Book description
Paradise or Bust is the fascinating adventure story of Tribewanted, a
revolutionary eco-tourism project founded by twentysomething Ben Keene.
As featured in the BBC documentary series, Keene's story follows the
ups and downs of a global online network of like-minded travellers and
an indigenous Fijian community as they attempt to build a new life on
a 200-acre island in the South Pacific. All major decisions on the
island are voted on by an online tribe that anyone around the world
can join.
There are many challenges to overcome. A fire sweeps the island, a
military coup (delayed until the end of a rugby match!) brews on the
mainland, and a tropical cyclone threatens to wipe out the emerging
village. Online there are other storms to fight, as accusations of
scam artistry, tribal politics and the regular grind of debates and
decision-making among Tribewanted's 1000+ members push the adventure
and the business to the very edge. But in the end, with a little luck
and a lot of hard work, they might just build their paradise...
Now a major 5 part series for transmission on BBC2 in winter 2008.
Ben Keene is the founder of the website and sustainable tourism
project Tribewanted. Prior to this, he worked in adventure travel,
international development and more recently running time-out magazine,
Career Break Café.
