Vayando shows where local micro-entrepreneurs are located on tourist maps, connecting them with travellers in search of immersive cultural experiences.
Travelling doesn't just mean following the classic itineraries suggested by guidebooks. It also means getting to know other realities, discovering new cultures and ways of life, as well as dishes, fascinating traditions and languages. To quote Henry Miller: "One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things."
Bringing tourists and locals together
The travel platform Vayando allows travellers to immerse themselves in local realities by taking part in cultural experiences. Through this platform, they are connected with small local entrepreneurs in emerging economies and have the opportunity to learn about different ways of life from these talented people.
"If you have ever visited emerging countries, you will have noticed that it is difficult to step off the plane or bus and connect with people outside of a guided tour. Vayando aims to reverse this trend. We operate in Rwanda and Costa Rica because we aim to bring tens of thousands of entrepreneurs to market in more than a hundred countries." (Scott Wilhelm, co-founder of Vayando)
Vayando offers one-of-a-kind experiences. In Kigali, Rwanda, where the company is based, you can cook local specialities with Aminatha, create wooden objects with Irenee, explore Kigali's art scene with the artists of the Ivuka centre and make baskets with Grace.
Supporting local businesses
Whether they involve an olfactory and visual immersion, a dive into the lives of indigenous communities, or the delicious flavours of their food, these experiences are unique and memorable, and no guide is needed to have them. What's more, it is a way to support local development, because by spending a day with a fashion designer, a cheesemaker, a beekeeper or a coffee grower, it is possible to improve their standard of living.
Vayando also gives micro-entrepreneurs in emerging economies a degree of visibility online, providing them, according to Wilhelm, with "an online booking platform that harnesses the growth and diversification of the global tourism sector to unlock new economic opportunities, while at the same time delivering well-rounded experiences".
Improving living conditions
In the peaceful and wonderful little fishing town of Kibuye, on the shores of Lake Kivu in Rwanda, you can spend a day with local farmers. After the morning milking, you can take the cows for a swim from one island to another to let them graze. Yes, cows can swim!
Cattle farmers generally earn a meagre 15,000 Rwandan francs (18 euros) a month. But if just three travellers wanted to try the experience of swimming with the cows, it would be possible to raise three times the amount the farmers earn each month, without even disrupting their daily routine.
Vayando is the ethical traveller's new best friend because, while on the one hand it puts them in direct contact with local micro-entrepreneurs so they can learn about their living conditions, on the other it supports local development.
Translated by Francesca Clemente