60 | LUXlife Magazine covillage Tours serves a compassionate clientele who seek to make a lasting impact on local communities and replicate sustainable practices in their own communities back home. By collaborating with ecovillages, the company provides travellers with real-life examples of sustainability in action. Ecovillage Tours offers much more than just a holiday, participants discover alternative lifestyles, potential homes and investments, and forge meaningful connections with communities at the forefront of global change. Ecovillage Tours has become renowned for once-in-a-lifetime experiences that foster deep relationships and memorable adventures. Ecovillage Tours was conceived from a simple but effective idea. Founder Cynthia Tina has visited more of 150 intentional communities around the world, including the Vermont ecovillage where she lives in her self-built passive solar home. After embarking on many extraordinary experiences, Cynthia wanted to share the advantages of ecovillages with others passionate about living sustainably. Despite this, Cynthia understood the difficulties of accessing these communities with many residential neighbourhoods not open to visitors. Even those who do visit, find that they seldom receive the same fulfilling experience as someone within the community. Ecovillage Tours acts as a bridge for travellers and its management practices focus on ongoing improvement, leveraging crucial feedback to enhance the company’s thrilling offerings. Every aspect of a tour, from the destinations, guides, and partners to the food and methods of transport, are carefully selected to align with Ecovillage’s core values. Cynthia says, “Most people join an ecovillage tour because they want to experience the communities we visit. After the trip, they realise that the community we create among participants is the most valuable reason to join. Our group not only visits communities but becomes itself a ‘community on wheels.’ We practice authentic relating, conflict resolution, group decision-making, and many more communication tools that we learn about from the communities we visit. The end result is transformative experiences and enduring friendships.” A dedicated team manages the details so travellers can focus on their journey to a better life. Ecovillage Tours crafts balanced itineraries that include educational sessions, volunteering, and plenty of time for relaxation and fun. With vibrant ecovillages in Asia, Central America, Europe, and the United States, guests will discover amazing biodiversity, sustainable practices, and rich cultural traditions. Offering visits to multiple destinations over the course of several days, tours enables Most Innovative Global Eco-Tourism Agency 2024 Ecovillage Tours is on a mission to make the world a better place, offering experiences to inspiring sustainable living communities around the world. Travellers can choose between multi-day small-group tours and tailored tour experiences to more than 200 global partner communities. Driven by values of community, education, and sustainability, Ecovillage Tours’ adventures strive to positively contribute to the places and communities it touches. For its transformative journeys, we have honoured Ecovillage Tours with our award for Most Innovative Global Eco-Tourism Agency. travellers to explore dynamic communities and learn valuable lessons to shape the future of the environment. With growing awareness of the negative environmental impacts of travel, a sustainable tourism sector can positively affect the environment, society, and the economy in many ways. Cynthia shares, “We believe that sustainability doesn’t mean the end of travel. It just means making every trip count. By joining one of our tours, participants leave a positive impact on local communities while soaking up all the inspiration they need for fuelling work in their own communities. Mainstream tourism capitalises on popular, crowded spots. We guide participants along the road less travelled. Our focus is on slow, immersive experiences that foster authentic relationships and unforgettable adventures. We are leaders within the sustainable tourism sector because of our commitment to creating a net positive impact with each of our tours.” Ecovillage Tours strives to contribute to the global movement towards a greener future. Through its captivating experiences, the team aims to inspire others to positively impact local communities and gain experience that will fuel sustainable initiatives in their own neighbourhoods. Recognised in this year’s Travel and Tourism Awards, Ecovillage Tours is passionate about creating immersive experiences that forge connections and create memories that last a lifetime. Contact: Cynthia Tina Company: Ecovillage Tours Web Address: https://www.ecovillagetours.com/ E Feb24138
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