Destination Disaster Recovery Fund

The Destination Disaster Recovery Fund focuses on restoring and rebuilding tourism resources and infrastructure that have been impacted by disasters. Our strategy revolves around recovery investments to rebuild tourism assets and help bring back quality of life at a destination once tourism begins to recover.

Grant Funding supports community-tourism initiatives that are seeking:

• Bridge-financing to keep community-level businesses open/ ready to re-open post natural disaster

• Community-level support and resources for tourism reliant destinations

• Infrastructure renovations, reinforcements, restoration work

• Destination and community-level marketing support to bring business back to the region

After Hurricane Maria devastated the Caribbean, Tourism Cares launched a fundraising campaign to aide in tourism recovery to more than a dozen organizations throughout the islands. In the USVI, a grant supported My Brother’s Workshop, an organization that provides hope, faith, and purpose to at-risk and high-risk young people in the USVI by offering mentoring, counseling, paid job training, education, and job placement. By strengthening destination communities, destinations remain stronger and more resilient in the wake of any future disasters.

Learn more about our grantees here.

Impact Travel Fund

The Impact Tourism Fund focuses on investing in the resiliency of destinations through community-level tourism initiatives that spread the benefits of tourism. 

This fund creates a sustainable value chain by investing in organizations that create social and environmental impact around tourism destinations, establishing more market success for the community and sustainable tourism.

Grant Funding supports community-tourism initiatives that are seeking:

• Capacity building, upskilling, and training to advance education and employ-ability in the hospitality and tourism industry.

• Infrastructure grants to scale micro and small businesses to accommodate and put in place more sustainable initiatives.

• Networking and community building of non-profits and seek a platform in front of the industry.

#BEACHANGEMAKER is a campaign lead by Impulse Travel, supporting 15 high impact community leaders and their communities across Colombia. Grant funding will support access to remote, digital training, skill-building, and leadership training for their community-level tourism experiences, as well as, emergency stipends and resources during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Learn more about our grantees here.

Thank you to the organizations contributing to the Impact Travel Fund:

Diversity in Tourism Fund

The tourism industry’s greatest asset is the cultural diversity of the destinations and communities it visits.   However, the tourism industry workforce is not illustrative of this very principle. 

Grants directly support programs and activities that increase diversity, equity, and inclusion within travel, build capacity for underrepresented markets and amplify voices representative of the entire travel and tourism industry.

Eligible programs and activities include:

• Training, certification, talent development, market research, and product development.

• Costs associated with mentoring, training, or academic study for professional development programs that advance and upskill individuals and/or organizations.

Tourism Cares, in partnership with TreadRight, TRIP School, and the Media Arts Institute of Alabama, has developed the Pathways Project, which aims to increase the representation of Black, Indigenous, and other historically underrepresented individuals in travel and tourism, with a focus on integrating program participants into roles in the guided tour space.

Tour guides are the essential interface between the tour operator and the guest, and critical to ensuring representation is a part of a destination’s story. The program will actively recruit communities underrepresented by the industry and selected applicants will be provided with online learning, active mentorship, and an in-person training boot camp.  Upon graduation from the program, each participant will be poised for success and assisted with employment opportunities. 

The program is anticipated to go a long way towards greater representation in travel and tourism, through long-term commitment and collaboration. Learn more at https://tourismpathways.com/

Learn more about our grantees here.

Please note: Tourism Cares awards grants on a rolling basis. While we do accept nominations for projects for consideration, grants in large part are by invitation only.

Cover photo provided by IMPULSE Travel.