The Travel Foundation has generated more than £1 million in revenue for local people, including craftspeople, fishermen, farmers and tourist guides in a decade since it was founded.
The charity’s livelihoods projects enable local people to benefit economically from tourism by creating new jobs and demand for locally produced products and services.
A project in Mexico called Jungle Jams helped to push total revenue over the £1 million mark before the end of 2013, the Travel Foundation’s 10th anniversary year.
Based in the Yucatan Peninsula – where many people have to move away from their villages to find work, leaving behind traditional customs and skills – the scheme helped local women set up a jam-making business and sell their produce to hotels and businesses in Cancun and the Riviera Maya.
Other livelihoods projects have ranged from Taste of Fethiye, which has created links between farmers and hotels in the Fethiye region of Turkey, to Maasai village tours in Kenya.
Travel Foundation acting chief executive Salli Felton said: “We are delighted that our livelihoods programmes have generated more than £1 million for local people.
“As we reach the end of our 10th anniversary year, we plan to build on this success with further projects to help communities around the world benefit from tourism.”