Speaking at AKTG’s global biennial conference in Chicago, UK and APAC Managing Director Debra Fox says philanthropy is not only giving back to vital communities, it’s a game-changer in luxury travel.
Abercrombie & Kent has long been a leader in philanthropy with founder Geoffrey Kent, along with his parents, creating the first modern luxury safari in the 60s.
With the baton now passed to Executive Director Keith Sproule, travellers have contributed US$3.3 million to its efforts, and there are now 80 active projects across 27 countries.
“When we talk about philanthropy, once luxury travellers get onto a travel experience with us, and they become witness to these projects, it is a game-changer, and they want to become involved,” says Fox.
“We don’t force them to do it; they opt in, but if they are repeat travellers, they are highly engaged.”
She says that is changing the way luxury travellers are experiencing the world, because the more who ‘opt in’, and give back, the more projects are created, and that means more experiences for luxury travellers to places and insights into communities money simply can’t buy.
“These projects are driven up. We don’t dictate or decide what communities need; there are coordinators on the ground, and they feed up what they would like to do where there is the most need in their communities.”
Fox says it’s Australians in particular who are helping drive change.
“Australians want to get in and participate and learn in a different way, so they want the connection. For the younger demographic, it’s also critically important.”
AKTG’s Vice President of Global Product Strategy Beth Sherer agrees, saying the Australian travellers’ intrepid mindset, “being more experiential and willing to step outside their comfort zone” is why so many projects are now available.
“So we now have integrated 70 projects across 200 itineraries online, and many are small groups and tailor-made projects.”
She says the work A&K does was one of the main reasons she decided to take the job.
“I came to luxury travel from being in global health, working in Africa and Southeast Asia with NGOs and government organisations, and what drew me to A&K was really the commitment to the responsibility to communities.
“I know everyone tells the donations they give, and it’s wonderful and I’m supportive of that, but what I would say about AKPs approach is that it’s from the perspective of a true NGO, a true philanthropic organisation, and it’s monitored, and there’s engagement with stakeholders, and importantly, it’s the local communities identifying the projects.”
Those coordinators and people identifying projects which Fox and Sherer talk about are being hired all over the world, says Philanthropy Executive Director Keith Sproule.
“We’re hiring what we call ‘impact managers’ in Argentina, Bolivia, Costa Rica, and we just hired in Indonesia, Brazil, Thailand and Rwanda – and we’re looking at areas where we have a DMC.
“We now have 22, and it’s only because of them that we have already built entire primary school campuses in Cambodia, Africa and Peru.
“There’s hardly a destination in the world where we’re not doing something”.
The bottom line is, we grow when we have an impact manager and the more autonomy we give them, the more they prosper.
“They have that dual responsibility to have a planning meeting with the local community to identify priorities, and it has to be community first, and they help structure it working through industry, whether it’s the Department of Health or Education, and they are also integral in the guest experience.
“They’re crafting what the experience will be, and they’re who the travel consultant will call, and so my philosophy on their role is to hire someone entrepreneurial and let them know this is their portfolio, so they can build it based on how they want, as long as it’s around community need.”
He says they already have a great example of this in India with the work the Impact Manager there, Upamanyu Raju, is doing.
“He has built out a fantastic social enterprise with women in Jaipur, two schools, and he’s working with communities that live on the edge of Ranthambore National Park, in the most part, former poachers, so they can tell their story to guests about what they used to do.”
Sproule says that has led to more experiences for guests to participate in, and as Fox points out, that changes the way luxury travellers experience the world.
“The more money, the more projects and that means there are more experiences for guests, and that will be an even bigger number next year; so the key to growth to have even more exceptional guest experiences, is where guests opt out rather than opt in, and I think that will happen eventually.”
For more information, visit A&K Philanthropy.
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