Ultravel, the sustainable tourism startup: “We offer an experience to the under 30s”

There are wonderful places in the world that have not only a postcard sea but much more: this is what a sustainable holiday can reveal and perhaps surprise a young person struggling with their first dream vacation. It is the essence of Utravel, a startup of the Alpitour Group which Carlotta Gaddo he co-founded together with Gianluca Di Donato in 2019. In Dominican Republic, for example, the local population does not go to the sea but prefers the river. There the water is much cooler and you don’t suffer from the heat of their land. The local youths blast the music. Travelers dance with them and swim in rivers.

In these areas live local kids, called “gurus”, who act as connectors between travelers and the local culture. They show how craftsmen carve wood and try to make engravings with their help. TO ZanzibarFor example, boys can go to Swaili school. They are trips that last a week and each experience is different from the previous one. In the North African desert one often goes to have lunch or dinner with the Bedouins and the women teach the boys to make felafel. The gurus also offer experiences on the plantations, such as the extraction of agave or the processing of sugar cane waste used as ointments. In Morocco there is the tradition of argan oil and travelers observe the processing by a local lady. The gurus also organize walks on the beach where the kids collect the rubbish. They are sometimes improvised experiences.

The gurus explain to the kids that starfish shouldn’t be taken as souvenirs. On holiday you cannot do anything but it is as if we were at home: every place must be treated with respect. For example Saona it is a very popular island of the Dominican Republic. An entrepreneur takes travelers to that place only through sailboats or catamarans. Kids take longer to reach their destination but it’s a sustainable approach. at Maldives the gurus immediately say that corals should not be collected but left in their habitat. At the end of the trip they give a little gift created by local artisans: bracelets, wooden tags or ceramic objects.

Carlotta, when was your first trip?
“My first trip was to Formentera when I was only three. It was also the first time I took a plane. I have few memories of that trip but then I went back there several times”.

What is your favorite place?
“Peru is among the places I’ve loved the most. I’ve climbed the highest mountains and felt a sense of total freedom. It’s a place that I really hold dear.”

During your travels, what has surprised you the most?
“In Zanzibar they have a natural remedy for everything. We Westerners always get burned. I tried their products and I can say that they are phenomenal. There they have solutions for everything. The grandfather in the village offers oils for back pain or for stomach ache”.

What is your training?
“I have a degree in corporate tourism. I joined Alpitour in 2015 through a corporate training course, i.e. a graduate programme. Then, together with my colleague Gianluca, we developed the idea of ​​Blind packages for university students under 30. In essence, we offer dream destinations at very low cost. In this way we optimize the group’s unsold stock”.

How would you define the foundation of this project?
“I start by saying that I have a traveler soul, not a tourist. I have always had my desire clear in my head: to work in this sector. However, I see organized trips as traditional, a model that stopped in the seventies and eighties. Our project is based on three pillars: stay, connect, explore. It is the meeting place around the world for young people who leave on their own, are in tune with the local culture and live the experience that their destination offers”.

What are their comments?
“Appreciation is high. It is not a group trip. There is maximum freedom to choose to stay a whole day in complete relaxation or to do something. The gurus are in support, they are community activators. The youngsters experience moments of encounter with local communities, not just with travellers. Sometimes friendships are born too.”

What are your plans for the future?
“We are aiming for internationalization and thinking about the concept of Erasmus on vacation. Travelers together with local communities will remain our focus”.