Duara Travels

10/02/2020

Dear friend, we have sad news to tell: from this month onwards, we don't take any more bookings. We have kept on receiving wonderful feedback from both the travellers and the villagers, but unfortunately our resources are limited and the market is global.

But what a ride it was! We are so happy and proud of our achievements together:
- 1700 sold nights to 570 customers from around 40 different countries and 6 continents.
- 67 host families in total of 27 villages in 9 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
- 38.000 euros of income generated to rural underserved villages outside tourism streams.

Warm thanks to all our hosts and contacts in each location, and everyone who stayed in Duara villages! You should have known how much we loved every booking we received. Not because of the money, but because of the hope it gave us – that one day rural villages around the world could benefit from sustainable tourism.

In addition to support from the state this was done without outside investments, without any experience in travel platforms - or startups - and without almost any knowledge in international online marketing campaigns.

We have learned more we could ever have imagined.

We still strongly believe in this concept and would like to do our best to help our village network to host travellers also in the future. That is why we have asked if the local coordinators in the villages want us to put their contact details on our website so that the travellers can contact them directly if they wish to book a stay in the future. You can find these contact details on the village profiles on our site until the autumn 2020.

Thank you for everything. What a journey it has been! Let's hope the future of sustainable tourism will shine bright.

- Duara Team ###

17/01/2020

Check out how Joanna, from the blog The World In My Pocket experienced her stay in Lembeni village, in Tanzania! 😍😎🍛🌄

"Spending a few days with the locals in Tanzania is a wonderful cultural experience in which you will learn a lot about how the family duties are spread between the members but also about the local traditions and how the daily life goes by, without any modern technology."

I have just returned from my trip to Tanzania and oh, how amazing that was!

15/01/2020

Beautiful article about Duara Travels published by the South African magazine Responsible Traveller 📰✍️🌍🌴

Check out from page 84 ->

In this edition we get off the beaten track and show that great experiences can be had without contributing to over-tourism at iconic, popular sites and destinations. Experience the wonderful city of Bangkok differently - as the locals do... take commuter trains, buses and water taxis, walk side str...

13/01/2020

An interesting blogpost explaining for example why Duara is doing what we are doing.

" ...according to a report from the World Tourism Organization (W.T.O.), only 5% of every dollar spend by a tourist stays with the local people and their communities."

Many travellers, younger travellers, in particular, are looking for authentic and real travel experiences. They are longing for a true connection with local people and they want to travel more responsibly. That’s why it’s time to talk more about the topic of responsible travel. Read more...

13/01/2020

Thanks for mentioning us thecoupleinrow51!🙏😍

In the ocean of information we call the internet it’s quite tough to find the right and responsible travel websites. They will ensure that your next activity or trip is local, meaningful, socially conscious and fun. But where to start? Don’t worry, we got you covered. In this article, we will sh...

06/01/2020

from our traveller 😍🙌

*****

Kizimkazi

Thank you Aisha for letting us into your village's and family's life for three days! Even though we didn't have a common language it was an eye opening experience to explore the village life in Zanzibar and notice that maybe our ways of living are totally different but we all are still the same people. This experience was something not to forget. Thank you for making this kind of experience possible!


@ Kizimkazi

03/01/2020

Maaike from Travel a Lut visited a Karen village called Pha Mon in Northern Thailand in November. Read her blog to find out how she liked it! The blog is in Dutch, but you can easily translate it into English with just one click.

Wil je weten hoe het is om te leven bij een bergstam? In het Doi Inthanon National Park in Noord-Thailand is het mogelijk. Hier lees je er alles over!

27/12/2019

Have you heard of Pha Mon village in Northern Thailand? 🤔

Nestled in the Doi Inthanon National Park, this picturesque hillside village is ideal for couples on a romantic trip, coffee enthusiasts, nature lovers, hikers, handicraft fans and those looking for a deep dive into the magnificent Karen culture. ✨

23/12/2019

Are you escaping the holiday season and heading to somewhere warm? For the quickest ones there is still a chance to celebrate New Year in an unforgettable way. Book your village stay now!

This pic is from a tiny beach village in Mosambique, where Annika, a traveller from Finland, spend her New Year 2015 with locals and got the idea to start a company that gives travellers a possibility to stay with local people and learn about their life. That company is now called Duara Travels 😁

Hopefully this village of Tofo is also one of the Duara villages one day...