Meet Our Summer 2022 Sustainable Tourism and Travel Writing Internship Cohort

Written by Sanjana Patel on June 24, 2022. Posted in Uncategorized.

Solimar International is proud to introduce our Summer 2022 Virtual Travel Writing and Sustainable Tourism Internship Cohort! This semester’s cohort features 18 talented individuals with a shared passion for sustainable development and tourism. As you’ll read, each intern possesses unique backgrounds and experiences that will be incredibly impactful to our work. By providing these interns with real-world experiences across several of our current projects, we hope to equip them with the knowledge and skills they need to go forth as leaders of the industry.

Meet Our Interns:

Hannah McDonnell is a Masters of Politics student at University College Dublin, specializing in European politics and integration. She has also studied these subjects at Charles University in Prague. She is extremely passionate about researching and writing, and hopes to pursue a career in research after graduating this summer. She loves to travel and learn about the cultures of the countries she visits.

Veronica Santapa is from Milan, Italy but moved to England 11 years ago where she has worked in various business operation support roles. Just as Covid-19 arrived, she decided to take on a new challenge and get into higher education. She is currently pursuing a degree in Tourism Management from the University of Greenwich in London, as well as learning Spanish. Since following a course on sustainable tourism in her First Year, she found herself hooked on the topic and wishes to contribute to the sustainable tourism practice whilst pursuing a passionate career in tourism management. She also enjoys traveling to new places and is an outdoors enthusiast. She is excited to join the internship program to learn more about how Solimar approaches sustainable tourism with each project.

Bertuğ Kıymaz, from İzmir, Turkey, is a candidate for Tourism Development and Culture joint Erasmus Master’s degree at the University of Glasgow, United Kingdom, University of Malta, Lund University in Sweden, and Wageningen University in the Netherlands as a European Commission council Scholarship awardee. He also holds another master’s degree in Settlement Archaeology at the Middle Eastern Technical University in Turkey, where he is currently writing his dissertation on Digitization of Cultural Heritage. Prior to his studies, he had worked in archaeological excavations, museums, and as a tourist guide for three years all around the world. His interest in sustainable tourism began after he had seen the grave impacts of mass tourism on his hometown at a young age. That is when he decided to build a career in sustainable tourism. Now he wishes to make a change, and he is ready to translate academic knowledge into real-world expertise with an internship with Solimar International.

Miles Rieker was born and raised in Raleigh, North Carolina. He is a rising Second Year student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and will be applying to the Business School in the fall. He loves all things outdoors, and his favorite activity would have to be going on his boat either to fish or to ride around and enjoy the scenery. He has traveled to Kenya twice before and hopes to return to the country he fell in love with at some point in the future. In Kenya, he volunteered on a dairy farm that funds the operations of a nearby all-girls boarding school. With this global experience, Miles hopes to add enthusiasm and drive to this Solimar team, in order to develop the economies of the surrounding areas of the projects.

Stephanie Romero is a graduate student at the University of Missouri, Columbia. She is currently working for her Master’s in Tourism Development. Prior to working toward a tourism degree, Stephanie was an education major in her native California. She worked as a kindergarten teacher for five years before deciding her calling was elsewhere. This is Stephanie’s second year working with Solimar International as an intern, having loved it the first time around. The experiences gained from working with Solimar helped develop her interest in tourism development as a driving force for benefiting the many.

Ethan Bollert is a recent graduate of Central Washington University, earning his bachelor’s degree in Hospitality, Tourism and Event Management, with a Tourism Management Specialization. His schooling gave him insight into managing various sections of the travel industry including hotels, airlines, music festivals, tour operations, and destination management organizations. Additionally, his work as the university’s marketing photographer gave him the skills needed to understand content creation and digital marketing. After wrapping up his degree with his thesis on the effects of safari tourism on the communities of East Africa, he recognized the impact that work centered around sustainable and ethical tourism development could have, which has led him to pursue it as a career. He wishes to begin this career by working alongside this group of fellow interns here at Solimar International. When he is not working, he spends most of his free time researching dream destinations, planning fun travel itineraries, or continuing his hobby as a freelance photographer

Izabela Soja is currently pursuing her Bachelor’s Degree in International Tourism Management at the University of Lincoln in the UK. For Master’s, she plans to study Sustainable Development as she would like to learn more holistically about sustainability and environment in general. She is originally from Poland, but moved to the UK almost 2 years ago. She is passionate about all things travel, research, social media and content creation, which is why she is so excited to be joining Solimar International this summer! Her favorite travel memory to date is when she went on a cultural exchange programme with Camp America where she worked for 3 months as a counselor at an American summer camp in North Carolina followed by a 3 week journey around the States. She hopes to make a real difference in the tourism industry and to promote sustainable and responsible travel as the only way forward.

Isaac Herzog is a Senior at Cornell University double-majoring in China & Asia Pacific Studies and Linguistics. Born and raised in Indianapolis, Isaac has a deep love for travel and global connectivity and takes every opportunity possible to meet new people. In his travels, he has learned six languages and hopes to continue learning new ones. Eventually, he plans to move to Spain or China to pursue a career in policy, sustainability, or politics. Isaac is excited to learn from the expertise at Solimar and gain a deeper, more sustainable understanding of our world during his internship. He looks forward to contributing to the Southeast Asia team, specifically in Timor-Leste, and hopes to use his knowledge and skills to benefit the community.

Ece Zivrali is a professional tour guide from Turkey. Her love for traveling and appreciation of the destinations, nature, and cultures led her to continue her studies on sustainability and responsible tourism. Currently, she is pursuing her master’s degree at the University of Florida as a Fulbright scholar. She hopes to combine her academic background with the practical experience she will gain during her internship at Solimar International to improve the quality of destinations and communities.

Teona Zhuzhunadze comes from Georgia. She lives in a southern region of Georgia – Samtskhe-Javakheti and manages the Marketing and PR directions of the Destination Management Organization of the Region. Apart from managing social media channels and the website of the organization, she is involved in tourism product development and promoting the region to different stakeholders. She is actively involved in the tourism development activities of the country. Teona changed her career path a few years ago when she moved to her hometown and started working in the industry. After taking the DMO development program led by Solimar International in 2020 she had a chance to continue working with the organization on different projects. She was so interested in tourism development that decided to pursue an internship with Solimar. Before DMO, she was working in the field of higher education administration. She has an MA in higher education administration and currently, she is pursuing her PhD in higher education management.

Dalia Hammad is a Palestinian/Jordanian communications and content professional working with an international NGO that designs and implements economic development interventions, including tourism value chain development. Over the last three years, she contributed to creating new economic opportunities for local communities along the Jordan Trail as well as facilitating local, experiential, and sustainable tourism development by curating new travel experiences and marketing the destination at large. She is an avid solo female traveler herself who really believes in the power of tourism to build bridges and celebrate differences. Ultimately, Dalia strives to employ travel as a tool to improve livelihoods, create new jobs, protect the environment, conserve cultural heritage, and further tolerance, respect, inclusion, and harmony.

Annie Combs is a graduate student at the University of California, Santa Barbara’s Bren School of the Environment. Her journey into the world of sustainable travel began when she worked in Ostional, Costa Rica as a Sea Turtle Research Volunteer for voluntourism company, BIOMA Travel. While living with her host family, she developed a deep love for Costa Rican culture that enhanced her desire to protect the landscapes that her new friends called home. She went on to work for a travel management company where she gained valuable insight to the unsustainable world of mainstream tourism. Her love of travel seemed to promote environmental degradation, but she knew that there could be another way. Annie set out on a mission to make the travel world a better place. She studied abroad in Ireland where she developed a better understanding of sustainability in business and took on a career in tech marketing to hone her communication skills with the goal of one day working to help tourism operations become more eco-friendly. She looks forward to combining her three passions: business, travel, and sustainability, during her internship with Solimar this summer. Annie holds a BA in Environmental Studies with a Minor in Professional Writing for Business from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). She is currently obtaining a Master of Environmental Science and Management (MESM) at the University of California, Santa Barbara’s Bren School of the Environment. Her thesis project explores the importance of destination marketing and management to ecotourism businesses in Ecuador.

Deanna Elliott is a graduate student at the University of California, Santa Barbara’s Bren School of the Environment. She became interested in sustainable travel when she took a class on ocean conservation and sustainable fisheries in undergrad at Arizona State University. The trip to La Paz, Mexico that came with that class opened her eyes to the possibilities of locally sustainable tourism as a means of environmental and economic development in travel destinations. Deanna graduated summa cum laude from Arizona State University in 2020 with a BS in Biological Sciences focused on conservation biology and ecology. During that time, she did research into the effects of climate change on agricultural pests, as well as whether the accumulation of heavy metals in fish could provide insight into the health of trophic webs. She is currently working on her Master’s of Environmental Science and Management at the Bren School. Her thesis project is intended to generate a tiered system of criteria for environmental, economic, and cultural sustainability based on the level of development and capability of individual destinations. Deanna is excited to gain valuable industry experience during her summer internship with S
Solimar.

Sanjana Patel is an undergrad at the University of Pennsylvania studying Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. Growing up in Panama City Beach, Florida, she has always been surrounded by the tourism industry and has seen how impactful it can be, especially after witnessing her local community recuperate from the BP Oil Spill and Hurricane Michael. Sanjana is the founder of Pathway to Progress, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to combating gaps in rural healthcare and education through various initiatives in India, Malawi, and her local community. Through this internship, she looks forward to learning how to integrate her experiences in tourism and international development.

Learn more about our internship program and apply for the Fall semester here.

Why Yakima Valley Should be at the Top of Your Summer Bucket List

Written by Emma Barfus on June 23, 2022. Posted in Blog, Uncategorized.

Tourism can be a transformative experience, both for destinations and the travelers who visit. While famous bucket list destinations are always fun to visit, under-the-radar destinations offer travelers the unique opportunity to see the authentic heart and soul of a place that can’t be found anywhere else (and hey, it doesn’t hurt to avoid the crowds either).

Yakima Valley: The Palm Springs of Washington State

When most people hear Washington State, the first thing they might think of is Seattle. Expansive rainforests made green from plentiful rainfall, bustling food markets like Pikes Place filled with mouth-watering aromas, and colorful street art are classic characteristics of Washington State.

But on the other side of the towering Cascade mountains is a lesser known side of Washington, a hidden gem, with 300 days of sunshine a year where life moves a little slower. Located in Eastern Washington, the Yakima Valley is famous for many things– world-class breweries & vineyards that rival famous destinations like Napa Valley, California or Portland, Oregon, hundreds of outdoor adventures and mouth-watering farm-to-table cuisine. Dubbed the “Palm Springs of Washington” by locals, here’s why Yakima Valley, Washington should be at the top of your bucket list this summer.

Washington Wine (and Beer) Country:

With five American Viticultural Areas (AVAs), over 120 wineries, and dozens of breweries, Yakima prides themselves on having something for everyone when it comes to quality beers and wines. Yakima Valley has remained more of a hidden gem when compared to more famous destinations, which means visitors to the valley can enjoy top-notch drinks and a fun atmosphere without all the crowds.

1. Wine Country

Seeing as the Yakima Valley produces over half of Washington’s wine grapes, Visit Yakima Valley DMO has winery tourism down to a science. Potential visitors to Yakima Valley can visit the dedicated Yakima Valley Wine Country website to learn about everything the valley has to offer from wine festivals to lodging near the best wineries.

While the wineries of Yakima Valley do not have the storied history or prestige of more famous wine-growing areas, there is still so much beauty to explore in the valley. Yakima Valley wineries pride themselves on offering their guests an intimate and laid back tasting experience where wines are produced for quality over quantity. The Yakima Visitor’s Center understands the unique culture the valley has and has created the Yakima Wine Pass where tourists can benefit from discounts for the best wineries in town while at the same time keeping the vibrant local economy alive.

Picture this: A beautiful sunny day, relaxing in a ridgetop winery, holding a glass of the best Bordeaux-style red wine you’ve ever tasted. There are no crowds, you’ve made friends with the family that owns the winery, life is good. This is summer- Yakima style.

2. Exploring Beer

If there’s one thing Yakima is known for, it’s hops. Summer is perhaps the most beautiful time to visit as hills and fields across the valley are blanketed with dark green vines heavy with the cone-shaped hop flowers. Under the warm summer sun, the hops bake, filling the valley with the scent of hops – lemon, floral, pine.

The Yakima Valley grows 77% of hops in the United States and ⅓ of hops worldwide, even out producing Germany, and these hops are shipped all over the world, meaning craft beer truly couldn’t exist without Yakima.

Hop growing is truly a family affair in the Yakima Valley, as most hop farms are third or fourth generation family owned farms. No one understands hops better than these farmers, who are practically hop royalty, so there was no one better to kickstart the brewery scene in Yakima than these families. Meghann Smith, the founder of Bale Breaker Brewing Company in Yakima puts it this way: “Who can you trust more to brew your beer than those who live and breathe hops in their everyday lives?””

In the past decade, breweries and cideries have popped up all over the Yakima Valley, pioneered by these hop-growing experts who really understand how to make beer an experience, not just a drink. Seeing a growing scene for beer in the valley, Visit Yakima created a dedicated beer section where tourists can discover the best breweries, tours and festivals to truly experience the Hop Capital of the World.

Yakima’s Outdoor Adventures

With 3 major rivers, 109 sparkling blue lakes, 165 campgrounds tucked in the Cascade Mountain Range, and over 300 miles of mountain trails, the Yakima Valley is heaven on earth for adventure lovers. Locals claim that the hardest part about living here is deciding what adventure to go on first.

After you’ve had your fill sipping in wineries (is that even a thing?) it’s time to enjoy all the outdoor beauty that the Yakima Valley has to offer. There are activities for every type of person, from your mom who loves to sunbathe to your adrenaline-junkie brother who loves dirt biking.

Paddle boarding at Rimrock Lake in Yakima

The nearby Rimrock Lake is the favorite summer getaway of Washingtonians in the Yakima Valley. This beautiful blue glacier fed lake surrounded by the Wenatchee National Forest has no shortage of fun activities. A personal favorite for many locals is renting a paddleboard for a sunrise paddle across the still-as-glass lake and relaxing on the shore feasting on juicy, freshly harvested Yakima cherries. At certain times in the summer, the lake gets low enough that you can dry off from a swim in the lake by dirt biking across the lake bed. Once you’ve had your fill of the lake, visitors can head over to the Tieton River for some adrenaline-pumping whitewater rafting and world class fly fishing.

Can’t make it to the Yakima Valley this summer? That’s okay! The Yakima Valley has also been blessed with an abundance of thrilling winter activities. Locals love to retreat to the mountains for a day of skiing in the Cascade Mountains, a cozy stay in a nearby log cabin and a snowmobile adventure in the Ahtanum State Forest. There is truly never a dull time to visit the Valley.

Food in the Yakima Valley

Hops and wine grapes are not the only agricultural product that the valley is famous for– in fact far from it. Yakima Valley has long been crowned the leading producer of apples in Washington State. Seriously, Yakima practically invented the concept of farm-to-table and you do not need to leave the valley to find the very best food, wine and produce!

The City of Yakima draws visitors from all over the country with its many festivals celebrating the abundance of the Yakima Valley and the hard-working people that live there. The Taco Fest each May is one of the most popular festivals. Yakima Valley has a vibrant Hispanic community and some of the best tacos in the world that are perfect served with freshly brewed Yakima craft beer. Other festivals include Bottles, Burgers and Barbecue and the Fresh Hop Ale Festival.

The Yakima Valley makes some of the best tacos in the world.

A favorite childhood memory of many natives to the Yakima Valley is spending summer afternoons picking fresh produce grown in the valley. Freshly grown strawberries are generally the first pick of the summer, followed by juicy cherries in all varieties, blueberries, blackberries, peaches and apples. Not only is fruit picking a delicious and fun summer activity, it’s also a great way to support the community and farmers of the valley.

Here at Solimar International, we truly believe in the power sustainable tourism has in making the world a better place. Yakima Valley is just one spot along the 6000+ mile trail that connects amazing towns across the United States. Learn more about other destinations along the trail and create your next dream road trip!

destination branding two kayak sunsetters

How to Brand Your Destination: a Complete Guide

Written by Caitlyn Marentette on June 6, 2022. Posted in Blog, Uncategorized.

Want to learn how to successfully make your destination stand out from the competition? This article tells you all about destination branding and how to build your own original brand!

How to Build a Successful Destination Brand

The tourism industry is one of the most universally robust industries in the world. Hundreds of thousands of people travel every year, and there are many types of travelers who feed into the industry. Even more people work in the tourism sector. So, how do you attract potential visitors to your tourism destination?

There are plenty of approaches to attract potential customers to a tourist destination. Social media, marketing campaigns, and word of mouth are just a few ways to achieve this. You might see photos of dazzling landscapes on Instagram, see a hotel ad on TV, or read a post about a famous tourism destination in a magazine. What these things have in common is a recall to what makes a destination unique, important, or appealing to a specific audience.

Bringing these features out through tourism marketing is a tactic called destination branding. Think about a famous city—Berlin, for instance. There are a number of images that you probably think of when Berlin comes to mind: the (in)famous Berlin Wall, the unmatched cosmopolitanism, the tall-standing TV Tower, and the authentic Brezeln. A collection of cultural markers like these produces a profile that is unique to Berlin. These markers can then be used to produce and to employ a marketing strategy that attracts potential tourists to Berlin. Of course, this is not specific to just one city; any site can have a brand identity.

So, the question remains: how do you produce a successful brand for your site? Below, we have compiled a short list of items to get you started on building a successful destination brand.

Berlin TV Tower (Fernsehturm) has become an iconic piece of Berlin’s identity, completing the panorama of the city alongside Brandenburg Gate or the Berliner Dom

A Brand is the Most Valuable Tool in your Marketing Strategy

A brand goes far deeper than a logo or company slogan. These are simply considered marketing tools. A brand is defined by the public perception and the emotion it makes you feel. It is the promise being made to the target audience that is derived from the product or destination’s uniqueness. Your branding efforts are the process of creating brand messaging and experiences that attract visitors. These should be as compelling and memorable as possible, in order to draw in potential customers. Successful branding occurs when this experience remains in the hearts and minds of the target audience.

Developing a Valuable Destination Brand Identity

Developing your brand identity, or brand personality, revolves around three main axes:

Destination uniqueness;
Stakeholders’ and travelers’ perceptions; and
Consistency in the marketing campaigns.

A strong brand identity is essential when you are trying to reach potential tourists and attract them to your destination. We could define the brand identity as a summary of the destination’s main traits, the words your main audience would use to describe the destination.

Does your destination offer a wide array of cultural experiences? Are most visitors coming to your destination to relax, or do they come to challenge themselves and take on new adventures? Is your destination mostly suitable for families, groups of friends or romantic getaways?

Developing your brand identity starts by auditing your destination and identifying your main target. It is recommended to involve stakeholders to better understand how they perceive the uniqueness of your destination. Start a conversation with small tourism businesses, travel agents and tour operators promoting your destination, local authority or former visitors and gather their emotions about your destination.

Including the consumer perception of your destination will ensure that the appropriate types of travelers are targeted in your brand messaging. Do not neglect to take a look at competition – locally or internationally – and to think it through: “What do I offer that is different?”, “What is our added value?” You can read an example of destination branding through consumer perceptions from Croatia.

The wide open Namibian landscape – understanding the consumer perception of your destination’s uniqueness is key to build a strong brand identity

Understanding the travel motivations of your visitors, as well as their decision-making process, will support you in building a suitable brand messaging. Associate experiences with your destination which are as distinctive, compelling, memorable and rewarding as possible. Take the example of Namibia’s online marketing campaign which Solimar ran between 2011 and 2013 that emphasized the breathtaking and seemingly endless natural landscapes of Namibia.

Once this message is clear, your marketing campaigns will help spread your identity and reach your targeted audience. The key in the marketing campaign is consistency! Make sure the brand messaging perceived is coherent on all the elements of your integrated marketing communication. Each support and channel should represent the same brand identity.

Moreover, the consistency of the brand identity continues on the spot where it is important to build brand value at each point of contact, from signage at the airport to landscapes while driving to the hotel or between parts of a destination. The experience of the traveler must reflect your brand identity.

Finally, keep track of the success of the campaign and reassess your strategy every year, or if a major event has disrupted your campaign (Covid-19 anyone?).

In short, developing a powerful brand identity consists of:

Running a destination audit
Clarifying who is your target
Building your destination SWOT
Identifying your competition, their location, and your added value
Involving local stakeholders in your branding process and assess their perception of the destination
Reassessing your Marketing Strategy annually

Using the Brand Pyramid for a Strong Destination Brand

One of the most effective ways to produce a powerful destination brand is by using a brand pyramid. Brand pyramids are models that distill the important elements of a site down to an advertising essence. Brand pyramids are important for destination branding, because they clarify the most important aspects of the destination. This helps produce a tagline that markets the message of a destination to potential visitors.

There are five tiers in the brand pyramid, which are organized from a wide base to a narrow top. The first tier, labeled rational attributes, are tangible destination characteristics. In other words, rational attributes are the markers that can be empirically observed. The physical, quantifiable features of a site are listed here. These features can be diverse, ranging from unique products and services to local cuisines to historic landmarks.

The second tier is labeled emotional benefits. These are the feelings associated with a site. This tier plays a crucial role in creating a destination brand, because it addresses the tangible emotional experience(s) of visiting a site. The first two tiers work together to create a strong brand image by listing tangible attributes alongside the emotional sentiments that the site produces.

The third tier of the brand pyramid is brand personality. This lists a group of adjectives that describe the personality of the site. This is how a target audience will describe a site in a few basic words. The brand personality can describe atmospheres and resources, and they can also attract specific audiences. As the public health situation evolves, a brand personality can illuminate how amenable a site is to a specific audience.

The fourth tier, the positioning statement, describes the one-of-a-kind site attributes. Here, brand developers ask which characteristics are seen or experienced only at that site. This is an especially important step in the brand development process. Knowing what makes a site stand out will give shape to a strong brand identity.

The final tier is brand essence. The brand essence is exactly what it sounds like: it distills aspects of all the tiers below to produce an essential brand identity. This is what the brand means, described in a few words. This is the tier that creates a destination brand, usually in the form of a tagline. A great example of the destination branding process was successfully implemented in Solimar’s Jamaica Community Experiences project from 2015-2018.

Brand Pyramid model to build a powerful destination brand – Solimar DMO Development Program

Looking for more destination development strategies? Check out Solimar’s Institute for Sustainable Destinations program on DMO Development. Or Contact Us directly for information!

Authors: Caitlyn Marentette / Célia Hulin / Thomas Kalchik

Sustainable Tourism in Southern Morocco

Written by Eliot Heiss on May 19, 2022. Posted in Blog, Uncategorized.

South of the Moroccan tourism hub of Marrakesh is the jewel of Southern Morocco, Agadir. Encompassing Agadir and various other small towns, southern Morocco is largely underdeveloped with untapped potential. Morocco has been well-known by French tourists for a long time given its former status as a French colony. What is lesser known is that Agadir and Southern Morocco have an increasing capability to cater to the demands of sustainable tourists. Its location directly below Western Europe means it is only a short flight away for Europeans. With French and English widely spoken, communication is convenient for many travelers.

Key Destinations in Southern Morocco

Curious about where you should travel in Morocco and what you should do to make the biggest impact on your journey? Keep reading:

1. Agadir

The most popular destination in Southern Morocco is certainly Agadir. It rests on the western coast of Morocco, with 10 kilometers of beaches which receive over 300 days of sun per year. It is the perfect location for any beach lover, with easily accessible cafes, restaurants, and nightlife.

One reason why this city has a path to sustainable tourism is it is extremely walkable. One can spend the morning walking up and down Agadir Beach along the shoreline. If you venture inland to Souk El Had market, you can visit the hundreds of stalls selling unique Moroccan items, like bowls, jewelry, and other handicrafts. A large percentage of these stalls are owned by local Amazigh women, descendants of the pre-Arab people in North Africa.

Souss-Massa National Park is a long stretch of land just south of Agadir, where the terrain ranges from grassland steppes, sand dunes, sandy beaches, to wetlands. This park is the best chance for nature loving travelers to experience the wild side of southern Morocco. The park is home to 250 different species of nesting and migratory birds. The most famous of which is the Bald Ibis, other residents include antelopes, boars and mongooses.

2. Tamraght and Taghazout

Further to the north, about a 25-minute drive, are the surfing towns of Tamraght and Taghazout. These smaller towns do not have resorts like Agadir, but offer quieter accommodation in mini hotels and Moroccan lodges for a more traditional experience. Often accommodations will offer Moroccan dishes for each meal of the day. Or you can visit the local markets for a chance to interact and negotiate your prices with the locals.

These towns have their own beaches and shops without the hustle and bustle of the larger Agadir. Here you can find water sports equipment rentals and guided tours around the area. Located in the shadow of the lesser Atlas Mountains, there are opportunities to hike into the mountains or simply lounge on the beach.

Paradise Valley is a quick day trip. Travelers can grab a minibus from various locations and arrive in a lush valley to swim and relax. Visiting this oasis is like stepping into another world away from the dry, arid Moroccan climate. This valley is also home to one of the oldest and most traditional honey making operations in the world.

3. Sustainable Activities to Enjoy on the Coast

The Southern Moroccan coast is primarily known for its surfing. The beaches along Agadir and the surrounding towns have a variety of different surf spots for all skill levels. Whether you are a beginner trying to experience a new sport or a pro seeking to hone your skills, there is a beach and a wave for you!

Surfing and the other water sports here may be the ultimate sustainable activities. The surfing culture is obsessed with keeping the ocean clean. After all, it is no fun to surf in polluted waters. Solely using the power of the ocean waves limits CO2 emissions and makes one tune in with the ocean’s natural power. Other water activities include sailing, parasailing, and swimming. If you want a break from the water, there are also horseback riding and camel tours where you can experience traditional Moroccan travel.

How can you get to Southern Morocco?

When traveling around Morocco, you have several different options. There are many bus coaches which go up and down the coast. In addition, Morocco has a few different train and rail lines to limit your carbon footprint.

If you are traveling around the city or a shorter distance, there are rental bike stands in the bigger cities. Renting bikes allows you to take in more of the sights for a cheaper, sustainable experience. If you don’t feel like pedaling yourself, there are taxi bikes available for a small fee.

Solimar’s History of Supporting Sustainable Tourism in North Africa

Solimar International has always been committed to helping developing countries create a better sustainable tourism sector and garner more tourists to visit developing communities. At Solimar, we believe in tourism development that creates a positive experience for local businesses, local people, and the tourists themselves. This should be done without sacrificing the future of the planet.

In the past, Solimar has worked in Morocco. In 2012, we worked to create a series of cultural heritage routes to increase awareness of traditional Moroccan artisans and bolster their income.

Solimar is currently working on a USAID project in Tunisia. The goal of this five year initiative is to develop sustainable tourism in traditionally under-visited areas, bringing economic benefits to local communities and their inhabitants. This is the second project we have worked on in Tunisia – the first was the advancement and development of cultural heritage tours, in conjunction with the Smithsonian.

Keep up with Solimar – don’t forget to like us on Facebook and LinkedIn!

Earth Day 2022: Celebrate with Solimar Projects

Written by Emma Barfus on April 21, 2022. Posted in Uncategorized.

Celebrate Earth Day… Everyday!

For most people, Earth Day is just another normal day. We might celebrate by posting an aesthetic earth infographic on our Instagram stories or remembering to drop our disposable water bottle in the recycling bin.

Our earth does so much for the people of this planet every single day, providing all the essentials we need to live a happy and healthy life. It deserves to be given a grander celebration than just one day a year, but instead a daily show of our appreciation that will bring us through hundreds more Earth Days to come!

At Solimar International, we celebrate Earth Day every day by developing strategies of sustainable tourism that boost local economies, preserve cultural heritage and protect the natural beauty of the destinations to keep them healthy and thriving for future generations to enjoy.

How to Give the Earth Some Love:

Celebrating Earth Day every day can seem like a daunting task. Here are some simple ideas to get you started TODAY!

Shop Local

One of the best ways to love our amazing planet is to support the people closest to us that keep it alive – the locals!

Solimar International understands this, so we work with local artisans in destinations like Morocco to increase revenue directly. Locals use this added revenue to build up and preserve their community. People who buy the goods from locals gain a greater appreciation for the destination & want to preserve the community as well.

Obviously, not everyone can celebrate Earth Day with a trip to a Moroccan craft market, but there are many ways to support your community. Finding local businesses to support can be as simple as walking or driving around town. You can look up the local chamber of commerce for a directory of local businesses, or visit Yelp’s recently created sustainable resource hub, where users can easily look up eco-friendly small businesses in their area.

For those who prefer online shopping over in-person shopping, try online shopping from B-Corp companies. B-Corp companies are businesses that have been certified for their commitment to positively impact our planet in measurable ways.

Protect Nature

Earth Day is not only a time to celebrate the Earth, but every living thing on it. Species are currently undergoing the highest extinction rate in 60 million years. As citizens of Earth, we must participate in efforts to preserve the biodiversity of our planet through making sustainable choices.

The endangered Bengal Tiger — Bengal Tigers are one of the thousands of endangered species on Earth today

Solimar International is currently working with USAID in the Sundarbans to sustain the mangrove habitats biodiversity of Bengal tiger habitats and the surrounding communities. Through this project, Solimar will capitalize on the country’s natural, cultural, and historical endowments to develop a more inclusive tourism value chain that integrates local communities and maximizes conservation benefits.

You may live far away from any Bengal Tiger habitats, but you’ve surely seen the trash scattered around local parks and nature reserves, putting animals and ecosystems in danger. It is not necessary to do a complete turnaround and start a 100% sustainable lifestyle overnight. Small and simple actions like using a reusable water bottle, participating in ecotourism for your next vacation, or watching sustainability documentaries on Netflix to educate yourself on global environment challenges, can lead to big change.

Share your Earth Day Story

Individually, our actions towards a more sustainable future may seem futile, but together our actions can lead to great change. This year, challenge yourself to share with your friends and family the ways you’ve found to celebrate Earth Day every day!

Our Earth brings us together and creates life-long memories

Through our Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail project, Solimar International has discovered the power of storytelling in driving more sustainable tourism. On this website, we provide locally-owned businesses, tribal communities and nature preserves with a platform to tell their story to the world. Travelers planning trips along the Lewis and Clark Trail read these personable stories on our website and feel the desire to be part of supporting these stories.

Sharing stories online or through conversation of the small ways you celebrate Earth Day every day is powerful. It will inspire others to live and travel sustainably, as they see examples from those they know and trust most. Just think about it– are you more likely to accept a challenge to live more eco-friendly from a random stranger or a good friend?

Our Earth not only provides us with everything we need to live, but also ample opportunities to make memories. Hiking through thick green forests with family, swimming in a cool ocean on a warm day with friends. Protecting the Earth means creating these memories today and preserving the opportunity for future generations to do so as well. Together, we can ensure that we have hundreds more beautiful Earth Days to celebrate together!

So – what will you do to celebrate Earth Day every day?

Keep up with Solimar to receive more inspiration on how you can contribute to the daily celebration of our Earth by liking us on Facebook and LinkedIn!

WE DEVELOP, MANAGE, AND MARKET SUSTAINABLE TOURISM DESTINATIONS

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