The ASTW has a strong culture of giving back to the communities and countries that host us when we travel and encourages members to contribute wherever they can.
Every year, the ASTW board makes a donation to a charity in the country or Australian city/region hosting our ASTW convention. The donation is also made even if a convention is not held and that takes place at the annual general meeting.
Past donation recipients have included the Bangkok School of the Blind in Thailand; Rotorua Literacy Project in New Zealand; KOTO (Know One, Teach One) in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; the RMKS Primary School in Fiji; the Mutitjulu Foundation at Uluru in the Northern Territory; Tinmugs children’s charity near Cape Town, South Africa; the Save the Bilby Fund on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast; World Animal Protection in Bangkok, Thailand; The Take 3 for the Sea environmental project in northern New South Wales; and Médecins Sans Frontières (a worldwide medical charity).
Many ASTW members also make personal contributions to places that have affected them on their travels, for example by volunteering on conservation projects or in animal rescue centres, donating to local charities and campaigns, sponsoring children or community projects, and organising fundraising events such as photo exhibitions.
Our writer members regularly encourage and inspire readers to travel more sustainably through their travel stories, while ASTW PR members play a vital role in informing the public and our travel industry colleagues about sustainability measures introduced by their clients and organisations.
