Tinkuy Community Tourism

In the city of Rio de Janeiro, close to 3 million people – around 30% of the population – live in favelas (shanty-towns). There are over 1,000 of them ranging from newer or more challenged communities with slum-like conditions, to highly-functioning, vibrant neighbourhoods.  All those living in favelas live in informal conditions; 95% of favela homes are built of brick and concrete. Residents put decades-worth of income and physical labour into the construction and 30% of them are not connected to a formal sanitation system.

Throughout the past several decades the challenges in the favelas have increased due to severe government corruption, inter-gang warfare, drug-trafficking and militias. As a result, residents of favelas are often discriminated against for living in these communities and often experience inequality and exploitation. This stigma results in difficulty finding job opportunities, and youth often find themselves involved in criminal activities due to this lack of opportunity.  In recent years, favela culture has gained popularity in the tourism industry, which is starting to offer a major source of socio-economic development opportunities for local people. 

That being said not all tours are created equal and many large organizations, hotel chains, and agencies still use guides from outside the communities and pay local services poorly in order to guarantee large profit margins, resulting in further exploitation. Meanwhile, local favela guides, businesses, and social projects struggle to compete with large non-favela organizations and lack the technical knowledge and budgets to create high-quality marketing strategies.

In 2015, Planeterra began working in Colombia with the Indigenous people of the Sierra Nevada — the Wiwa and Kogui. They are descendants of the ancient Tayrona people and have remained in isolation throughout history until the last couple of generations, where they have had increased contact with the outside world as they struggle to avoid conflict in the high mountainous region where illegal activity persists.

Most of these communities that are located on the route to Santa Marta benefit very little or are excluded from the tourism sector. 

The Parque de la Papa is an organization of  five communities located in the highlands of the Sacred Valley in Cuzco, Perú.  More than 7,000 Indigenous community members currently work together to preserve the area with hundreds of varieties of native potato (around 1,300) as well as the knowledge and ancient teaching related to the cultivation and management of their agricultural landscape – a cornerstone of life in the area. Though resources are limited, their lands are considered a centre of potato origin and diversity.  Currently, the potato is one of the four most important crops on earth, produced and preserved throughout the centuries by them.

Economic opportunities that enable Indigenous people to remain living in the communities in which they have traditionally lived for generations are desperately needed. That’s why Parque de la Papa was created in 2006 with the support of many international organizations. They have launched agro-tourism programs and developed community micro-enterprises related to tourism services and activities with the purpose of creating economic opportunities. However, the community enterprises were in need of customers to reach their full potential and achieve financial success. The community enterprises had significant barriers accessing the international market, and when they did gain access, they risked losing their unique traditions and cultures.  Women continue to face barriers accessing the formal job market, and youth continue to have limited access to jobs and education, and so often migrate to the big cities.