“One of the great things about travel is that you find out how many good, kind people there are,” Edith Wharton once wrote. The first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for fiction, for The Age of Innocence, Wharton’s words remain true today. Travel not only reveals kindness in strangers; it also uncovers the outstanding stories people carry, tales of struggle, of creativity, and of quiet contributions to their communities that deserve to be told.

As part of the media team covering the Tourism Promotions Board Philippines’ (TPB) Community-Based Tourism (CBT) Workshop program, I often find myself in the enviable position of exploring the nearby attractions of the chosen communities. 

Members of the Mandaya community poses for a group photo at the conclusion of their 3-day workshop