well understood in the industry that what travellers want they will get, so by the time the sustainability crew are back from holidays, we will have travel service providers moving quickly down the (more sustainable) path we’d been aspiring to.

This opinion piece is the second of a theme that began when Len Cordiner asked Has the Whole Ecotourism Industry Shot Itself in the Foot?

The hosting sextet began discussing and illustrating some of the thoughts and ideas propounded during Responsible Tourism Week 2009 – an online discussion held the week of May 18-22 that focussed on responsible tourism around the world. Using examples pulled from their extensive store of experiences or promoted through their organisations, the speakers’ primary objective was to demonstrate the universal appeal of responsible tourism to a broad range of constituencies in all sectors.

If you wish to listen to and then share the proceedings of this completed webinar, a full recording, a chat transcript and written summary are all available online.

After your listen, please share with us:

• your thoughts (constructive and deconstructuve) about this first webinar
• the topics/themes you would like us to address in coming sessions
• the names and/or kinds of qualifications of guest presenters you would like us to invite to coming sessions.

We hope to see you at our next webinar: 1pm GMT on 18 June. Mark it in your calendars and share the news with others.

The six featured presenters on 4 June were:

HOSTS
* Sally Broom, CEO of Your Safe Planet & Fringe Network
* Stephen Chapman, Founder of Make Travel Fair

SPEAKERS
* Len Cordiner, CEO of whl.travel
* Ron Mader, Founder of Planeta
* Kenrick Theus, Director of the International Centre for Responsible Tourism-Belize
* Valere Tjolle, Editor of Vision on Sustainable Tourism for TravelMole.

Brief biographies of the speakers can be found below.

For more information, contact:
* Shaun Gilchrist, Chief Operations Officer, whl.travel, +61 431 020 173; shaun@whl.travel
* Ethan Gelber, Media Liaison, whl.travel, ethan@whl.travel

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SALLY BROOM – CEO, Your Safe Planet & Fringe Network
Sally Broom is founder of the unique travel website YourSafePlanet.com, the global network of trusted local experts. YSP connects travellers with experts at the grassroots who advise on trip planning using their up-to-date local knowledge. The goal of YSP is support slower and more rewarding travel.

‘Fringe’ network was a name given by media to a group of grassroots tourism organisations and individuals who feel that there is an opportunity to collaborate with more people on the important issues around local tourism, sustainable travel etc. What started as nothing more than a few drinks between friends around WTM has developed into a global network of hundreds of members. Their simple aims are to bring attention and energy to grassroots projects and, through collaboration, facilitate more local/sustainable travel.

STEPHEN CHAPMAN – Founder, Make Travel Fair
Stephen Chapman has travelled extensively and spent time living in both Australia and USA. After graduating from Edinburgh University in 2005 he spent a short period working offshore as a geologist in the oil & gas industry before changing direction completely to follow his passion for travel and established Make Travel Fair. The website won a TravelMole Web Award in its first year for ‘Best Online Education Site’, and more recently he was selected as ‘One-to-Watch’ in Travel & Leisure as part of The Courvoisier Future 500. This year he began working as part of the whl.travel team.

LEN CORDINER – CEO of whl.travel
In incubating and running numerous companies over 35 years in Asia, Africa, Europe, North America and Oceania, Len Cordiner has developed a passion for win-win outcomes. He was active early in the move to triple-bottom-line reporting and the development of certification programmes for the environment and sustainable travel. More recently, he has made harnessing the power of the Internet and new communications tools central to his mission to change paradigms in travel, making it more accessible to all. In this vein, founding whl.travel is Len’s latest and most ambitious global business initiative.

whl.travel is a global grassroots network of travel websites catering to independent travelers journeying off the beaten track and tired of the limited travel options offered by most online service providers. whl.travel emphasises responsible travel and keeping things local by focusing on smaller hotels, guesthouses and tour operators, particularly, but not exclusively, in developing countries where it can really make a difference. As of late May, whl.travel spans 170 destinations in 76 countries, with further expansion into more than 100 destinations (including 23 new countries) in the next six months.

RON MADER – Founder, Planeta
Ron Mader is a professional journalist and the founder of Planeta.com, the web’s first site dedicated to ecotourism. Ron’s work catalyzes action and conservation about environmental conservation, responsible travel and peacemaking. Ron’s work includes facilitating online and natural-world seminars and workshops, the most popular of which is the Web Seminar that shows professionals how to make effective use of Planeta.com and improve their own web presence.

Planeta.com has won many awards, including recognition from the Mexican government for exemplary coverage of Mexico. Presidents Fox and Zedillo presented Ron with the Lente de Plata Award in 1999 and 2002. Outside magazine called Planeta.com, the virtual vanguard. Ron is also the ecotourism and Latin America contributing editor for the U.S. magazine Transitions Abroad.

KENRICK THEUS – Director, International Centre for Responsible Tourism-Belize
Kenrick Theus, a native of Belize, has worked in the hospitality industry for the past 18 years as an operations manager, chef, food and beverage manager, general manager and trainer. He is presently employed as the Food and Beverage Management Lecturer at the University of Belize for the Bachelor Degree Students. In April 2008, he joined Mr. Yashin Dujon, Technical Officer in the Ministry of Tourism in Belize, and started the International Centre for Responsible Tourism-Belize (ICRT-Belize). They are both presently working at getting International certification bodies for hotels into the country such as Green Globe and Green Deal by the end of 2009. Mr. Theus has been President of the Belize Hotel Association since 2007 and currently serves as a Director on the   Board of Directors of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association.

VALERE TJOLLE – Editor, Vision on Sustainable Tourism, TravelMole
TravelMole is the most highly acclaimed and largest global online community for the travel and tourism industry with over 450,000 registered newswire subscribers – travel and tourism professionals worldwide.

The historic Queen Victoria Building, Sydney. Photo by Flickr/australiaphotos.co.uk.

Sound familiar? Around the same time some of Sydney’s most treasured buildings were up for demolition in The Rocks area, as well as the Queen Victoria Building. Fortunately strong union action at the time saved them (thank God).

Much of course is destroyed with no protest at all as we ‘progress and grow’. It’s often only when we look back that we lament that which has passed and which our children and their children will never know, or wonder at, or share. In fact in the past 100 years, during which time the world’s population has more than quadrupled, we have ‘consumed’ more of nature’s bounty than all of our predecessors had in all of history, and the destruction of the natural environment, local cultures and heritage sites continues apace. Frankly it is scary. I feel like we’re hurtling toward a brick wall at 100 km/hr with no brakes.

With this backdrop the team at whl.travel has partnered up with the National Geographic Centre for Sustainable Destinations and Ashoka to support the 2009 Geotourism Challenge.

We are trying to indentify organisations doing great things to retain the “Power of Place” – sustaining the future of destinations for future generations. This is more than just to celebrate the innovation and commitment of the people and organisations involved; it importantly provides a window on ways we can all play a role to save what is left.

So please, join in. Put forward any initiatives out there you have seen which you think we all need to know about. The place to check out other nominations and make your own is www.changemakers.net/geotourismchallenge.

[Editor's note: The 2009 Geotourism Challenge is now over. The winners were announced on 9 September. Read more about it here.]

For the past 20 years work has been underway by governments, NGOs and some industry groups to get suppliers of travel product, especially accommodations and tours, certified as eco-friendly.

More recently the scope of certification has been broadened to include social and cultural issues as well – all part of a movement focusing on sustainability.

Whilst I applaud the intent, efforts and enthusiasm of all the experts involved, I can’t help but feel things haven’t gone so well. It seems to me that key beneficiaries of the message – you! the travellers! – have been left out. As a result, many suppliers are not so sure that the cost of certification will be rewarded by increased patronage.

The result today is a proliferation of certification schemes around the world all trying to push their message down to travel product providers, but none of them having gained any real traction as far as I can see.

In fact in the developing world, where whl.travel is active, it is rare to find an accommodation provider with any form of certification and even rarer to find a traveller using certification as a selection criteria for where they shop.

In my view, not only has certification not had the desired impact, but also the marketing message for the whole sustainable tourism movement needs rethinking.

I recall reading about a survey TUI Travel (Europe’s biggest travel firm) conducted a couple of years ago in which they asked travellers in Europe about green vacations soon to be on offer. The response was actually quite negative. Those surveyed equated a green vacation with doing it tough – hard beds and tasteless food. Green or sustainable holidays were perceived as something only tree huggers would do, not at all fun or enjoyable.

Recently I was moderating a workshop at National Geographic headquarters in Washington with a group of sustainable tourism practitioners, and we were cautioned by a representative of one of the major global airlines to ensure we focused on changing the message to the travelling public. Her view of the message was very much in line with the one reflected in the TUI Travel survey.

Changing the above will require fresh thinking.

First and foremost it will require engaging travellers with a coherent and inviting new vision of what ‘eco’ (now perhaps better known as responsible or sustainable or even slow) tourism is really about.

This done, travellers will need to be engaged in driving change throughout the supply chain by giving feedback to other travellers, much in the same way they are prompting evolution in the hotel industry (including new brands) with their feedback on services. I imagine a slow tourism version of Trip Advisor being what it looks like.

We have renamed our blog. “Yes we can” borrows obviously from US President Barack Obama’s mantra used during the 2008 presidential election. There are good reasons for this. First, we, like many others out there, have come to see President Obama as a true leader.

Admittedly he has only just begun to address the challenges that face us; however, up to this point he has inspired us with his vision of a better world. He has given us hope that if we all work together we can solve the problems besetting us. His message …a call to action… is inspirational and it’s inclusive. Hence we want to challenge the entire whl.travel network, our fellow travellers and the suppliers of accommodation and tour product to build tourism anew.

To us the travel industry has much to do. Like so many aspects of Western life over the past 40-50 years, it has been a victim of mass consumerism and greed. In the process the true joys of discovery, learning and sharing have been compromised.

We have ended up addicted to “fast tourism” in the same way we have ended up addicted to “fast food.”

Well, just as there is a powerful SLOW FOOD movement, so too do we now need to build a SLOW TOURISM movement.

Like the slow food movement we want to encourage a kind of tourism that respects local cultures and history, protects the environment and is socially responsible. More than this, however, it is tourism that celebrates diversity, connects people and brings back the joys of discovery, learning and sharing.