Advocacy is the pursuit of influencing outcomes — including public-policy and resource allocation decisions within political, economic, and social systems and institutions — that directly affect people’s current lives.
Why Tourism?
StepUp Travel believes that part of advocacy for fair trade, peace, alleviation of poverty, is local small business development and personal relationships. Travel/tourism encompasses these opportunities globally. Choosing small, local businesses leads to more meaningful and unique traveler experiences.
The StepUp Travel website is built to bring together local small businesses and the StepUp Travel advocacy community helps fuel the spirit of the positive change within travel/tourism.
Our Sustainable Tourism Advocacy Efforts
- Why We Need Micro-loan Tours instead of Slum Tourism - Brave New Traveler, March 2007
Provided seed funding for the microfinance tourism non-profit Investours.org - Oaxaca, Mexico, 2008 - The e-Bario Knowledge Fair - Sarawak, Malaysia, December 2007s
Community Based Tourism in Asia; an Overview. Daniella Schiller, Research Intern, Step-Up travel and Asian Encounters - International Institute of Peace through Tourism 4th African Conference - Kampala, Uganda, May 2007
Oral Presentation and Workshop Leader: Meeting the Need for a Global Internet Marketing and Social Networking Tool for Local Micro-enterprise and SME Tourism Development - University of Pennsylvania PIBV Wharton Conference on Corporate Social Responsibility - Philadelphia, United States, February 2007
Panelist, Socially Conscious Investing: Tourism Perspective - World Social Forum Workshop: Sustainable Tourism for the Eradication of Poverty - December 2006
- Desti-Nations World Tourism Forum for Peace and Sustainable Development - Porto Alegre, Brazil, November 2006
Poster Presentation by Sweeney R.T., Brito A., Zimmerman J.S.: STEP - Sustainable Travel for Eradication of Poverty - UNWTO Global E-conference on the role of development communication in sustainable tourism - Online, June 2006