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Introducing: LeapLocal.org...
Here's a new site that puts travellers in touch with local guides.
The site currently lists profiles for 161 guides in 15 countries - in Europe, Southeast Asia, North America and South America, though the vast majority (141 guides) are in Peru where the company first piloted the idea. The site also includes an advice section with tips for travellers on how to 'go local'. It currently gives information on alternative routes to Machu Picchu and "just how to get yourself a mule ride over that high pass"...
The guide profiles include language(s) spoken, information about their tours and how much they charge for their services.
Registered users of the site are provided with contact details for each guide.
Travellers can also recommend local guides and contribute to a 'How to go local' series by submitting articles on relevant 'go local' travel stories: unique treks, local etiquette, eating local, etc.
The plan is to build the site into a much wider resource "helping local communities benefit from socially responsible tourism".
Go to Leaplocal here.
Relevant articles:
Wanderlust announces best local guides
Comments
Guides are Great
Hi, as a guide myself I was really interested to read about this initiative. I’m a strong believer (biased I know!)in the difference a guide can make to experiencing a new location or environment and this website looks like a great resource for visitors.
I’d also like to comment on how important I think guide training and accreditation is for improving the quality of guiding as a profession and the ability to convey care and respect for the environments we take visitors into.
I’ve done bits of guiding work for years but didn’t do any formal training until the last three years. After taking a few courses in interpretation and guiding I really noticed a difference in my skills. Just through the use of some simple techniques I found I was connecting visitors to the wildlife and environments we visited in a much more profound way, and they were having a really fantastic experience. I did most of my training with the National Association for Interpretation (www.interpnet.com.) and I would recommend that people look out for others who have become accredited with NAI. The charity I work for, the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, are now working with the NAI model to develop a guiding qualification for whale & dolphin watching guides. Our first course is this March and we have guides attending from several different countries and whale watch operators.
Wild Scotland, the Scottish Wldlife Tourism Association (www.wild-scotland.org.uk.) are also developing guide training courses at the moment which can only help to improve the already excellent standard of guided wildlife tours available in our part of the world.
I also run my own small ecotour company here in north Scotland offering a number of fully guided short breaks, holidays and day tours, including a Dolphin Dicovery Day in association with WDCS. More information can be found at www.wildatheart-ecoholidays.com.
Thanks
Deb
Deborah Benham
Wild at Heart Eco-Holidays
Moray,Scotland
Web: www.wildatheart-ecoholidays.com
Email: deborahbenham@wildatheart-ecoholidays.com
Tel: 01309 674768 or 07921 106144
Connecting guides and visitors
This is a very interesting initiative. I have often met travellers wondering how to find that good local guide and wanting to support him or her. At the same time the good local guides often struggle to differentiate themselves from the not-so-special guides, which can even result in “good” guides looking for other jobs while the more “aggresive” guides who talk people into contracting them – but then don’t always offer the service that their colleague might have offered – are the ones who survive as guides. A possible result: The entire place can get a bad reputation and visitor numbers could even drop or people arrive with outside guides.
Of interest in this context – with some ideas of what other travellers thought is important in a local guide – we conducted a survey some time ago: http://planeta.wikispaces.com/communityguides.
Gerhard Buttner
Green Travel Blog
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