Fair Travel partner and represented company, Tropic Journeys in Nature (Tropic) from Ecuador, walked away from ITB Berlin in March as one of five winners in the 2015 National Geographic World Legacy Award.
Jascivan Carvalho, innovative entrepreneur and owner, accepted the award on behalf of Tropic that submitted its vision and strategy and results in the Engaging Communities category. A pioneer in community-based tourism in Ecuador, Tropic started working 20 years ago in the remote Ecuadorean Amazon with the indigenous Huaorani people. Today, Huaorani Ecolodge is operated by Huaorani community members who set their own wages and manage the day-to-day business, sharing the skills they have learned with other Huaorani indigenous communities. Tropic is now continuing its successful community-based tourism model on Floreana Island in the Galápagos.
The Engaging Communities award recognizes direct and tangible economic and social benefits that improve local livelihoods, including training and capacity building, fair wages and benefits, community development, health care and education.
Fair Travel is proud and happy for this amazing achievement of Tropic! Congratulations!