At the 17th International Socially Responsible Tourism Contest between the 6 and 10th of March in Berlin, the Tourism and Development Institute (Studienkreis für Tourismus und Entwicklung e.V.) awarded the first prize TO DO! 2011 to the community-based tourism project “San Miguel del Bala Ecolodge”, represented at the event by Constantino Nay.
San Miguel del Bala Ecolodge is run by 35 Takana families of the community of San Miguel, located in the Takana Indigenous Territory in an area that overlaps with Madidi National Park. The Ecolodge was established in 2004 and includes 7 comfortable chalets, a dining room, an interpretation center, a second lodge at Caquiahuara and 14 wildlife interpretation trails.
This is one of the most important ecotourism contests in the world and awards are given to tourism projects that demonstrate the ecological, social and economic sustainability of the entrepreneur. The San Miguel victory was based on a technical evaluation that resulted in high marks for the quality of tourism services offered, the active participation of the community in its development, the economic improvement of participating families, the strengthening of the Takana culture and the ecological sustainability of the tourism areas.
With support from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the Takana People Indigenous Council (CIPTA), since 2009 San Miguel del Bala has implemented a wildlife-monitoring program, using a registration form for visitors to register observed mammals during their walks along the interpretation trails. The results show that it is possible to offer visitors’ ecotourism opportunities, contribute to the conservation of threatened wildlife and generate economic resources for the community.
We would like to express our congratulations to San Miguel and their achievements continue to be a great motivation for our work.