ConnecTALKS: Adventure
ago and nobody knew about it – they had a blast. We had a king jumping off cliffs, using our Jeeps, staying in a private house. Our marine biologists spoke with the princess about the work we’re doing – they sat on the beach with her explaining everything. It made perfect sense.” Matthew Jackson of APL Media and National Geographic
Traveller UK – who chaired the ConnecTALKS – added: “It’s like your client going to Mauritius and asking for Argentine wine. It’s all very well saying: ‘Well, my client’s super-rich and that’s their favourite wine.’ You can’t forget that we have to educate people about things like sourcing local produce and using local guides.” Caroline Ciavaldini from Once Upon a Climb also highlighted the importance of equipping clients with tools for travelling more meaningfully to minimise their impact. “Carbon offsetting every plane trip that you take is a good first step, but it’s not enough - that would be too easy, if we could just save the planet with money. But it is the first step towards optimising travel.” She recommended Portugal- based Mossy Earth (
mossy.earth) as an offsetting company. “They don’t just plant trees, they rewild. They do it with scientists and I think they do a good job,” she said. The potential positive outcome of high-end adventure
travel is that it can bring funding for conservation if affluent travellers feel compelled to give back to a destination they have connected with. For example,
Jan Wigsten of 360 Degrees Mongolia revealed how the owner of a famous chocolate company donated $10,000 to create Mongolia’s first fly fishing nature reserve. “This got us started with a partnership with the WWF and the local authorities,” he said. “We now have fly fishing for 120 permits every year and [the profits] go back into the conservation and protection of the fish. You have to have a skill set when it comes to taking care of your destination. It’s about destination management. We need partners and above all, we need financing.”
National Geographic Traveller UK were Media Partners of Connections Adventure in the Azores 27-30 October 2019. For more information visit
nationalgeographic.co.uk
Facing page: ConnecTALKS Panel during Connections Adventure Top: Jan Wigsten, Philippe Brown & Caroline Ciavaldini Above: Delegates; Leslie Parker, Michala Chatal & Margarida Henriques Left: Matthew Jackson, National Geographic Traveller UK
Pictures: Matt Sprake
weareconnections.com December 2019 23
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