THE METAMORPHOSIS By Ernie D. Delfin CREATIVE WAYS TO INCREASE TOURISM AT THE SAME TIME SUPPORTING SOCIAL ENTERPRISES AND NGO’S My last column on “Social Enterprises Can Stop the Widening Gap between the Haves and the Havenots” received many interesting responses and feedbacks. Today’s column is a sort of an expansion of what we, as concerned humanitarians, can do, as tourists or hosts and become potential supporters for a social enterprise or any favorite NGO. The possibilities of creating opportunities and wealth might be unlimited by just changing how we do things when we travel and spend our precious dollars or dinars or pesos. As a businessman with several decades of active involvement in non-profit organizations, like Rotary International, that has afforded me to travel and visit other cities and countries in the world, I have seen a lot, learned much, especially when I wear my analytical cap as marketing person and entrepreneur while conversing with many people of diverse backgrounds and culture. Many of our travels have resulted into closer friendships in other cities or foreign countries, in addition to the traditional cultural and educational benefits, especially the times when we have availed of Rotary International’s “International Travel and Hosting Fellowship” (ithf.org) where I have been a member for many years. The primary objectives of this RI fellowship is to foster camaraderie and friendships through tourism and hosting privileges among its thousands of members. With common objectives, we as members can pre-arrange to be the home stay guests or hosts of fellow Rotarians at anytime, anywhere where those Rotarians reside. My wife and I have been guests in other Rotarians’ homes in Japan, England, Mexico and in the Philippines. Likewise, we have also been the hosts of several Rotarians in our Orange County, Southern California home, which is not far from the ‘Happiest Place on Earth, called Disneyland, the last couple of decades. I have had memorable experiences traveling through this non-traditional route where few tourists do. For instance, I have been a home stay guests by some Rotarians in a few countries, where we were not obligated to pay the hosts. However, as a token of our deep appreciation I have voluntarily leave some money in an envelope with a brief letter of thanks, and suggestions that the money is to support the local Rotarians’ community or vocational projects. That money would have been spent, anyway, in the hotel and local restaurants that exist mainly to make profits for the owners and stockholders. I was quite certain that although the donation was not expected, it resulted into a good source of funds to support or subsidize their Rotary Club’s community projects. Two obvious benefits from this transaction or gift may include: good and lasting friendship between the guest and the host, possible “savings” for the guests, additional financial support to local Rotarian’s community or vocational projects, at the expense of the commercial hotel that never received a penny from this home stay and hosting program of Rotary. ****** With that personal anecdote as a background, this traveller-writer and humanitarian-adventurer has been thinking more and more how we, as tourists, can create and cause deeper or lasting benefits to the communities of both the tourist-guests and their hosts. The results of my informal experiments during my travels led me to believe that it might work with the influx of people who will participate, with an effective marketing that highlights some potential benefits and recommended protocols. It can happen one person, one tourist, one host participating one at a time, in any one place, anywhere where willing participants travel. Allow me to elaborate: Through the tools of 21st century social media, especially Face Book or Twitter, a member of this group (for our discussion purposes, tentatively called World Wide Tourism for Social Purposes or WWT4SP) places his “wish list” in the WWT4SP website to visit and be hosted in another city or country at such a date and for how long. With hundreds or thousand of members (that are listed in the website’s restricted page that can only be accessed with a members password) there is a great likelihood that a member or members will be interested to respond to get more information that may lead to an informal “contract” as recommended in the WWT4SP’s Code of Conduct and Protocol (CCP). The CCP may strongly recommend that the home stay guests agree to pay at least half of the “average” bed and breakfast costs or hotel charges (like Embassy Suites in the USA that provides complimentary breakfast to their registered guests), to the WWT4SP Social Fund to be disbursed according to agreed percentages later on. Let’s put some imaginary figures. Embassy Suites in a region in the United States, for instance, charges $200 a night for a double occupancy. The homestay guests will then pay at least $100 for each bed and breakfast night in the hosts’ home or guest house. Just assuming that the guests (as previously arranged) will stay 5 days, the WWT4SP Social Fund will receive $500 (saving the homestay guests $500 if he were to book his stay in the Embassy Suites). The Social Fund can then disburse 50% to the hosts to compensate for his time, energy and related expenses (that MAY even include picking his guests from the airport or train station and driving him around, although NOT required in this proposed WWT4SP program) In this example, $500 is received by the Social Fund, that will disburse half or $250 to the hosts to partially compensate for his time, energy and home expenses for those five days. The other half or $250, after allocating 10% to 20%, may be, for administration, website, marketing and advertising to expand the program, will be channeled to support, subsidize or finance social enterprises in the hosts or guests countries, as approved by an Executive Committee upon the suggestions or recommendations from the hosts/guests who have participated in this WWT4SP program. * * * * Today, as it is still free to dream, I am dreaming that this outside-the-box idea, can have hundreds if not thousand of tourists ( in the future) to participate, and if only 500 guests per year pay $500 (while saving $500, in our example) that is a whopping $2,500,000 that will leave $ 1,250,000 million to the Social Fund “Community Fund” that can be used to fund, subsidize some worthy social project in the hosts’ and guests’ home country. In the Philippines, that is a lot of pesos, that is over 50 million pesos! that can start several livelihood projects, subsidizes or builds a few Gawad Kalinga housing project for the poor, and help educate poor but deserving children to become useful citizens! The possibilities can be endless! The question or challenge NOW, is how many of the readers of this column will say, “LET’S DO IT”! As we are already doing it in a very informal manner, I am dreaming that through this column and in Face Book and social media, especially FaceBook, FaceTime or Twitter hundreds or thousands more will try it and then participate regularly and thereby converting millions of tourism dollars into a social or community fund to support, subsidize or fund some worthy social enterprises in our communities. Dear readers, please ponder and be excited about the possibilities… Comment and feedback, please! Mabuhay… (Cheers!) ------- 3 0 --------- Email columnist: ernie.delfin@gmail zhunrize.foundation@gmail Visit: rotaryeclubGlobalKalingaD3780.org Shop: foundation4nextgen.zhuncity
Posted on: Wed, 16 Jul 2014 11:59:00 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015