About Ecohost

EcoHost Foundation works with rural entrepreneurs and local communities to improve their professional skills and businesses. Driven by needs of farmers in Vietnam in and near national parks, often ethnic minorities, aiming at a kind of support that will lead to structural impact and financial benefits. Aiming at peaceful co-existence of indigenous people and the interest of nature conservation and protection of valuable landscapes. In the approach of the EcoHost Foundation initiatives are always linked to value chains, no matter if they are the travel agencies or the local markets for agricultural products. Long lasting partnerships, based on economic incentives, are key to successful business cases. The founding partners of EcoHost Foundation are continuously linking their extensive global networks to their project leads.

Important part of EcoHost Foundation interventions focuses on innovative training methods by using interactive online and off-line learning systems, in combination with proven traditional tools such as peer to peer education and demonstration projects. On top of that appropriate finance to support individual investments and destination development is considered to be crucial for robust transitions.

Developing sustainable small-scale tourism will be one of the responses to COVID-19. Mass-tourism will not completely fade away, but the share of small-scale tourism will increase, anticipating on green growth, health, and authenticity. EcoHost Foundation strongly believe that by following principles such as hygiene protocols, social distancing and respect for environment eco-tourism in the world will get a boost. Our pilot in Vietnam intends to contribute to developing a new standard of future proof tourism and local circular food systems. But most of all we intend to start with very concrete steps to implement these principles, supporting the rural entrepreneurs in a beautiful country. A country that deserve to be discovered in a deeper way.

EcoHost Foundation is a social enterprise, legally registered in the Netherlands.

We follow a Two track parallel approach to develop a robust eco-tourism value chain, and linked circular, local food systems in the buffer zones of protected areas in Vietnam and SE Asia.

1. Mobilizing, supporting and coaching local entrepreneurs and start-ups by training and investment support (grass root driven, focus on protected areas Vietnam)

2. Facilitating the establishment of a strong organization that links providers of eco-tourism services to leading tourism agencies at national/regional level and abroad (in a PPP setting, but strong focus on the needs of the private sector).

Main responsibilities of this organization: coordination, quality control and marketing

EcoHost will be:

• Developing sustainable, small scale (eco-)tourism at individual and collective level (climate resilient and COVID-19 proof)
• Facilitating the transition of farming practices towards climate-resilience approaches by enhancing circular local food systems with a focus on agroforestry
• Providing technical assistance (TA) through innovative on/offline blended learning methods to support change effectively (COVID-19 proof)
• Developing specific ‘climate smart decision support tools’ and supportive technical assistance (TA) to banks, local producers and extension services

Our Value Proposition:

• Improve the livelihoods of people in the rural communities in protected area’s (PA’s) by diversification: eco-tourism and circular local food systems (agro-forestry)
• Foster climate resilient rural development and ecosystems
• Contribute to conserve nature, biodiversity and natural resources
• Showcase the ‘Future of Tourism’
• Improve access to markets and strengthen local value chains
• Strengthen the dialogue and collaboration between different stakeholders
• Implementation of COVID-19 proof forms of tourism