MEDIA, PA, Sept. 11, 2024-- The UnTours Foundation is thrilled to announce that the Reset Tourism Fund has surpassed its Phase One fundraising goal, raising $1.5 million from a coalition of key partners in the travel industry to support changemaking small tourism businesses. Together these funding partners enable the Reset Tourism Fund to provide access to the kind of flexible and affordable capital that innovative entrepreneurs need to grow and expand their positive impact in communities across the world.
Reset Tourism Fund:Partners Leading the Way
This significant milestone demonstrates a collective commitment among travel industry leaders to build a more inclusive and sustainable future for tourism. Surpassing this goal would not have been possible without the support of the Reset Tourism Fund’s visionary community of industry-leading funding partners, whose contributions have had a major impact on small tourism businesses around the world:
The Reset Tourism Fund has already deployed over $700,000 in capital, making 30 investments to a diverse range of small tourism businesses that prioritize accessibility, inclusion, community impact and environmental regeneration.
On reaching this fundraising goal, Jonathan Coleman (Co-CEO of the UnTours Foundation), says: “We are so proud to have created something that has already achieved resonance across the tourism industry. Our incredible partners have confirmed that there is real interest in supporting the tourism businesses who make up the backbone of the industry and who represent the brightest future of travel.”
Partners like Expedia Group have supported the Reset Tourism Fund as part of their broader leadership in the travel industry around critical topics. Aditi Mohapatra (Vice President, Global Social Impact & Sustainability at Expedia Group) says, “Creating inclusive travel experiences is critical for the travel industry and requires collective action. Expedia Group is committed to supporting an improved and equitable experience, and our partnership with the Reset Tourism Fund enables us to support numerous local travel providers innovating to offer more inclusive opportunities.”
Kapawi Ecolodge: A Reset Tourism Fund Investee in the Amazon
One of the many inspiring stories from the Reset Tourism Fund’s portfolio is that of Kapawi Ecolodge, an award-winning ecotourism lodge deep within the Ecuadorian Amazon. As a 100% Indigenous-owned enterprise, Kapawi represents how the people of the Achuar indigenous communities chose their own path for economic development through sustainable tourism rooted in their cultural heritage and harmony with the natural world.
Every aspect of Kapawi reflects a commitment to preserve the Achuar’s traditional way of life, protect their ancestral lands and to celebrate their culture. The lodge operates entirely on solar power and is built using traditional materials and methods, blending seamlessly with the surrounding environment and preserving the biodiversity of the Amazon through its operations. It is a hub of cultural exchange and learning where visitors engage with the Achuar people, learn about their traditions and witness firsthand the wisdom that has been passed down through generations. Perhaps most importantly, Kapawi provides local employment and economic opportunities, ensuring that the Achuar Nation can support itself for generations to come and direct profits back into their local communities to fund education, healthcare and infrastructure projects.
The Reset Tourism Fund has provided Kapawi with the funding needed to construct a new family bungalow, which will expand its capacity to welcome more visitors seeking immersive and transformative travel experiences.
On the support from the Reset Tourism Fund, Juan Carlos Garcia, General Coordinator of Kapawi, shared: “The help received from the UnTours Foundation has played a key role in helping Kapawi Ecolodge expand its network, adapt to new travel trends and improve our experience for families traveling with young children as well as for all future clients. We see this investment as the start of a long-term collaboration with the UnTours Foundation that will help develop an entire indigenous ecotourism region in the Amazon basin of Ecuador.”
Other investments from the Reset Tourism Fund have ranged from supporting the growth of sustainability-focused study abroad programs for students and young professionals (The GREEN Program), investing in the first Black-owned hostel in the United States (Wanderstay), helping finance the rebuild of an ecolodge in Zambia that burned down in a fire (Taita Falcon Lodge), funding a community-based ecotourism enterprise in Rwanda (Red Rocks Rwanda) and creating a regenerative tourism trekking initiative in Bali (Astungkara Way).
As the UnTours Foundation and its partners celebrate this milestone for the Reset Tourism Fund, they are also looking ahead to the ultimate goal of raising $10 million for the fund.
Derek Hydon (Founder of MaCher) invites others to join his company in supporting the Reset Tourism Fund: "We hope we can encourage everyone in travel and tourism to think, no matter the amount, how becoming a funding partner directly helps underserved communities and its businesses gain a more equitable share of the tourism ecosystem, responsibly developing the collective wealth of the industry through strategic investments.”
The door is open for travel businesses, foundations and individuals to join the Reset Tourism Fund’s journey to continue supporting high-impact tourism businesses that are paving the way for a more inclusive and sustainable future for the tourism industry.
About the UnTours Foundation
The UnTours Foundation was born out of the slow travel company, UnTours. Amongst other claims to fame, UnTours was the world’s first-ever Certified B Corporation. Since 1993, 100% of the profits from UnTours have been donated to support the work of the foundation. In 2016, the foundation became the sole shareholder of UnTours. UnTours Foundation uses the profits from UnTours and donations from generous funding partners and donors to provide flexible and affordable investments into changemaking businesses, helping to grow over 350 businesses with over $10 million of transformative capital in its 30-year history.
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For more information or to become a Reset Tourism Fund partner, please contact:
Jonathan Coleman at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Photo Credit: © Jake Matthews | Kapawi Ecolodge