![\"Elena](\"https:\/\/travindy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Authenticitys_04-1024x683.jpg\")
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Elena Rodr\u00edguez Blanco is the\u00a0Co-Founder and Experience Curator\u00a0of Authenticitys.\u00a0With more than 10 years of experience in several sectors, Elena is in her 4th social startup and has changed roles and industries, countries and projects…giving her the ability to take risks and believe in the power of ideas and teams of ordinary people achieving extraordinary things.<\/em><\/p>\n Authenticitys<\/a> is an\u00a0online platform that is addressing the main challenges our societies have today in six dimensions: Health, Education, Environment & Resources, Equality & Freedom, Employability and Happiness.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Elena:\u00a0<\/strong>Traveling abroad, especially to cities or urban centers, is becoming more popular than\u00a0ever before. But alongside that uptick in interest (from millennials in particular)\u00a0comes a range of urban, social, and environmental problems that cities must contend\u00a0with as they host increasing amounts of new visitors. We believe that when done\u00a0responsibly, travel can be a force for good, and thus we partner with organizations\u00a0and tour organizers that are addressing local problems and challenges armed with\u00a0local knowledge. These challenges include issues like food systems issues,\u00a0marginalized\/homeless\/refugee communities, the decline of cultural\/historical\u00a0heritage, urban pollution, LGBTQ acceptance and many many more.<\/p>\n Elena<\/strong><\/strong>:\u00a0<\/strong>The impact we want to have is twofold. First, we want to impact the traveler. We\u00a0believe that traveling to a new place in a participatory and experiential way can have\u00a0an impact on the traveller that lasts long after they return home, so we design\u00a0experiences that help foment that kind of positive engagement and transformation.<\/p>\n The second impact is on the communities we operate in. We want Authenticitys\u00a0travelers to leave a positive footprint on the place they visit\u2014be it environmental,\u00a0educational, or economical\u2014and so we strive to provide ways for them to do that\u00a0which are also fun and informative.<\/p>\n On a larger level, the main impacts we categorize our tours into\u2014Employability,\u00a0Education, Freedom; Equality, Environment, Health, and Happiness \u2014are aligned\u00a0with the UN\u2019s Sustainable Development Goals, as we feel these are the most\u00a0promising roadmap for the future.<\/p>\n Elena:<\/strong> <\/strong>At the core of our belief system is the idea that local people know how to address\u00a0local problems. So instead of having travelers enter communities that are foreign\u00a0to them and expecting they will know how to make a difference, we are allowing\u00a0them to learn about and participate in solving these challenges from the people\u00a0who know them best.<\/p>\n We also work hard to really track the impact and progress of each of our\u00a0partners in every city we work in and helping our travelers realize where and\u00a0how they have delivered an impact. We are also looking to engage as much as\u00a0possible the ecosystem of travel in the cities, hotels, restaurants, other operators\u00a0to work on making travel more responsible and sustainable from a holistic level.<\/p>\n Elena<\/strong>:\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong>It\u2019s been really exciting to \u201cfind our tribe\u201d so to speak, and realize there are lots\u00a0of people who want to travel responsibly but don\u2019t necessarily know how. The\u00a0fact that we have taken the time to co-create experiences, and really be a part of\u00a0the challenges these communities are facing, as well as to talk to so many\u00a0travelers and realize that we are speaking a language they want to know and\u00a0understand. Now, when I visit a city I know there will be some experiences\u00a0waiting for us, or people there willing to co-create. It excites me to support them\u00a0in the best way we know how.<\/p>\n Elena<\/strong>:\u00a0<\/strong>We are seeking strong corporate partners from around the world who are\u00a0ready to make a difference and who want to begin working from a social\u00a0entrepreneurship mindset. Social startups can inspire, lead, and innovate,\u00a0but we need to gain the institutional support of organisations that have a\u00a0lot of experience and reach in the sector if we really want to maximize our\u00a0impact.<\/p>\n If we want to transform travel, we need to include as many\u00a0organisations that are already in travel\u2014such as major hotel chains,\u00a0hospitality sector players, and online travel platforms\u2014in order to bring\u00a0the industry to its next level.<\/p>\n Elena:<\/strong> <\/strong>When travel is all sustainable, when entrepreneurs build social and\u00a0environmental responsibility into the core of what they do, when we can drop all\u00a0the buzzwords and speak honestly and frankly from a common level of\u00a0understanding. Ok, perhaps not everybody, but our whole Authenticitys\u00a0community. If we get to build enough momentum and people in it to bring forth a\u00a0tipping point\u2026that would be success.<\/p>\n Elena:<\/strong> <\/strong>We are not just interested in changing boutique travel, but corporate travel as\u00a0well\u2014because that\u2019s where the biggest potential impact is. So we\u2019re really\u00a0interested in connecting with Accor hotels.<\/p>\n They are getting more involved in\u00a0responsible travel, for example they just put up orchards in 100 terraces, and\u00a0they are changing the way they operate in terms of sustainability. Connecting\u00a0with them would give us a wider perspective of how we can change the entire\u00a0traveler\u2019s experiences to be able to transform travel as a whole through the\u00a0entire value chain.<\/p>\n Elena:<\/strong> <\/strong>Bloom Microventures<\/a>. My first social enterprise in impact travel was Bloom\u00a0Microventures. It is currently being run by Loan and Ly, which have taken\u00a0Bloom in a new direction and have made the organization sustainable past the 5\u00a0year mark for a startup. They are truly doing amazing things in the region.\u00a0Bloom Microventures was the foundation and the inspiration for Authenticitys\u00a0today.<\/p>\n [embedyt] http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=mk1bD_Wz_ac[\/embedyt]<\/p>\n Authenticitys is an online platform that is addressing the main challenges our societies have today in six dimensions: Health, Education, Environment & Resources, Equality & Freedom, Employability and Happiness. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11753,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[268,551,141],"tags":[53,196,1058,313,47],"yoast_head":"\nJeremy: What challenges is Authenticitys trying to address?<\/h5>\n
![\"Authenticitys\"](\"https:\/\/travindy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Authenticitys_07-1024x683.jpg\")
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Jeremy: What is the impact you are trying to achieve?<\/h5>\n
![\"Authenticitys\"](\"https:\/\/travindy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Authenticitys_03-1024x769.jpg\")
<\/p>\nJeremy:\u00a0<\/strong>What’s special about your approach to meeting these challenges?<\/h5>\n
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“At the core of our belief system is the idea that local people know how to address\u00a0local problems.”<\/h6>\n<\/blockquote>\n
![\"Authenticitys\"](\"https:\/\/travindy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Authenticitys_02-1024x576.jpg\")
<\/p>\nJeremy:\u00a0<\/strong>What’s the most exciting thing Authenticitys has achieved so far?<\/h5>\n
![\"Authenticitys\"](\"https:\/\/travindy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Authenticitys_06-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/p>\nJeremy:\u00a0<\/strong>What do you need to help you be more successful?<\/h5>\n
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“We need to gain the institutional support of organisations that have a\u00a0lot of experience and reach in the sector if we really want to maximize our\u00a0impact.”<\/h6>\n<\/blockquote>\n
![\"Authenticitys\"](\"https:\/\/travindy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Authenticitys_01-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/p>\nJeremy: What does that success look like? Share your dream with us.<\/h5>\n
![\"Authenticitys\"](\"https:\/\/travindy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Authenticitys_05-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/p>\nJeremy: If you could connect with one person, company or organisation in\u00a0responsible tourism, who would it be, and why?<\/h5>\n
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“We are not just interested in changing boutique travel, but corporate travel as\u00a0well \u2014 because that\u2019s where the biggest potential impact is.”<\/h6>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Jeremy:\u00a0<\/strong>Which other person, company or organisation would you most like to recommend to be interviewed for this series, and why?<\/h5>\n
Connect\u00a0with\u00a0Elena Rodriguez Blanco on Travel Massive<\/a> and follow Authenticitys<\/a> on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/h5>\n
\nThis article is part of Interviews with Social Entrepreneurs. If you would like to\u00a0be featured in this series, please get in touch<\/a>.<\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"