Welcome back to The Tourism RESET. In this episode, I speak with Vitória and her son Alex, mother and son from Cristalino Lodge, a world leading ecotourism lodge in the Southern Amazon, Brazil.

A butterfly and a red flower carry Vitória's name, living tributes from scientists to a life devoted to the Amazon. When she was called 'crazy' for her vision to protect a region in the Southern Amazon and bring people from around the world to experience it, Vitória stayed true to her intuition.

What began as a deep knowing grew into Cristalino Lodge, now safeguarding 11,399 hectares of rainforest (equal in size to two Manhattans). It's a world-leading research hotspot, a sanctuary of immense biodiversity, and a living classroom where over 13,000 children have explored its trails.

In this conversation, Vitória and Alex reflect on how it all began, why education and science sit at the heart of their work, and how tourism - done with right - can become one of the most powerful forces to protect nature and uplift communities in a region that has long been under threat.

If you enjoy this conversation, be sure to check out my best learning resources for travel professionals and purpose-led tourism businesses. Created for those ready to reimagine and reset tourism for people, places, and nature. Visit The Tourism RESET.com

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Special thanks to Senderos who made this conversation possible.

Welcome back to The Tourism RESET with me, your host, Rebecca Woolford.

My next guest is Dr Freya Higgins-Desbiolles, an academic powerhouse and author who's spent her career advancing justice in tourism. She helped create the Code of Conduct for Tourism in the Holy Land, she's co-authored books on climate justice and community empowerment, and she's working with communities worldwide to reimagine what's possible.

This conversation is about understanding the system better so we can change it. Freya shares insights most of us were never taught AND the critical questions we are often missing entirely.

This episode is essential listening for evaluating genuine community tourism, NOT marketing fluff.

Here's what you'll discover in this episode:

🌍 Why Freya believes traditional tourism has been hijacked and by whom

🌍 Why community-owned AND community-led aren't the same as community-based and how to tell the difference as a travel professional

🌍 Real world examples where local communities are self-determining their futures

🌍 How to inform yourself. Understand what you're missing. Then choose a pathway.

If you enjoy this conversation, be sure to check out my learning resources designed for travel professionals and teams who lead with impact - including the on-demand masterclass How to Unlock the Power and Potential of Community-Led Tourism that Freya was part of.

Here is the preview of that masterclass - https://kiwanotourism.com/stories/video-preview-masterclass-community-tourism/

1. Stay in the know with my weekly eNewsletter @kiwanotourism.com
2. Check out my YouTube Channel: youtube.com/@rebeccawoolford
3. Connect on Instagram: rebecca_kiwano
4. Connect on LinkedIn: rebecca-woolford

Welcome back to The Tourism RESET with me, your host, Rebecca Woolford.

My guests today are Alessandra Alonso, award-winning founder of Women in Travel CIC - named one of 9 women transforming travel by Matador Network and one of 50 most important women in travel by Wanderlust AND Florbela, a tour guide whose story proves exactly why Alessandra's work matters.

For two decades, Alessandra has been championing women in tourism. It started when she noticed she was always the only woman in the boardroom. Women are 54% of tourism's workforce - yet rarely are they in decision-making roles (even today). So, she built the Tour Guiding Academy to change that.

It trains women like Florbela, who at almost 50 reinvented herself as a tour guide fuelled by passion, cultural heritage, and storytelling. Now she's creating exactly what travellers love most in the heart of London: authentic, immersive, deeply human experiences.

Here's what you'll discover in this episode:

🌍 "There is a lot of talent still totally invisible to industry" - where we're missing out by fishing from the same pond

🌍 Alessandra's journey: from being the only woman in every boardroom to building an academy that transforms lives

🌍 The business case + why curiosity matters: "Don't do things how they've always been done"

This is essential listening for tour operators, DMCs, and travel professionals who source guides or are looking for unique local experiences. Because the talent creating what travellers want most might be invisible to you and Alessandra shows you where to look.

Before visiting WTM in London this year, I joined Alessandra on a Syrian-Palestinian tour with Nadia, another academy graduate. On a memorable and engaging walking tour, we explored Syrian culture through London. If you're curious about the Tour Guiding Academy or would like to experience a tour find out more here -https://www.womenintravelcic.com/entrepreneurship/the-tour-guiding-academy/

If you enjoy this conversation, be sure to check out my learning resources designed for travel professionals and teams who lead with impact - including our hub of on-demand video masterclasses to lean into topics like those covered in today's episode.

1. Stay in the know with my weekly eNewsletter @kiwanotourism.com
2. Check out my YouTube Channel: youtube.com/@rebeccawoolford
3. Connect on Instagram: rebecca_kiwano
4. Connect on LinkedIn: rebecca-woolford