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Congratulations to APFTI's Arnel Astillero for winning UK-based Leap Local's International Competition for "Best Local Guide" for his People-to-People tour in Luzon.  Read the announcement here and book your slot in the tour here.

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Arnel runs the People to People Tour which is a fair trade tour that brings consumers of fair trade to Philippine fair trade producers. The tour fosters an understanding of the tangible benefits fair trade delivers to grassroots communities.

Arnel's catchcry is that he makes no grand claims for how the People to People Tours will change the world, but he does believe that they change those who go on them and those who are visited by them.

The People to People Tour, at present, is a 14 day tour going overland from Manila to Bicol on the Luzon Island. However, Arnel has future plans of creating a series of shorter trips that the participants can mix and match.

The tours are reasonably low impact so they are suitable for most age ranges.

The tour price is all-inclusive for the land based tours, and includes a social premium that goes back to local community development.

The tours are run on sustainable and responsible tourism principles, and maintain the fair trade ethos of ensuring that tourism benefits the host communities. As such, the participants stay and eat in locally-owned, low-impact but comfortable establishments.