About the Foundation
The Context Foundation for Sustainable Travel was founded by Paul Bennett and Lani Bevacqua, directors of Context Travel, an organization of scholars and specialists who design walking seminars for intellectually curious travelers. A commercial enterprise, Context presently operates in seven cities: Rome, Paris, New York, London, Florence, Venice, and Naples.
Through our work in these places we have become sensitized to the key role that tourism plays in the local economies. With the exception of Naples (which is beset by its own, unique set of problems) tourism is main industry in each of these cities, driving the economy and decisions of local government and influencing the lives of residents. At the same time, tourism--specifically, mass tourism--has introduced a number of new challenges to these cities and now threatens to transform or diminish the qualities that have made them so unique over the centuries.
The challenges are as unique as the cities themselves. In Venice and Florence, for example, a certain kind of “slash and burn” tourism has pushed residents out of the center, making these cities in some respects less authentic and more touristic than they were previously. In Paris, mass tourism has skewed the federal preservation agenda to favor the most popular monuments at the expense of a host of “forgotten monuments” that are literally crumbling before our eyes. In Rome, major monuments like the Colosseum or Vatican are so overcrowded that not only does one fear for their physical security but their meaning--once so powerful, so fundamental to the Western mind--becomes compromised.
The Context Foundation is dedicated to mitigating these negative effects of tourism by searching out local initiatives that somehow counteract them. Sometimes this involves championing and drawing attention to lesser monuments; sometimes it involves helping the local community adapt to the changes wrought by tourism; and sometimes it means simply fighting those changes altogether. To learn more about what we do, take a look at our programs.
Our Current Status
The Context Foundation was founded in the winter of 2007. Our application for 501c3 tax exempt status was approved in the spring of that year, and we began raising funds, mostly from Context Travel clients who are passionate about defending the heritage of these cities. 2008 will see our first round of funding, and further development of the organization through the recruitment of an advisory board.
In addition to running both Context and the Context Foundation, Paul Bennett writes about sustainable design, ecotourism, and climate change for a variety of American magazines. He sits on National Geographic's Sustainable Destinations Survey Panel, where he helps the Society determine worthy sustainable travel programs around the world. All inquiries should be directed to him at: paul@contexttravel.com