# About Impact Travel and Sustainable Tourism | Lokal Travel > We need to change the tourism industry. Here's why... # Lokal is changing tourism for the better Sustainable travel that benefits local communities * [Impact Travel](#) * [How We Work](#) Impact travel # Travel should leave more behind than it takes. Lokal helps travelers choose locally rooted trips where more of the money, decision-making, and long-term benefit stays with the people who make a place worth visiting. [Plan an impact trip](/en/pick-a-country/about-impact-travel-top)[See how Lokal works](/en/about/how-we-work) **Local-first**Trips favor locally owned lodges, guides, and community projects. **$5 / $100**A common leakage estimate for developing destinations. We build against that. **Place-led**We look for travel that protects the landscapes and cultures people came to see. Looks can be misleading ## One of these lodges dumps sewage in the mangroves. Can you tell which? Sustainability is hard to judge from a pretty photo. That is why Lokal looks beyond the brochure. [View this lodge’s impact](#) [](#) * Dumps sewage in the mangroves. * Greenwashes their impact. * Owned by a foreigner, money doesn’t stay local. [View this lodge’s impact](#) [](#) * Owned by a local family, money stays local. * Preserve 35 acres of rainforest. * 5-Leaf Sustainability Certification. The bigger pattern ## Traditional tourism often extracts more than it gives. ### The problem with **_traditional tourism_** Too often, foreign investors and mass tourism companies prioritize short-term profit over long-term sustainability, resulting in overtourism, damage to fragile environments, and marginalization of local communities. According to the UN, only $5 of every $100 spent by international travelers in developing countries goes to local communities. Let's change that. As the world's largest industry, generating over $7 trillion in global GDP, the potential for good is huge. Choose sustainable tourism and make a positive impact while you explore the world. ### The rise of **_impact travel & community tourism_** When you support local tourism, you're [empowering communities](/en/discover/community-based-tourism) and making a positive impact on the world. From eco-lodges owned by indigenous communities in the Amazon to homestay networks empowering women in rural Nepal, there are countless opportunities to make your trip both meaningful and memorable. With over 50,000 local lodges and community tourism providers to choose from, it's never been easier to make a difference while you travel. --- Our Impact Travel Documentary Experience the breathtaking beauty and unique biodiversity of Costa Rica's Osa Peninsula in our film. Covering just 0.0001% of the planet's surface, this tropical rainforest is home to 2.5% of the world's species. We fell in love with the region when we first visited in 2012, but were shocked to learn that the planned construction of an international airport threatened to destroy its natural beauty forever. Join us on our journey to learn more and help protect this incredible place. Don't miss this amazing film. [Watch the full documentary >](/en/film) --- ## Check out some of the amazing partners we work with [![](https://res.cloudinary.com/lokal/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto,c_fill,h_250,w_460/qzpyz6advznqrq0hkys8.jpg)Costa Rica](/en/provider/osa-wild-travel) **Osa Wild** connects travelers to diverse family projects from a completely natural retreat amid mountains, trees, waterfalls and animals, to the preparation of Costa Rican dishes, fishing, milking, use of a mill, and the simple, humble and beautiful sharing with Costa Rican families. They are the first 100% Costa Rican-run tour operator focused on promoting community tourism. [Explore >](/en/provider/osa-wild-travel) [![](https://res.cloudinary.com/lokal/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto,c_fill,h_250,w_460/xochimilco_roberto-carlos-roman-_N6BAsuUqBc-unsplash_nmh23o.jpg)Mexico](/en/provider/de-la-chinampa) **De la Chinampa a tu Mesa** is a non-profit organization supporting ecological preservation and sustainable agriculture in the chinampas of Xochimilco - the famous floating gardens of Mexico City. The owner, Ricardo Rodriguez, leads tours through the beautiful canals offering food from local farms, a visit to the chinampas, and knowledge about the history of the area. [Explore >](/en/provider/de-la-chinampa) [![](https://res.cloudinary.com/lokal/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto,c_fill,h_250,w_460/Lokal_Uakari_Lodge_Brazil_cropped_ozfg3u.jpg)Brazil](/en/provider/uakari-lodge) **Uakari Lodge** allows you to explore the Mamirauá Sustainable Development Reserve, the largest protected flooded forest in the world, in the heart of the Amazon Rainforest. Five floating bungalows allow you to witness the flooding of the forest during the rainy season and explore by canoe to see abundant wildlife like the red-faced white uakari monkey and the black faced squirrel monkey. [Explore >](/en/provider/uakari-lodge) [Explore >](/en/provider/osa-wild-travel) [Explore >](/en/provider/de-la-chinampa) [Explore >](/en/provider/uakari-lodge) ### Interested in planning something with Lokal? [Sounds awesome, I’m in!](/en/pick-a-country/about-impact-travel-btm) --- *Markdown rendition of /en/about/impact-travel (locale: en). The canonical page is the HTML version; this view regenerates periodically and may omit interactive content.*