Positive Travel Experiences Powered by Local Heroes
Positive Travel Experiences Powered by Local Heroes
Herost is an impact online travel guide and toolkit that promotes sustainable, community-driven tourism.
We connect travelers with local hosts who offer authentic ad unique experiences that benefit both the community and the environment.
We connect travelers with local hosts who offer authentic ad unique experiences that benefit both the community and the environment.
Travel Good * Feel Good * Do Good
Purpose: We believe that travel can be a force for good in the world. We want to make travel more sustainable and equitable, and we believe that responsible travel businesses are essential to achieving this goal.
Vision: We envision a world where travel is a tool for sustainable development and well-being for all. We believe that responsible travel can help to protect the environment, support local communities, and promote equality and equity.
Mission: We support responsible travel experience providers. We highlight their sustainability engagement in order to connect them with travelers who care about their impacts on people and the planet.
Values:
Vision: We envision a world where travel is a tool for sustainable development and well-being for all. We believe that responsible travel can help to protect the environment, support local communities, and promote equality and equity.
Mission: We support responsible travel experience providers. We highlight their sustainability engagement in order to connect them with travelers who care about their impacts on people and the planet.
Values:
- Equity and diversity: We are committed to creating a more equitable and inclusive travel industry.
- Creativity and authenticity: We believe that responsible travel should be fun, exciting, and meaningful.
- Quality over quantity: We believe that responsible travel should be about value, not volume.
Our Sustainable Tourism Philosophy
Sustainable tourism is about maximizing the positive impacts and minimizing the negative impacts of travel activities. It puts local communities and their environment at the center of its concerns.
While conscious travelers are increasingly looking for sustainable travel experiences, responsible hosts are committed to providing these experiences. Herost connects these two groups, making it easy for travelers to find sustainable travel experiences that match their values.
While conscious travelers are increasingly looking for sustainable travel experiences, responsible hosts are committed to providing these experiences. Herost connects these two groups, making it easy for travelers to find sustainable travel experiences that match their values.
Herost intends to advance travel as a tool for local sustainable development and empowerment
through promoting community-centered experiences that are economically viable, socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable.
Our main objective to maximize the benefits of travel for the local hosts, their communities and the travelers
while minimizing the negative impacts on places, people and the planet.
Herost is a project of the One Planet Sustainable Tourism Programme, a multi-stakeholder partnership that promotes knowledge-sharing and networking opportunities to better implement sustainable consumption and production in the tourism sector.
Herost's Value Proposition
For the hosts:
- Recognition for sustainable and community-centered practices
- Increased visibility and competitiveness in new markets
- Access to a growing segment of travelers who care about sustainability
- Save time and find reliable, verified eco-friendly options for accommodations, activities, tours, and events
- Enjoy high-quality content about local hosts, authentic experiences, and off-the-beaten-path destinations
- Discover off-the-beaten-track, interactive experiences and destinations
- Feel good about supporting the Herost community
- Generate complementary revenue and job opportunities for local communities, with a focus on youth and women
Herost Charter for Hosts
- Quality of Hospitality – The Host commits to offer high quality hospitality, based on the standards, rules and regulations applicable in the destination.
- Sustainability Engagement – The Host commits to adopt sustainability practices and to encourage responsible behaviors from the staff and guests.
- Cultural Authenticity – The Host commits to incorporate elements of the local culture and traditions into the architecture, furniture and decoration related to the accommodation / activities.
- Responsible Purchasing – The Host commits to purchase fair, local and/or domestic products and services in priority.
- Support to Local Community- The Host commits to offer job and income opportunities to local community members in priority.
- Water and Energy Saving – The Host commits to monitor and control the consumption of water and energy resources and to keep them accessible to the local community.
- Biodiversity Preservation and Restoration – The Host commits to support global, regional and local efforts towards preserving and restoring the biodiversity.
- Waste Management and Reduction – the Host commits to implement a variety of measures to sort out, reduce, reuse, recycle and/or up cycle waste, in collaboration with the local community.
- Pollution Minimization – The Host commits to identify and minimize (reduce, eliminate) the existing and potential sources of pollution related to the accommodation / activities.
- Climate Change Mitigation – The Host commits to contribute to climate change mitigation through reducing the direct Greenhouse Gas Emissions of the accommodation / activities.
Our story
The initial concept of Herost was created early 2019 by Catherine GERMIER-HAMEL, Founder & CEO of Millennium Destinations.
Based on her international expertise in sustainable tourism development and marketing, she wanted to design a practical, innovative solution to increase the positive contribution of tourism to the host communities and their environments.
As a result, she first developed Herost as a solution of Millennium Destinations.
Subsequently, Louis HAAG, Shinobu HAYAMA and eventually Hortense SERRET joined the Herost adventure as Co-Founders and now as Advisors.
Since then, Herost has become an online platform and global community dedicated to the promotion of sustainable, community-driven tourism experiences.
In May 2020, Catherine incorporated Herost as a company headquartered in Seoul and is now assuming the role of CEO.
Based on her international expertise in sustainable tourism development and marketing, she wanted to design a practical, innovative solution to increase the positive contribution of tourism to the host communities and their environments.
As a result, she first developed Herost as a solution of Millennium Destinations.
Subsequently, Louis HAAG, Shinobu HAYAMA and eventually Hortense SERRET joined the Herost adventure as Co-Founders and now as Advisors.
Since then, Herost has become an online platform and global community dedicated to the promotion of sustainable, community-driven tourism experiences.
In May 2020, Catherine incorporated Herost as a company headquartered in Seoul and is now assuming the role of CEO.