In Vietnam, Bloom Microventures combines tourism with microfinance in an extremely innovative manner: Bloom’s unique model of cross-subsidising microfinance operations with income generated through tourism enables the organisation to have a far greater social impact. By meeting the borrowers on a tour, we see clearly just how very successful Bloom’s program has been in lifting some of the poorest women in Vietnam out of poverty.

In 2007, after I learned that the government of Jordan had declared a poverty pocket in the community known as Ghor Al Mazra’a (Jordan Valley), I founded something called the Zikra Initiative, an ‘exchange tourism’ program through which city-based people can immerse themselves in the uniqueness of a rural area through workshops led by locals. It seems like we have come so far since then, and yet there is still so much to be done.

I traveled to Egypt to examine the potential for volunteer tourism in Cairo and Aswan. We participated in a series of volunteer tourism workshops, consultations and media-outreach events across the country. The goal of the program was to energize people in government, the non-profit and private sector about how they might directly implement the concept of volunteer tourism in Egypt. A few of the organizations we visited, which offer some potential for volunteer tourism, are profiled here.

In light of Responsible Travel Week 2011, we at Gunyah – specialists in short-duration experiential packages for independent travellers eager to connect with local people – have selected our favourite local travel experiences… in Argentina, Vietnam, Nepal, Australia, Zambia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. We want to inspire travellers to seek out more meaningful travel experiences, the kinds that can only come through real contact with locals and genuine enjoyment of local culture and tradition.

As a Hanoi resident, I have taken many a tour with visiting friends. Accordingly, I have experienced my share of horrible tours. I’ve also seen the detrimental effects of tourism done wrong – whereby the big guys get richer and little money trickles down to the local suppliers (leaving disgruntled staff members and unhappy travellers). Over the years though, a few responsible tour operators have made a sincere effort to offer better travel alternatives, so when we noticed a humble poster that advertised a microfinance tour in Vietnam, we were definitely curious. What is a microfinance tour?