Planeterra Significantly Boosts Community Tourism Benefits

Planeterra, the leading non-profit organisation dedicated to uplifting communities through tourism, has released its 2025 Impact Report, highlighting how Community Tourism initiatives helped strengthen local enterprises, create income opportunities, support community-led climate action, and expand access to tourism for communities around the world.

In 2025, work carried out alongside Community Partners, Travel Partners, donors, supporters, and the Planeterra team contributed to:

• 568 organisations in the Planeterra Community Tourism Network.

• 276 Community Tourism Enterprises connected to travel companies.

• 124,717 traveller visits to Community Tourism Enterprises.

• CAD $3.32 million (US$2.38 M) in revenue earned by communities through Planeterra’s Travel Partners.

• 254,941 people positively impacted through community tourism and climate initiatives.

• 2,063,583 trees planted and growing through community-led climate and biodiversity initiatives.

At a time when tourism continues to grow globally, many of the communities that make travel possible still do not benefit fairly from it. Planeterra’s 2025 Impact Report shows how partnerships between communities, local organisations, travel companies, and non-profits can help strengthen Community Tourism in ways that create local income, connect enterprises to the wider travel industry, and support community priorities over the long term.

“Tourism is a multi-trillion-dollar industry, yet many of the communities that make travel possible still do not fully benefit from it. Planeterra is working to change that,” said Jamie Sweeting, President of Planeterra. “Community Tourism is not a side story to travel. It is one of the ways communities are creating livelihoods, protecting culture and biodiversity, and shaping tourism in ways that reflect what matters most to them.”

The report includes examples from across Planeterra’s global network, including:

• Ecuador, where Quichua Native Travel supports Kichwa communities through locally led cultural experiences, with tourism income helping support women-led businesses, household income, school supplies, and community infrastructure.

• Rwanda, where Nyamirambo Women’s Center uses Community Tourism to support women’s income generation, skills development, and access to health coverage.

• Greece, where Naxos Wildlife Protection connects travellers to wildlife conservation education while tourism income supports sea turtle rescue, rehabilitation, and environmental awareness.

• Vietnam, where support from the Planeterra Community Tourism Fund helped Catalyst for Change Vietnam launch Her Kitchen: Wellness Culinary Journeys, creating livelihood opportunities for single mothers through culinary tourism, business training, and mentorship.

The report also highlights the growing connection between Community Tourism and climate action. In 2025, Planeterra-supported climate and biodiversity initiatives contributed to more than 2 million trees planted and growing, alongside wider efforts to support local livelihoods and environmental stewardship in destinations where community wellbeing and healthy ecosystems are closely linked.