People-First Tourism Lab Blog

                 Adapting to an unprecedented summer The summer of 2020 was a summer of unprecedented occurrences that demanded   tremendous flexibility from all people and organizations. When I applied for a Rural Works! internship with People-First Tourism Inc. to support their Provisions business unit (part of NC State Extension’s Vacationer Supported Agriculture project) the goal of this internship was to increase the visibility of participating farmers and facilitate the supply chain of produce to be sold to vacationers. When I applied and interviewed, I envisioned myself spending long weekends on various farms, enjoying late-night conversations with farmers, interacting with vacationers in the area, and taking pictures of the packaging and delivery process for public relations efforts. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I had to pursue my internship goals completely online. March 17th marked the beginning of quarantine in North Carolina with the closure of restaurants f

Chapada das Mesas National Park is a tourism destination hidden in Brazil’s northeastern state of Maranhão, colloquially referred to as “Nordeste do Brasil.” The Park’s most mesmerizing attractions include abundant waterfalls, rock paintings, natural springs, trekking routes and natural sculptures formed by the Brazilian cerrado , a vast tropical savannah ecoregion.   Local eco-tour microentrepreneur, Indo, looking down towards his home region   Guided by a local During a recent 4-day trip to this region with a few friends, the front desk agent, in our small hotel in the local gateway town of Carolina, recommended that we try a whole day excursion at $30 USD per person. The agent nicely said: “ Get ready, cause the day is gonna be long tomorrow. And don’t be late!” The next morning at 8am a tour guide welcomed us and introduced himself as Joel Costa Filho, and asked us to call him just Indio , like the locals do . He has that nickname because his physical features resemble th

With the indications that the COVID-19 pandemic will be in our lives for many months to come, we may find ourselves reflecting on the trips we’ve done in the last couple months and wondering if the trips were worth the risk.   We may also be considering if it is wise to plan any additional vacations in the next months. For those that enjoy and find deep meaning from travel and but whom also want to be respectful to destination communities, we propose the following considerations:   1. Do the desired benefits of a trip outweigh the likely costs to you and society? Leisure travel can bring families together, enable people to release pent-up stress from life’s demands, allow healthy physical activity, and improve overall emotional well-being.   During this pandemic however, travel away from one’s trusted people and trusted spaces may create anxiety and exposure to virus infections.   Therefore, discerning travelers should contrast the benefits they seek from a leisure trip w