One of the highlights of San Cristobal de Las Casas is the Na Bolom Centre. This museum/hotel/restaurant/shop is mentioned in every travel guide, and it was the house of the Danish archaeologist and anthropologist Franz Blom and his Swiss wife Gertrude Duby Blom, a photographer who arrived in Chiapas to conduct a report on the Lacandones, and eventually became the protector of this indigenous community and of their environment.

In occasion of my first visit to San Cristobal I spent a whole afternoon in the museum, and I was really fascinated by the story of the Bloms. There is an interesting collection of reports, photos and objects from their expeditions in the Lacandon jungle; of their first contact with the Lacandones, and their interest for the indigenous culture and traditions.

They eventually founded the Na Bolom cultural association, which was aimed to support the Lacandon community through many interesting projects which are still up and running to date. After the death of Getrude the association has been run by a patronato, and it has changed administration and management a few times in the past few years.

While in San Cristobal a few days ago I heard some voices about the fact that Na Bolom ‘was not the same as before’ and rumours about Lacandones not being paid fairly for their handcrafts (which are sold in the shop), and not being as welcome in the hotel-restaurant as before (Gertude explicitly disposed that the Lacandones should be Na-Bolom’s guests while staying in San Cristobal at any time, as they periodically travel to town to sell their handcraft).

Of course rumours and voices must be always taken with a pinch of salt: aid projects are not easy to run, and sometimes some members of a community benefit more than others, which generates complaints.
However, as I was so fascinated by the Na Bolom story and really liked this organisation, I decided to carry on a little investigation… I went to the Na Bolom shop and had a look at the prices of the handcraft there, which were not cheap. I asked one of the girls at the counter how much of the revenue would go to the Lacandon artist, and how the remaining amount would be used. I also asked her if she was personally involved in any of the aid projects supported by the organisation. She said she was a nurse working on the project for free medical aid to the Lacandones, and gave me a very positive feedback about it.
She also told me Na Bolom would keep only the 15-20% of the handcrafts, paying the artists a fair 80%. The other girl though corrected her on this, saying Na Bolom keeps the 45% of the revenue for each piece of sold handcraft. Quite a discrepancy in the information… although, I still think it would be fair if this 45% is spent entirely in the aid projects (once deducted the basic expenses, of course).
Unfortunately, there was no way for me to get to know this information, but I have no reasons to doubt the money made by the Na Bolom shop (and by the hotel-restaurant) is responsibly managed and assigned to these projects.

After a couple of days I left San Cristobal for a trip in the Lacandon jungle. Near the eco-lodge I was staying, some Lacandones were selling their handcraft. I asked them what they thought about Na Bolom, and this time the feedback was not that positive… A few artisans said they do not take their pieces to Na Bolom anymore, as they do not get paid as fairly as before. Plus, they were receiving complaints all the times about the quality of their handcraft by the Na Bolom representatives, who were trying to buy the pieces for less and less, saying they would be difficult to sell in the shop due to their poor quality.

Another member of the community said he was no longer asking for hospitality at Na Bolom while in San Cristobal, as most of the times he was told the rooms were occupied by paying guests, and the few times he stayed there he felt not welcome at all. Another lady said that when Trudi was alive (this is how the Lacandones still affectionately called Gertrude Blom) they could go there and eat any time, whereas now there are strict rules in hospitality and food distributions, with someone taking notes of their names, the times they go in and out, and everything they eat.
More comments followed, some also positive. For example, almost everyone agreed that the medical project was actually benefiting the community, and although they would take advantage of that only when they are really sick (the Lacandones still use their traditional healing methods), they were always given medical help when requested. Well, it was good to hear that, but I was also a bit sad in hearing some of the negative comments, especially because I had the impression that the Lacandones are quite proud people, who do not like much to ask for help unless it is really needed.
Furthermore, most of the complaints I heard started with “things are not the same as before”, meaning there was initially a good relationship between Na Bolom and the Lacandon community which somehow deteriorated, which is a pity.

My ‘investigation’ ends here; as I said, it was only based on rumours and all I wanted was listening to some more voices and collecting them; it would be great if others could be heard on this blog…

The main reason of my trip to Chiapas was meeting the local guides I work with and finding new contacts. I was walking around San Cristobal with one of our tour providers, when I found an ecotourism centre called Sendasur. I thought it was another local operator, but he explained to me Sendasur is actually an association created by the private initiative of 16 community centres and 4 ecotourism operators (including his own company) to promote the development of eco and sustainable tourism in Chiapas.

I think this reality is just brilliant, and it is the perfect example of how private businesses can cooperate towards a common goal, generating profits with some ethics without the need of any support by the government or NGOs.

What I also like about Sendasur is that it managed to put together various ethnic communities, who now work together for the conservation of their environment.

Their mission states: “we are committed to preserve and revitalize our natural and cultural environment, and to help the development of alternative and sustainable tourism in Chiapas. We work together for equality and tolerance, as we are convinced that our strength comes from our differences.”

I am really happy gloCaltravel is now working with Sendasur, and I wish there were more associations like this in other Mexican states. They would help outbound eco-operators like us a lot, offering updated information about different community and ecotourism projects.

It has been more than 3 years since my last visit to Chiapas, and I was really looking forward to go back to San Cristobal de Las Casas. This small colonial town is a real jewel; I love the magical atmosphere of its cobblestone streets and its lively cultural scene, with its melting pot of Mexican and Mayan folklore and traditions. In the past few years it has become even more cosmopolitan, and you can clearly see the cultural influence of several foreign communities. 

Being a coffee lover (not to say addicted), I could not miss the Museo del Café, opened and supported by the CoopCafe`Chiapas, an organization grouping 36 association of campesinos who work in the production of organic and fair trade coffee. The consume of fair trade products has been increasing rapidly in the past few years (especially for products like tea, coffee and chocolate), and most people now know about associations like the CoopCafe`. 

What I was really pleased to hear in the museum (and to see in the Cafes around town) is that the Chiapanecos are becoming regular consumers themselves. Three years ago when asking for a coffee in town I knew that in 90% of the cases I would be served a cup of Nescafe`, which really irritated me. Now I get decent stuff 70% of the times and I can find fair trade or organic coffee in at least 30% of the cafes. Good to see that ethics are winning even in countries where paying more for quality and long term benefits for the economy is not as affordable as in Europe, or in the US!!

I recently decided it was time for another trip to Mexico; so here I am on a London - Mexico City flight, very excited by the idea of going back to places I fell in love with in the past years, and of visiting places I have not been yet… (How come every time I look at Mexico’s map this country looks bigger to me?)

Well, we are not there yet, so let’s try to relax and ‘enjoy the flight’, as the airline recommends…

I have never been overly interested in reading in-flight magazines; they are typically full of advertising, especially by resort developers threatening to build up luxury beach condos on every centimetre of coast left on this planet. This one I have found on my seat is no exception, featuring an article called Catch the Wave, specifically addressed to “American baby boomers: a generally adventurous group with significant amount of disposable income”.

The article is an invitation to consider alternative countries when looking for investments with regards to holiday homes; why buy a small condo for 1 million in Florida when you can have a luxury beach-front property for 250k in Nicaragua, Panama or Honduras? These countries - the article goes on – have miles of pristine beaches, lakes and rainforests. Of course the final bait is a list of recent visitors which include several movie stars. Now that we are convinced by the prospect, let’s retire there and have afternoon teas with Michael Douglas!

Most of the development projects sound quite scary, like the one on a small island in Honduras including the construction of 2 golf courses, polo courts, a 900 room hotel, plus the extension of the current pier for Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruises. To my surprise, the article also mentions a small estate company set up by an ex marine biologist in a little beach town in Panama. He offers moderately priced beach-front homes, and with part of the company’s income he funded some local projects, like a school for indigenous people, an experimental farm, and a number of environmental conservation activities.

Well done Mr. ‘Alternative Developer’!! Are you the only wealthy angel in those paradise islands?

I wonder if there are any strategies, policies or legislation in these developing countries that help to reduce the negative impacts from new developments… certainly governments should support those entrepreneurs who are trying to give something back to the local communities.

People who work in the tourism industry and most of the travellers who are used to surf the Internet for booking their holidays are now aware of specialty travel operators promoting sustainable, low impact, responsible, eco-tourism… but what do all these terms mean exactly? What is the difference between one and another?

Sometimes when I say I run an eco-travel agency, I get some puzzled looks, and I am asked what I mean exactly. I am not at all surprised about these reactions, as I imagine that people who book their holidays at their local high street travel agency have never heard about ecotourism at all.

I would say the above listed types of tourism have all in common the opposition to the mass tourism, and a revaluation of the authenticity of the travel experience, considered as a discovery of a new natural and cultural environment.
I will now try to write down some definitions; comments and objections are very welcome.

• Sustainable tourism

An uncontrolled growth of the tourist industry (especially in the developing countries) can lead to wild construction plans, abuse of the natural resources and pollution, and eventually to the destruction of that pristine natural and cultural environment tourists were attracted to in the first place. Governments need to set up some strict regulations to the tourist development, involving carefully planned projects focused on the preservation of the environment. This way the local economic system – frail and precarious in poor countries - will be able to sustain the development of tourism and enjoy the benefits without being overwhelmed by it.
I would say the use of the term sustainable is mainly related to the authorities’, entrepreneurs’, and operators’ behaviours, which should make sure the tourist development has a low impact on the natural environment and on the social system.

• Responsible tourism

Every time I find the term ‘responsible’ in articles about tourism I notice this is mainly related to the travellers’ behaviour: a responsible traveller is the one who shows respect and consideration for the nature, the people, and the culture of the country he is visiting. Hence the many ‘responsible traveller codes’ published all over the Internet, which include rules about keeping the environment clean, saving water, buying local products… and so on. These dos and don’ts lists are useful, but it is most important that travellers show a responsible travel attitude also while planning their holiday, operating an accurate selection of the destinations, tour providers and places to stay.

• Ecotourism

If we consider that most of the responsible travel operators have a ‘section’ on their websites and catalogues dedicated to ecotourism (mainly listing tour and activities in close contact with nature), we should say ecotourism is just a ‘branch’ of the responsible (or sustainable) travel. But if we surf the Internet we can notice that the term ecotourism is often used to refer to sustainable, responsible, even cultural tourism. (See the Wikipedia definition)

Following the International Ecotourism Year in 2002, the term has become very popular and has been used and abused, so that if we search the various terms on Google we will find the following results:

“sustainable travel” 504,000 results
“sustainable tourism” 1,200,000
“responsible tourism” 553,000
“responsible travel” 901,000
“ecotourism” 4,600,000 (plus its spelling variation “eco-tourism” 1,310,000)

With ecotourism we now mean a type of tourism focused on the discovery and preservation of the environment as a whole, including nature, society, culture, folklore, and the term is referred to both operators and travellers.

One of my favourite definitions of ecotourism is in an article of Allan R. Rhodes Espinoza, who offers this simple explanation: eco comes from the Greek word oikos, which means home. People/travellers should consider the whole world as their home, and behave accordingly.