While most startups are in the game for dollars and cents, some have set out with a strong social conscience, trying to build stronger communities, promote sustainability — even help younger people develop emotional intelligence.
LocalAlike, for example, helps villages in Thailand build up sustainable tourism experiences that in turn boost the villages’ economy. Own Journey Travel brings young tourists on 10-day trips to Cambodia, filled with workshops to improve their emotional intelligence.
Meanwhile, Backstreet Academy partners people on the ground to turn them into micro-entrepreneurs, helping build tours such as insect cooking courses which the tourist would otherwise have no reach to, and which the locals would not have been able to sell because of language or technological barriers.
Bigger companies such as Booking.com have started to fund such socially-driven businesses with its Booking Booster programme this year.
“For us, it is really investing in these companies because we want to see sustainable travel grow and i hope they will be able to do that,” said Marianne Gybels, manager, Booking Cares, Booking.com.
When Yeoh Siew Hoon, founder & managing director, WIT asked what the startups would do if they were granted $100 million to solve a travel industry social problem, all three said they would do just the same — scale it up.
Somsak “Pai” Boonkam (pictured left) from LocalAlike said he would go into villages all over the world, while Backstreet Academy’s Jamon Mok said: “With $100 million, I can do the same thing in every community in the world.”
For Chyloe Kurdas, founder, Own Journey Travel, she would want to look at how she can help people build connections with the communities and people that they meet through travel and, hopefully, solve loneliness.
Unfortunately, even if Gybels had $100 million to disburse to social enterprises within the travel industry, she would not be hedging her bets in just one organisation. “I’d make the fund revolving, so everyone can grow in scale and invest back again in the same travel space.”
