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Third conference on Indigenous community-based tourisml, Chihuahua, Mexico, 2011
Click aqui par leer en español.
Building on our efforts at the first and second meetings of INTIRUNA (Quito, 2006 and Chiapas, 2010), CREST played a major role in a third conference on Indigenous community-based tourism held in April, 2011, in the indigenous community of Bacabureachi in the Southwest of Mexico’s Chihuahua state. With the support of the Christensen Fund of San Francisco, this third meeting was designed in response to the needs of a group of Chihuahua’s mountain-dwelling Rarámuri (Tarahumara) communities, from which 6 individuals had attended the second meeting of INTIRUNA in 2010 as guests through the support of the Mexican government’s Comisión Nacional Para el Desarrollo de los Pueblos Indígenas (CDI, “Commission for Development of Indigenous Communities”). As articulated by the communities, the conference’s purpose was to discuss the formation of a regional indigenous tourism network, which would allow the communities to join together for collective marketing and planning, and help bring greater benefits from tourism.
CREST staff helped in planning and executing the conference together with Gina Uribe and Cliff Mathius of local Chihuahuan NGO Fuerza Ambiental (English: “Environmental Force”), Gloria Gutierrez of CDI and the Programa de Turismo Alternativo en Zonas Indígenas (PTAZI, “Program for Alternative Tourism in Indigenous Regions”), and Jose Luis Montes of WWF. The conference was planned with input and representatives from the communities of Arareko, Ahuichique, Bacabureachi, Bacajípare, Bocoyna, Chomachi, Cusarare, Guacochi, Guitayvo, and Mogótavo, all of whom currently run small-scale low-impact tourism operations on the collective lands of their individual communities. Also present during the meeting were Laura Monti of The Christensen Fund, as well as invited guests Cecilio Solís Librado of Mexico’s Red Indígena de Turismo (RITA, English: “Indigenous Tourism Network”) and Juan Sánchez Jiménez of the Chiapas-based Lumal Maya tourism network.
During the meeting, the group also heard the following presentations:
Representatives of all communities provided short overviews of their current tourism offerings and hopes for the future.
William Durham of CREST introduced CREST and its mission of reshaping travel to provide benefits for communities and the environment.
David Krantz of CREST presented the basis for well-managed tourism to bring positive development impacts to communities, as well as the weaknesses and potential pitfalls of tourism.
Laura Driscoll of CREST presented on existing examples of tourism networks similar to the Tarahumara case, with examinations of the relevant details of history, challenges and solutions experienced by each network.
Cecilio Solís Librado of RITA spoke on the beginnings of the RITA network, its current status and structure, and its growth.
Juan Sánchez Jiménez of Lumal Maya presented the roots of the network in Chiapas, its early challenges, and eventual successes.
Jose Luis Montes of WWF gave a hands-on lesson in responsible community tourism design, using examples from the facilities of Bacabureachi.
For 2 full days from April 11th to 12th, the group of 30 participants and organizers met in Bacabureachi to discuss the potential for a responsible tourism network to help the communities achieve greater access to the local tourism market, and ensure better impacts from tourism in their communities. In addition to organized presentations by CREST and other contributors, the conference also focused heavily on group work among the community representatives to effectively summarize and brand their individual and collective products, and to define via roundtable discussion their goals for the new regional network. As a final step, the group outlined a strategy for the coming 2 months, until their next scheduled meeting on May 30th: Representatives will return to their communities and report on the conference, identify 2 delegates to the May 30th meeting, and at the May 30th meeting all the delegates present will elect a president, treasurer and secretary for the network. As a final gesture, CREST provided seed funding for the network to establish a website, and train community members in internet skills for marketing and communication.
English and Spanish conference proceedings will be posted for download in PDF format soon. Check back for updates and additional materials.
Second INTIRUNA Meeting, Chiapas, Mexico, 2010
With a grant from The Christensen Fund of Palo Alto, California, INTIRUNA met for the second time in February, 2010 at the Nueva Alianza Ecotourism Center, in Frontera Corozal, Ocosingo, Chiapas, Mexico.
The meeting was organized by CREST with generous organizational help from RITA (the indigenous tourism network of Mexico). At its largest moment, the group included 34 attendees from 10 countries, representing 13 indigenous groups. In attendance were 14 charter members of INTIRUNA, 4 NGO representatives from groups working on indigenous community development issues in Mexico, a group of visitors organized by The Christensen Fund (including 6 visitors from Tarahumara communities of Northern Mexico, and 4 Central Asian visitors), a representative from ACTUAR, a Costa Rican NGO promoting community-based tourism projects on the web, and 4 CREST staff members.
During the meeting, the group heard presentations on a variety of relevant topics:
Bill Durham of CREST, Cecilio Solis of RITA, and the present members of the Intiruna Steering Committee (Juan Sanchez Jimenez, Angel Canales Gutierrez, and Manuel Munoz Millalonco) opened the meeting, following a brief ceremonial blessing by a Mayan Shaman.
Alex Villca of Bolivia shared the lessons learned in the development of the successful indigenous Chalalan ecolodge and regional association in Bolivia's Amazon region.
Eva Calderon of ACTUAR presented her groups work in capacity building and collective marketing of community-run tourism in Costa Rica as a potential model.
Laura Driscoll of CREST spoke of the potential benefits and challenges of organizing philanthropy within tourism.
David Krantz of CREST spoke about the global Tourism Sustainability Council and explained the goals of certification and accreditation.
Manuel Munoz Millaloncoof Chile offered a structural analysis of indigenous vs. western culture.
Miguel Hilario of Peru (a Stanford PhD student) spoke of the pros and cons of ecotourism as a development model for indigenous communities.
Lochin Fayzulloev of Tajikistan presented on his country's experience with making institutional changes at a municipal level to improve tourism.
Over the course of 4 days, the group charted a course for Intiruna as an NGO dedicated to collective marketing, development, consulting and education in the service of indigenous-controlled sustainable tourism. An important election was held in which Intiruna elected a President, Vice President, Secretary, Speaker, and Treasurer, who will work toward the development of an Intiruna information and marketing web site. A second declaration was signed at this 2010 meeting, and is available here in Spanish and English.
English Conference Proceedings are available for download in PDF format here.
For information on the founding of Intiruna at the original meeting in 2006 in Quito, Ecuador, click here or follow the link in the sidebar.
Original INTIRUNA Meeting, Quito, Ecuador, 2006
In September, 2006, CREST (then CESD) convened a group of indigenous community representatives from throughout Latin America in Quito, Ecuador to discuss the role of ecotourism and certification for their communities. Over three days, participants shared experiences, raised concerns, and learned from colleagues. At the end of the discussions, the group announced their decision to found the indigenous tourism association INTIRUNA, Quechua for "people of the sun".
The final result of the workshop was a declaration that is available in Spanish and English. The declaration was formally presented by the participants on September 9, 2006 in a public forum that was attended by key stakeholders in the Ecuadorian tourism industry. Click to view the declaration in Spanish or in English. Also available are the full conference proceedings in Spanish or in English.
INTIRUNA convened a second time in February, 2010, in Chiapas, Mexico. For information on this second and msot recent meeting, click here or follow the link in the sidebar to the left.
Angel Canales Gutierrez (PERU)
Quechua
Executive Director of the Center for Sustainable Development (CEDESOS)
Eliseo Pelagio Fernandez Ruelas (PERU)
Quechua
Profesor of the National University of the Altiplano of Puno
Coordinator of the Institute of Investigation for Rural and Agroindustry Development and the Environment (IDRA)
Christian Garzón (ECUADOR)
Cotacachi
General Manager of Rura Tupari
José Gualinga (ECUADOR)
Quechua - Sarayaku
Manager of Papangu Tours
Director of International Relations of Sarayaku
Teresa Jimbicti (ECUADOR)
Shuar
Vice-President of the National Council of Indigenous Women of Ecuador (CONMIE)
President of the Regional Council of Nationalities and Communities of Indigenous Women of the Ecuadorian Amazon (CONMIRAE)
Juan Carlos Jintiach (ECUADOR)
Shuar
President of the Foundation Life for the Amazon
Coordinator of the Project on Community Ecotourism Miasal Expedition
Miguel Hilario (PERU)
Ph.D. candidate at Stanford University
Freddy Limaco Navi (BOLIVIA)
Quechua
President of the Indigenous Quechua Community – Tacana San José de Uchupiamonas
Manager of the Chalalán Ecolodge
Marco Antonio Manuyama Arimuya (COLOMBIA)
Cocama
Promotor of Environmental Amazon
Manuel Muñoz Millalonco (CHILE)
Williche de Chiloé
Consultant for the General Council of Chiefs of Williche de Chiloé
Professor of the University ARCIS-PATAGÓNIA de Castro-Chiloé
Johnny Paulino Romero (PERU)
Ashaninka
Communications Specialist for the Center of Native Communities of the Central Jungle (CECONSEC)
Roldolfo Pesha Arimuya (PERU)
Ese’eja
Guide in the Native Community of Infierno (Rainforest Expeditions)
Juan Quispe Huatta (PERU)
Quechua
Promotor of the Isle of Taquile
Secretario del Comite de Turismo y Cultura
Juan Sánchez Jímenez (MEXICO)
Maya Chol
President of the Alternative Tourism Network of the Lacandona Jungle
Cecilio Solís Librado (MEXICO)
Nahua
President of the Indigenous Tourism Network of Mexico
Angel Tzec (BELIZE)
Maya
Founder of the Tumul K'in School
Patricia Villafuerte Toledo (PERU)
Indigenous Tourism Wanamei