Connecting you with community-based tourism enterprises
Your Impact
Tourism is responsible for roughly 10% of the global economy, but in many forms of tourism, virtually $0 reaches the hands of local people. Instead, tourism can pose a threat to the culture, rhythm, and way of life in many rural communities.
You’re helping us change that!
We pledge 10% of profits to support rural communities around the world.
Through our Outposts Program and other initiatives, we aim to uplift rural communities through tourism, celebrate and support rural ways of life, and connect people with community-based tourism enterprises.
Tourism – when done right – can change lives for the better.
Thank you for helping improve the lives of people around the world.
OUR MODEL
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CONNECT
Outposts
We connect our customers with local people, their businesses, their culture, economies, spiritual and religious practices, and their general way of life.
We hope this connection fosters understanding across many cultures, resulting in new intercultural dialogue and lifelong friendships with the people you meet.
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COMMUNITY SUPPORT
Profits Staying Local
We empower community tourism enterprises that directly support local people. We connect them to a global network of unique projects, and our customer base.
By helping these projects thrive, rural communities are able to reinvest profits in their own economies, education, healthcare, environment, and other cultural priorities.
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ADVOCACY
Using Community To Advocate
By recommending and supporting causes that positively impact rural communities, we change the perception of tourism, and start a conversation about the impact tourism has on rural communities.
Every community deserves a voice.
CURRENT PROJECTS
Supporting rural communities around the world.
Outpost: Pansawan
Mae Rim, Thailand
OPENED SEPTEMBER 1, 2023
We worked together with Tee, the owner of Pansawan (a restaurant and guest house), to revamp her business and turn it into Pomelo’s first Outpost partnership where 100% of the profits stay local. At Pansawan you can eat, stay, and learn about Thai culture.
You’ll have an unforgettable experience meeting Tee, learning about her village, learning to cook Thai food, and experiencing “Thai time.” In September 2023 we opened a new bungalow and improved facilities.
Book here. Premium subscribers get 30-90% off stays if you login.
Rice Scholarships
Siem Reap, Cambodia
2023-2024 SCHOOL YEAR
Many impoverished Cambodian families face the difficult choice of withdrawing their children from school to put them to work, often resulting in these young ones earning just a few cents daily. Their tasks primarily involve collecting refuse and scavenging for food, with some being responsible for caring for younger siblings while their parents are at work.
Pomelo Travel Impact, in collaboration with our partner organization, One Family At A Time, has been instrumental in supporting up to 20 primary and high school students in securing an education for their future. We extend our assistance by providing 20 kilograms, approximately 40 pounds, of rice each month to every student and their family, contingent upon the students achieving an impressive 85% attendance rate. Historically, the average attendance rate for students ranged from 35% to 55% per month. However, we hold firm to our minimum expectation of an 85% monthly attendance, making exceptions for cases of illness or special circumstances. Remarkably, our students consistently exceed this benchmark, maintaining attendance rates of over 90%.
Through our commitment to these students, Pomelo Travel Impact not only paves the way for their brighter futures but also aids their families in breaking free from the cycles of generational poverty.
Outpost: Donny & Sri’s Surf House
Bali, Indonesia
OPENED SEPTEMBER 2, 2023
We teamed up with a local surf instructor, Donny, and his wife, Sri (pictured left), to start a new homestay business that is 100% owned and operated by them and their family. Located in a beautiful Balinese village, guests have the opportunity to stay in a traditional Balinese housing compound.
Traditional houses in Bali follow unique building methods that align them with the cosmos according to Balinese Hinduism.
Enjoy great surf, active Balinese traditional life, and an unforgettable view of the rice fields and volcanos. Opened September 2, 2023.
Book here. Premium subscribers get 30-90% off stays if you log in.
Outpost
Oahu, Hawaii
LAUNCHING 2025
Not enough money from tourism goes directly to the local families living in Oahu. Instead, larger corporations and foreign interests benefit and and local people are able to determine their own relationship with tourism.
Another glaring issue: Tourism and economic factors force local families to find housing off-island. This separates people from their families, loved-ones, and the island they call home. We realize tourism in Hawaii is inevitable, so we’re attempting to channel the energy from tourism to support more local families.
Project in progress. More information coming late 2025.
School Supplies Donation
Bali, Indonesia
MARCH 2023
We teamed up with our friends at Akin Clothing to donate school uniforms and supplies to children in Northern Bali in communities that are off the tourist trail and don’t receive the benefits of tourism on the island.
All the items donated to the kids are sourced locally providing jobs and income within the community.