A HOLYDAY WITH A DIFFERENCE

In this kaleidoscopic society, life is constantly changing and this has a big impact on the international multi – billion tourism industry. This includes changing trends in accommodation, tours, cruise ship facilities and countries to visit and explore.

If you follow the “gurus” you will be informed that less people are interested in beach holidays only. Getting a suntan and lazing on the beach is slowly but surely becoming outdated. A lot of people are getting increasingly tired of spending nights in bars and discos with sumptuous meals being the only highlights of the day.

TOURISTS CHANGE OF ATTITUDE
Tourists now desire something new, exciting and different. They are calling it “a holiday with a purpose”! Tourists now want to go back home feeling refreshed after an action packed holiday full with real life experiences.

This segment of tourism market is growing fast and suppliers are being forced to adjust. The name of the game has been changed to include plenty of activities and adventures for both the mind and the soul. This new “holiday with a purpose” includes interactions with local people (besides the hotel staff) because they know how to give the tourists the feel and heart beat of the country. Some tourists are even keen to physically work on the community projects alongside the locals. What such guests seek is a totally relaxing holiday full of exciting stories to tell back home. A beach holiday could never provide or match such a holiday with a difference.

TOURISTS WITH PHILANTHROPIC CHARACTERISTICS / INTERESTS
Many Tourists desire to travel but the prohibitive costs of hotel accommodation makes this dream hard to realize. Therefore, an increasing number of travellers are now opting to take a home based kind of tourism , at times called “people to people educational tours”, for the purpose of social integration and cultural immersion staying in a rural village setting. In this case the tourists will spend their savings supporting a community project, for example on education, health, Agriculture, women group projects and sop forth. Their support and generosity could also include paying school fees to the orphans and vulnerable children in secondary (High) schools or helping the less fortunate in one way or another, instead of spending such lots of money in a hotel.

For this group of tourists, their preference lies in spending their holidays with local families and staying with them in the village which enriches their experiences and allows them to enjoy home generosity and hospitality.

Kenya fits perfectly within this context of new holiday concept as Kenyans are friendly and open. The country’s breath-taking sceneries make the experience beautiful and memorable. Recently, a lady visited the country and travelled to Rusinga Island on Lake Victoria to do a survey on local herbs and medicinal plants. She wanted to find out which medicinal plants were harvested and how the local people were using them. She wanted to learn how to preserve this traditional knowledge for years to come and she was introduced to a local medicine-man who has established a Herbal Clinic in the island. Both the lady and he herbalist worked together for some months at the clinic.


There are also other memorable examples whereby such tourists have immensely contributed towards the development of community projects in Rusinga Island for example a tourist from France and his family back in France have supported Milimani Academy, a school for orphans and vulnerable children in the locality. One lady from USA supported to erect a permanent fence for horticultural project belonging to a local women group, and yet another one recently from Brazil assisted a host family to install a solar system to provide light and also to charge mobile phones in a rural village not yet connected to the National Grid. In February this year, a couple from Spain / Ireland by names Viviana and Neil who had come to Lake Victoria Permaculture Net work projects as volunteers donated two laptops to facilitate ICT training for the local youths and also cash to purchase school supplies, porridge ingredients and salary for three months for teachers at Milimani Academy.

Odula family hugely appreciates all the assistance and support given to the community projects and also needy individuals in Rusinga Island on Lake Victoria in Kenya by such tourists and volunteers to the island.
Apart from financial contributions to the community needs, such tourists also provide volunteer services involving physical work with the local community members. And eventually these tourists go back home hugely satisfied and full of exciting stories to tell.

lvicperm@yahoo.co.uk
Victor Odula – Kenya


http://www.youtube.com/odulafamily