SAN LUIS OBISPO, CALIF.—Launching throughout San Luis Obispo County, Calif., the country’s first Stewardship Travel program heralds California’s next step in eco-travel. Stewardship Travel embodies ecotourism’s qualities of appreciation for place and culture, adventure, enjoyment and learning, but takes it one step further by also providing clear opportunities to participate in regional conservation and preservation.
Five years in development, the program provides curious, active, and caring travelers with a well-defined road map for fun and meaningful vacations in 10 destinations along Highway 1 of the Central California Coast including Ragged Point/San Simeon, Cambria, Cayucos, unincorporated Morro Bay, Los Osos/Baywood Park, Avila Beach & Valley, Edna Valley, Arroyo Grande Valley, Oceano and Nipomo.
“Stewardship Travel helps visitors make a difference on vacation,” says San Luis Obispo’s County Business Improvement District’s Stewardship travel director and seasoned adventurer Diane Strachan, a leader in outdoor, adventure travel and environmental education for the past 35 years. “It’s about having many opportunities to care, learn, and connect deeper while on vacation. This is tourism for the 21st century.”
More Than 70 Different Activities
The brainchild of San Luis Obispo County’s Business Improvement District and spearheaded by Strachan, Stewardship Travel offers visitors to WineCoastCountry more than 70 carefully created activities and attractions to choose from. What makes this program different from others is the fact that all these activities and adventures are linked with contribution and learning opportunities, ensuring travelers will connect with locals, nature and heritage while on vacation. The opportunities are as diverse as the visitors’ interests, such as enjoying free wine tasting with a heritage tour, engaging in citizen science near Hearst Castle, protecting coastal habitats with restoration trail days, planting seedlings in an Audubon preserve, enjoying naturalist-led preservation hikes on a historical California ranch, participating in wildlife education and cleanup kayak tours, enjoying a California coastal light house preservation tour and a railroad history restoration day, joining in a farm to fork chef-led farmers market tour and estate lunch, and much more.
A lighter touch than a high intensity volunteer vacation, WineCoastCountry’s Stewardship Travelers can pair a luxury spa visit with a brief beach cleanup, followed by wine tasting from a Stewardship Traveler vintner, fine dining and a donation to the Pacific Wildlife Care Foundation.
A colorful activity map outlining Stewardship opportunities along the famous Highway 1 Discovery Route is available in Welcome Centers throughout California, as well as the many hotels, motels, b&bs and vacation rentals in WineCoastCountry.
For more information, visit www.WineCoastCountry.com.
