Conservation Conversations with Dan Moore

We asked longtime member and CEO of Pandion, Dan Moore, a few questions on the state of conservation and why he supports the ATCF.

How does travel need to change and what role are you playing personally and/or as a company?

All travel needs to look through the lens of “net-positive.” This means that, while there are impacts from travel (e.g. carbon), in the whole travel needs to provide a net positive to the communities and environments being visited. This can include local ownership, community-led practices, and travelers feeling a sense of purpose upon returning home. Professionally, I offer training and consulting to travel businesses and destinations so they can do this better. Personally, I am on the board of some nonprofits working in this capacity.

You have been a supporter of the ATCF since the beginning, why?

ATCF is a good place to “put my money where my mouth is.” I talk about how travel should/could be positive for the places we visit, but this is a lot more complicated than it seems. ATCF is actually one way to give something back constructively. It is also special to be part of a community with like-minded companies and organizations. Community is important. There are several nonprofits out there working towards parallel objectives. ATCF could be a leader in bringing them all together to tackle bigger issues collaboratively. Additionally, I think there are some best practices that could be conveyed to the travel industry. I’m happy to be an ATCF member. It’s a tough time for nonprofits, but we are doing good work, and we need to do more.

Tell us about a trip or place that changed you or your thinking?

In 2012, I had a negative experience in a European country consistently ranked near the top of adventure travel that changed my perspective and the course of my work. While the destination was beautiful and travel offerings plentiful and organized, the guides I encountered ranged from mediocre to unsafe. Shortly after the trip, I had an opportunity to meet with Ajeet Bajaj from India-based Snow Leopard Adventures. Ajeet was extremely well prepared to demonstrate the quality and safety of his operation. He pulled out a thick three-ring binder detailing the level of training and safety standards his guides must reach and was able to tie their training to countrywide standards that he helped create in India. It occurred to me that certain countries are assumed, by both travelers and travel professionals, to be safer and of higher quality simply because they are wealthier and more “developed”. Whereas it is often assumed the opposite is true, based on inaccurate or harmful stereotypes, for destinations that are considered less “developed”. This is what inspired me to get involved with guide standards. Having an international metric for measuring the core competencies guides must possess, regardless of where they happen to guide, puts guides on a more equal footing and helps raise the bar for adventure travel globally.

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ATCF member Pandion Consulting and Facilitation delivers industry training and facilitates tourism development programs around the globe. Founder and CEO Dan Moore has nearly two decades of experience guiding, training guides, and facilitating workshops. He also helped create the groundbreaking international Adventure Travel Guide Standard and currently serves on the Standard’s Governance Board.

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