In Our Shoes is a project to save the environment by empowering vulnerable communities on the climate frontlines through ecotourism, where the focus lies not on luxury, but on authenticity. Guests stay not in cookie-cutter hotel rooms, but rather in the homes of the locals. Guests participate in the ordinary daily activities of the people in the village, join families during meal times, mingle with the locals, and enjoy the natural wonders in or around the village. This takes the concept of the Homestay and extends it into a Villagestay. This sort of tourism does not require building resort infrastructure, because it uses what is already there in the village, and what is provided by nature. The locals directly benefit from the income from this tourism model because more money goes to them. The income they receive can be used for much needed repairs on their homes, education of their children, medical expenses of their sick, and so on. They will therefore not have to do overfishing, overfarming, and other abusive practices, just to get more money. To test the project, we have identified a village in Siquijor where we can bring testers to try out life in that village. The test starts from Fri evening to Sunday noon, with most of the main activities happening on Saturday. Activities to be done include fishing, seaweed farming, and learning how to cook local cuisine. Other activities include snorkelling in the marine sanctuary, as well as relaxing on the beach. The purpose of the test is twofold: on one hand, we want to check the appeal of this sort of tourism to the market; on the other hand, we want to determine whether the locals themselves are comfortable with guests in the village mingling directly with them. For more information, please visit our website at http://inourshoes.info.
For more info, you can send me a personal message or text the following numbers: 09053442312, 09776146768 or 09493991418
This company is looking mostly for Europeans for there 'test' .... Kind of a strange statement to make. I guess this company thinks Americans don't want to live like they are shipwrecked on 'Gilligan's Island'. So, who pays for the Tanduay and warm Red Horse while living with these locals .... The villager or the European 'Eco-tourist'?
Great idea and I hope it goes well. Sad to say that I won't be a customer as I already do the homestay thing as padre de familia; but if drop by I'll say hi. I am arriving on Sunday, so I dare say I won't have time to visit either. But good luck to you and your project. Btw, without hijacking this thread, should there be a thread on the comedic chracteristics of Purok life for the foreigner? C