I have worked in the online tourism industry for several years now, first in Italy - where I come from - then in London, where I moved to in 2002.

I thought London was a good place to start a project on my own, something which could combine my passion for travel and adventure with the need of experiencing and promoting a type of tourism focused on the genuine discovery of new territories, environments and cultures.

As a traveller I had the chance to notice how too many times tourists were falling prey of international tour operators (mainly controlled by multinational companies focused on mere profits), who were attracting them with the promise of affordable luxury at the expense of an authentic travel experience.

This really irritated me, and as Dame Anita Roddick said once: ‘Irritation is a great source of energy and creativity’.

I started looking for sound alternative offers to mass tourism and all-inclusive resorts, and although I could find a few ’specialty travel agencies’ which were advertising a more responsible way of travelling and spreading the concept of ‘eco’ and ‘sustainable’ tourism, I still felt there was a gap in the market.

While travelling around Mexico in 2003, I also had the chance to hear and see more about the negative effects on the local economy brought by 9 years of NAFTA. Forms of exploitation of the local environment, resources, and labour force were easy to detect also in the tourist industry.

This experience, together with my personal interest about Mexico’s nature, culture and history made me choose this country as the perfect pilot destination for my eco-travel project.

I was actually surprised to see how many local operators were responding to the unrestrained tourist development which affected areas on the Caribbean and South Pacific coasts with more sustainable plans focused on the country’s abundant resources and biodiversities. They were promoting vacations based on the interaction with the natural and cultural environment, and involved in its conservation.

However, I also realised how little these projects were known amongst holidaymakers: some of them booked all-inclusive holidays attracted by the idea of a relaxing, hassle-free vacation, but some others did so only because all-inclusive was the best advertised formula in the market, both by traditional travel agents and online operators. By browsing online travel forums on Mexico, I saw that most posts were about the best resort to choose or the best available deals… most of the time offered by the same international tour operators sponsoring or owning the website.

As a reaction to the ‘travel globalisation’, a passionate discussion amongst friends generated the gloCaltravel philosophy.

It was a dark and stormy night in London, during the winter of 2003, when it all began… and here we are now, with an online travel agency connecting the local offer by independent operators, who provide alternative options to mass package-holidays, to the demand of the global travel community, asking for a more authentic travel experience.

The gloCaltravel website offers eco, adventure and cultural tours, and eco-friendly accommodation all over Mexico, together with general information and resources for planning your responsible travel. A special section is dedicated to NGOs operating in the Mexican territory, to community projects and volunteering opportunities linked to and supported by tour and accommodation providers.

This will not be just a company blog, but an opportunity to talk about ecotourism and sustainable travel issues, about Mexico, and maybe other travel destinations… a space for the gloCaltravel community to share ideas and to interact, and hopefully an occasion for other authoritative voices in the travel, not for profit and communication industries to join the conversation.