The idea of Kodama Travel came to me whilst researching the effectiveness of Protected Area governance. One of the biggest challenges facing conservation is exploitative economic activities, such as overfishing, poaching, wildlife trafficking, and habitat loss due to agricultural and industrial land use. The consequent biodiversity and biomass loss further undermines ecosystem resilience to climate change. Poverty and a lack of viable economic alternatives are frequently the main drivers of such exploitative activities. At the same time, ecotourism is often deployed as a development strategy to support community and conservation efforts. However, unregulated tourism can have a devastating impact on ecosystems. Waste run-off, inappropriate tourist activities such as wildlife disturbance, infrastructure development, and property speculation can damage both the environment and displace local communities, particularly if newly created jobs and benefits are not shared equitably. Despite its drawbacks, tourism remains a promising strategy, with alternative land uses such as agriculture and cattle ranching having far worse consequences. The challenge, therefore, lies in seeking a more equitable and sustainable way of developing the tourism sector while minimising economic benefit leakage.
This is where Kodama Travel comes in. I believe current travel products fall short of delivering for travellers, tour operators, local communities, and the planet. Despite market demand for better travel choices, the travel sector has shown limited commitment to the nature-positive agenda, and greenwashing is prevalent. In the trip booking space, a market that is highly fragmented and predominantly driven by local players, the process of comparing many options and assessing an operator's credibility, quality, sustainability, ethical credentials, and costs largely falls on individual travellers. Furthermore, the industry as a whole falls far short of fulfilling its duty to safeguard wildlife. Even for organisations with animal welfare policies, they often fail to implement them fully. This means that eco-conscious travellers have to conduct their own due diligence. Campaigns from wildlife charities against tour providers such as TUI and GetYourGuide, who continue to sell experiences based on animal cruelty, are examples of where travel agencies are complicit in exploiting wildlife for profit.
The founding philosophy of Kodama is both simple and ambitious. We are unwavering in our commitment to ending wildlife exploitation in the travel sector, while striving to support local businesses that give back to the community, ensuring that the economic benefits of tourism stay local. At Kodama, we are not just building a marketplace or a platform; we are building a community and a movement. Whether we can rebuild a society that respects and protects the planet, and treat the Earth as one we owe, not one we own, will test our collective imagination and resolve. The sum of our choices and the strength of our convictions define our history and will certainly shape our future. Sir David Attenborough remarked that: “We are at a unique stage in our history. Never before have we had such an awareness of what we are doing to the planet, and never before have we had the power to do something about that.” I invite you, travellers, voyagers, explorers, and entrepreneurs, to join the Kodama mission in shaping the responsible travel agenda. Let's do something about restoring this pale blue dot that is our home.