Innovation

For ten years, Journey Beyond Travel has been an eco-tourism provider in Morocco, fulfilling a need for a quality tour company that could open the doors to places in Morocco rarely seen. Focused on sustainability, Journey Beyond Travel offers high-quality tours that ensure low impact on the unique locations that they visit, helping to promote not only sustainable travel, but responsible travel as well. The team at Journey Beyond Travel, who are former Peace Corps members, promote eco-tourism projects throughout the country at the grass root level.

As Fazia notes, the company is innovative in the country because “Social responsibility happens in Morocco on a personal level, but it is a concept that has not transferred to businesses like it has in the United States.” As one of the first companies in the country to give back in a socially responsible way, Journey Beyond Travel is laying the groundwork for other companies to follow their lead.

Inspiration

Relying on their Peace Corps past, the staff’s passion lies in supporting local causes, associations and initiatives. Their extensive experience in the country allows for an intimate knowledge of the culture and the customs of the people of Morocco. When speaking with the staff, their love and respect for Morocco and its’ people shines through, and it becomes apparent that they truly desire to give their clients an experience that they will cherish for a lifetime, and work to open doors into parts of Morocco rarely seen by outsiders. While the company started with group tours, the team quickly realized that group tours did not allow for an intimate experience. The team works hand in hand with their clients to create a private, customized tour that reflects the client’s personal interests, while also intertwining unique local experiences.

Overall impact

The overall impact from Journey Beyond Travel can be seen through three different lenses. First, by creating meaningful tours that speak to the clients’ interests, Journey Beyond Travel is able to give their clients a tour that exposes them fully to the people and culture of Morocco, in a culturally sensitive way. Tours from Journey Beyond Travel ensure that the interactions between the clients and the people of Morocco are positive and culturally appropriate. Travelers can return to their home countries and share their experiences with family and friends, who in turn become much more likely to travel to Morocco on their own.

Secondly, Journey Beyond Travel pays a fair and just wage to the people they hire to act as guides and drivers. The Moroccan travel ministry requires tour guides to be paid 800 Moroccan Dirham, with most guides requiring 1,000 Dirham. Journey Beyond Travel actually goes above and beyond these requirements, paying their guides 1,500 Dirham, allowing for their guides to more than adequately provide for their families. This allows for these people to also have a positive impact on their economy.

Additionally, by being involved with local initiatives within the communities in which they do business, Journey Beyond Travel is helping to stimulate the economy on the micro level.

Business benefit

Journey Beyond Travel stimulates and supports the hospitality industry in Morocco. By creating positive experiences, they increase the likelihood of repeat tourists and new travellers. By creating custom travel packages, they encourage clients to travel to areas that might not be as popular, helping to increase the travel industry throughout the country.

Journey Beyond Travel also stimulates local economies within the country, by paying fair wages and ensuring that they are growing the economies in a sustainable way. For example, the fair trade program that they are involved with helps merchants directly sell their goods, without the need for a middleman. This helps grow the local economy, as vendors and artists do not need to travel to another area to sell their products. This helps stimulate the economy on the micro level, which then trickles into other areas.

Social and environmental benefit

Founded with the belief of helping local causes and people, the company proudly supports a number of causes at the grass roots level, with all of the causes located in the very places that their tours operate. JBT was selected as the exclusive partner of The Anou, a fair trade program in Morocco. The Anou brings potential buyers directly to artisans through the creation of the first true free trade sales site for Moroccans, taking out any third parties from the process. All artisans are trained on how to use the platform, and all sales go directly to the artisans. JBT has partnered with The Anou to ensure that their clients are able to access all of the ‘fair trade’ centers during their travels.

Travel, especially that which requires long air flights and various modes of transportation, can leave a large carbon footprint, even after the visitor has left. However, JBT has found a way to better the environment from their trips, as JBT donates proceeds from their tours to the High Atlas Foundation, a non profit which helps to develop a self-sustaining future for Morocco. JBT’s donations go to offset any carbon footprint that the travelers may create during their trip, by supporting locals in the mountains to plant trees and assist with other sustainability initiatives.

JBT also works to help create a future for the people of Morocco through their continued support of the Education for All program and their work in the village of Khemlia. Education for All ensures that room and board are not an impediment to a quality education; they do this by assisting with housing and support for girls from rural communities, ensuring that every child in Morocco has a fair chance at an education. On the micro-local level, JBT is heavily involved with the Village of Khemlia, where local artisans are able to perform and sell their native Gnawa music. JBT saw this as an opportunity to ensure that their tours were not exploitative tourism, but rather, helped benefit the citizens in the areas they visit.

Interview

Fazia Farrook, Co-Founder, Head Coordinator, Bookkeeper