Empowering Locals: How Community-Based Tourism Transforms Ecuador
Community-based tourism is transforming the travel landscape in Ecuador, offering unique opportunities for cultural immersion while empowering local communities. Travel writer Sarah Arksey engages with Santiago Granda, Ecuador’s Vice Minister of Tourism, to explore how this initiative eliminates middlemen, allowing locals to directly benefit from tourism.
With a rich diversity of landscapes, from the Andes mountains to the Amazon rainforest, visitors can connect with indigenous cultures and partake in authentic experiences. The rise of community-based tourism, especially since the 1990s, showcases how local populations have adapted to create sustainable income sources while preserving their heritage. It all began with an earthquake in the 1990s when many tourists were stranded and asked locals to let them stay in their homes. It grew.
Tune in to discover how ethical tourism practices are paving the way for a healthier future for both the communities and the environment in Ecuador.
Unlike traditional tourism, which often leads to a substantial loss of profits for local communities—up to 70% according to a 2014 UN report—community-based tourism ensures that the economic benefits flow directly into the hands of those who preserve and share their cultural heritage. This initiative not only fosters economic independence but also promotes sustainable practices that protect the environment and local customs.
Links referenced in this episode:
Companies mentioned in this episode:
- La Salva
- Minga
- Sacha Lodge
Transcript
Today on Go Nomad, we join travel writer Sarah Arcsy as she speaks with Ecuador's Vice Minister of Tourism, Santiago Granda to learn more about community based tourism there.
Sarah Arcsy:Community based tourism is an exciting initiative that connects local populations with travelers interested in authentic experiences that allow for complete cultural immersion.
Sarah Arcsy:Unlike the more widespread forms of tourism, which may involve many layers of corporate intervention, community based tourism allows local people to represent their culture on their terms and receive direct payments.
Sarah Arcsy:A:Sarah Arcsy:Community based tourism is a direct antithesis to these exploitive practices.
Sarah Arcsy:Rather than hurting communities is helping communities Granada says that community based tourism was largely started by indigenous communities looking to preserve their culture and their natural surroundings as well by offering sustainable forms of income.
Sarah Arcsy:Community based tourism began to rise in popularity in the 90s.
Sarah Arcsy:The catalyzing event was a nationwide strike that blocked major highways in Ecuador, trapping thousands of people far from home.
Sarah Arcsy:These people turned to the local communities whose doorstep they had landed on for help.
Sarah Arcsy:They said, look, I can't go anywhere.
Sarah Arcsy:I can't go forward or backward.
Sarah Arcsy:I'm trapped.
Sarah Arcsy:If you have a chance to open your house, can I stay with you tonight?
Sarah Arcsy:I'll pay for it, Granda recalls.
Sarah Arcsy:The communities quickly made note of this untapped opportunity to make money and share their cultural practices.
Sarah Arcsy:Granda says the results of this tourist style have been overwhelmingly positive and have especially been empowering for Ecuador's women.
Sarah Arcsy:Granda is positive about helping travelers experience Ecuador and is confident that any style of traveler would feel at home there.
Sarah Arcsy:He says that while the country can be the perfect place for an awe inspiring adventure, it doesn't need to be overwhelming.
Sarah Arcsy:Ecuador has something for everyone.
Sarah Arcsy:Visitors can explore the Andes, explore the Amazon with local guides, or stay closer to town and allow locals to teach them valuable skills such as textile weaving or cooking traditional dishes.
Sarah Arcsy:One thing about Ecuador there's about 8 or 9,000Americans expats who live there, so you will often run into people speaking a familiar tongue.
Sarah Arcsy:They also use the United States dollar for their currency, making it very familiar.
Sarah Arcsy:Many visitors to Ecuador opt to visit one of the nation's famous rainforest lodges such as La Salva, Minga and Sacha, which expertly combine nature with luxury.
Sarah Arcsy:Exploring untouched Amazon rainforest by day and they return to the lodge for comfort and gourmet food at night.
Sarah Arcsy:Sacha Lodge is particularly popular and is home to Ecuador's only canopy walk, a system of suspended bridges which allows visitors to walk above the treetops.
Sarah Arcsy:This architectural marvel creates a unique safari like experience.
Sarah Arcsy:Be prepared to see several primates including red howler and pygmy monkeys, and over 500 species of birds including rainbow parrots and Toucans.
Sarah Arcsy:Community based tourism can take you all over mainland Ecuador and beyond.
Sarah Arcsy:The country's most famous region, the Galapagos Islands, are renowned as one of the most precious ecosystems on the planet.
Sarah Arcsy:The islands are home to a massive number of species that can't be found anywhere else in the world, and it was here that Charles Darwin formed his theory of Evolution.
Sarah Arcsy:Ethical practices such as community based tourism help to ensure a healthy future for delicate environments like the Galapagos.
Sarah Arcsy:Goes directly to the in fact, with one half of Galapagos National Park's fees go directly to the park itself, the other half goes directly to the local population.
Sarah Arcsy:The park has technically been implementing this practice for many years.
Sarah Arcsy:We have the stewardship of the Galapagos in our own hands, says Granda, adding that the Galapagos should ideally attract travelers with a deep respect for the land rather than tourists geared towards consumption.
Sarah Arcsy:Ecuador isn't the only country implementing community based tourism.
Sarah Arcsy:It's catching on worldwide.
Sarah Arcsy:If you liked today's episode, please give us a like and subscribe to the Gonomad Travel podcast.