Xola’s premise is that sustainable adventure tourism can
Benefit people living in rural, poor areas;
Frequently requires less capital investment than mass tourist products to develop;
Encourages the preservation of local culture and environment; and
Fosters authentic cross-cultural human interactions, thereby encouraging global understanding and peace.
Many of the problems with tourism stem from a lack of holistic, cross-functional planning and management that ultimately result in a mis-alignment of customer demand with resource supply. Sustainable tourism strives to serve people as well as environment.
And in adventure tourism, where businesses must operate in close harmony with natural systems, the networks of cause and affect can be complex and unpredictable. In this environment, a single recommendation may drive a multitude of unintended consequences. Sustainable adventure tourism development looks to involve all members of the community in development decisions and monitor carefully the impacts of visitation.
At Xola we also emphasize the role of entrepreneurs in turning the promise of sustainable tourism to reality. In some of the most remote areas of the world, the adventure businesses launched by local entrepreneurs are taking the lead in escalating the need for policy changes to safeguard natural areas, reforming tax regimes that hamper small business and creating jobs for local communities. Some notable adventure industry entrepreneurs have been pioneering tourism "best practices" for decades.
