Planeterra Launches Global Framework to Measure Community Tourism Impact
Planeterra, the non-profit social enterprise connected to G Adventures, has launched the Community Positive Framework, a global initiative aimed at establishing a shared industry standard for defining and measuring meaningful community benefit from tourism. The move addresses a recognised gap in the sector: while tourism businesses increasingly describe their operations as community-beneficial, no agreed global benchmark currently exists to define or verify what that means in practice.
What sets the initiative apart is its bottom-up approach - communities themselves will play a central role in defining what positive impact looks like, rather than having criteria imposed by industry bodies or operators. The framework will be developed alongside a practical Impact Measurement Toolkit, giving tourism businesses methods to assess existing community partnerships, track progress and identify areas for improvement. A multidisciplinary expert panel spanning tourism, international development, human rights and decoloniality in tourism will guide the research, with Sustainable Travel & Tourism Africa, led by Judy Kepher Gona, serving as the research and framework consultant partner. The co-creation process, which includes industry funding partners such as Iberostar Foundation, Evaneos and easyJet holidays, launched on World Tourism Day and will continue through 2027.
Source: Planeterra
