Who we are

Basecamp is a non-profit tourism based organization that works with host communities and partner organizations in tourism destinations to create sustainable destinations in developing countries. We want to create a forum for host communities to demonstrate positive impacts of tourism on the natural, social and economic environment.

The Setting:

The Basecamp Group consists of Basecamp Explorer (BCE), a for-profit tourism operating organisation and Basecamp Foundation (BCF), a not-for-profit organisation focusing on social & environmental aspects of responsible tourism. Further, BCF is responsible for delivering on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) within the Basecamp Group.

The development of Basecamp Foundation (BCF), registered first in Norway and later in Kenya and USA can be characterised by the following:

For the first years after its initiation, the Foundation was mainly focusing on projects in Masai Mara and India with high likelihood of reaching the desired results and impacts. Building trust amongst local communities, partners and donors and developing a good understanding of the destinations social and environmental needs as well as suitable forms for tourism development was key during this phase. In recent years the Foundation has expanded both the breadth and depth of its work, developing its organisation, increased its fundraising and accomplished its first major sustainable destination development project – the Naboisho Conservancy in Masai Mara.

The Foundation describes its work as:

 Transforming lives through tourism

and in order to achieve this ambition it adopted a three-fold approach:

• Showcasing responsible tourism practices (best practice),

• Developing tourism models for sustainable destination development (triple bottom line) and,

• Promoting responsible tourism by engaging in local, national and international stakeholder dialogue and advocacy.

An example of how showcasing responsible tourism has been achieved by BCF is through the winning of globally recognised eco-tourism awards. The Naboisho Community–Wildlife Conservancy in Masai Mara is an example of a tourism model developed and implemented by BCF, which promotes sustainable destination development. The acceptance of Basecamp’s Global Committment by the Clinton Global Initiative is an example of the international networking and stakeholder dialogue BCF is engaging in in order to influence the tourism industry to move towards greater sustainability.

BCF engages in close collaboration with Basecamp Explorer, as well as other tourism partners, in order to practically and tangibly deliver on the three-fold approach.