Video: TBA | Concurrent Paper Session 3.2 Cross-cutting SDGs Tourism and the Sustainable Development Goals Conference 2019, 24-25 Jan 2019, Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand | https://tourism-sdg.nz

1. Transformative Travel –
Going Beyond Eco Tourism
Loretta Bellato
CERES Global

3. Our Vision for Change
For everyone to fall in love with the Earth
again.
CERES is a place for community based
learning and action.
We create better ways of living together
in five domains:
• Environmental
• Social
• Economic
• Cultural
• Spiritual
In all we do, we aim to reconnect people
to each other and the earth.

4. CERES
Community
Environment
Park
A not for profit
sustainability Centre
located in East Brunswick
Melbourne.

7. About
Know
In
Feel
For
Act

8. • Social Enterprise
• Returning Annually
• Building friendship and
rapport
• Engaging communities
in cultural exchange,
sharing ideas and
knowledge to
overcome social and
environmental
challenges

9. We uncover local
stories, seek
action and
examine the
environmental
and human
aspects of one of
the key
environmental
issues of our time.

10. Public Trips

11. Student Trips

12. Key Concepts
• Eco tourism - The International
Ecotourism Society (TIES), defines it
as “Responsible travel to natural
areas that conserves the
environment and improves the
well-being of local people”
• Transformational Tourism – Such
tourism must stimulate change by
provoking a deep questioning of
the purpose and meaning of
people’s lives through empathic,
engaged, authentic and invited,
rather than imposed, encounters
with the lives of others. (Deville &
Wearing, 2013)

13. Transformations through tourism
• Reisinger (2013) - The
true potential for tourism
lies in creating
opportunities for people
to reach their existential
potential and reflect on
their existence and their
authentic place in it.
• Savenger (2013) - This
process of transformation
is most engaged through
cultural contrast.

14. Participant/Tourist
Transformations
It was a wonderful adventure in so many
ways – physically, emotionally,
spiritually. I was outside my comfort
zone, at the edge of my experience,
challenged and confronted at times and
I have been rewarded. My awareness is
developing, my perspective has shifted. I
have grown as a man and feel more
connected with myself, with the earth,
with my family and with the wonderful
people at Mapuru. (Mapuru trip 2017).

15. India Case Study
NALIKA’S STORY
Rethinking Community
Development
Source: Nalika Peiris
https://ceres.org.au/reflections-
from-an-exploration-journey-in-
india-nalikas-story-on-rethinking-
community-development/

16. India ABCD
• The aim of the trip is to
build on and challenge
our notions of
community development
and what it means to be
a practitioner
• The intention is to engage
new thought processes,
inspire new ideas and
motivate us to bring
better more conscious
practices into our lives,
work and the world in
which we live.
• Activities
• Community development
and sustainability
organisation
engagements
• Asset Based Community
Development (ABCD)
Festival in Goa

17. Host Community
Transformations India
• The Jamnya Housing
Project
• Friendship built over
20 year period
• Sustainable
construction project
that has enabled a
tribal remote
community to attract
female teachers to
educate 400 students
• Collaboration in the
long-term

18. Indonesia Case
Study
ROSE’S STORY
Determined to
achieve positive
change

19. Samoa
Study Trip
• International
development
studies
• Positive
development
outcomes
• Deeper
understanding of
the positive
impact that
CERES Global is
having

20. Independent
Exploration
• Studied and
lived in
Indonesia in
2016
• Lived in
Sembulan
community

21. Indonesia Living
Oceans
• The trip aims to explore the impact of
plastic waste in the Indonesian
archipelago. With an added focus on
disaster response and its relationship
to community change around waste,
participants also explore sustainable
recovery and community resilience
• The trip explores how protecting
marine environments and reducing
plastic waste can catalyse collective
action within communities and
improve livelihoods.
• Activities
• Engagements with local members from
our in-country partner organisations.
• Visits to sites to learn about local
action to combat plastic pollution and
disaster rebuilding efforts from the
bottom up.

22. Moved to action
https://www.gofund
me.com/post-
disaster-Lombok

23. Host Community
Transformations
Indonesia
Sembulan
Community
Development
Center

24. What the hosts said
Activities: Meetings, waste education games,
English class, Camping, discussions at village
meetings, expert gave presentation, social time
with CERES participants.
Most important thing learnt: sharing and
exchanging ideas are beneficial for community
development; Waste management, learning
English, women’s role in managing household
waste
Future action plans – develop education
programs about waste; learn more about
ecotourism/sustainable tourism; organic farming
Requests for future engagements between
CERES and CDC –earthquake rebuild; continue
plastics theme – waste management including
composting; ecotourism

25. Measuring
Transformation
How can we measure long-term
transformation?
Reisinger, 2013 asks:
• Which specific types of travel
and tourism facilitate and
inhibit the process of
transformation?
• Can transformational tourism
result in human development
and sustainable life and our
survival?
• Can we make our life better
through transformational
tourism and save the planet?
And, if yes, how?

26. Where to from here ?
• Get involved with CERES Global
• Project themes that may interest you
– Timor Leste – food security
– Samoa – women’s empowerment
– Mapuru – Cultural Preservation
– Indonesia – post disaster rebuild
and plastic waste
– India – cultural preservation,
construction, community
development

27. Loretta
Bellato
global@ceres.org.au
+61 03 9389 0183
https://www.linkedin.com
/company/ceresglobal/