EXPERIENCEg u a t e m a l a
Vol.003 June 2009
Rio Dulce Riviera, Izabal, Guatemala
EXPERIENCEg u a t e m a l a
What’s new...Voluntourism is now making more sense to guests visiting Guatemala and the
region.
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The Big Green DealTijax’ natural reserve in Rio Dulce is an example of green tourism in the region
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Guatemala goes GreenThe Rainforest Alliance initiative looks to promote
all entities working in tourism to go greenPage 4
A (H1N1) VirusImportant notice about the Influenza A (H1N1) in Guatemala
Page 5
El Estor, Bocas del PolochicRefuge of wildlife; Nest of life! a paradise for nature
lovers and bird watchers.
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WHAT’S NEW IN GUATEMALAVOLUNTOURISM Travel, learn and get in touch with locals as close as it gets. by PPDM, June 2009
The conscious, seamlessly integrated combination of voluntary service to a destination and the best, traditional elements of travel — arts, culture, geography, history and recreation — in that destination. As part of this blessed country we are well aware of the social challenges that VolunTourism can potentially address but also the opportunity it represents to Guatemala. But we are also asking ourselves at least two very important questions:
Is such an approach feasible, sustainable, etc.? Can volunteerism, which is generally not categorized nor planned for as episodic engagement, be converted to do so?
There are several VolunTourism models that are being utilized by other countries in the world over. These models have been developed primarily from the goals and objectives that each country has established for itself, while honoring its community. Guatemala may focus upon any of the following:
• Long-term sustainability and decent work source for the community • Risk mitigation & development diversification • Donor familiarization & cultivation • Collaboration & partnership • General education & awareness • "Voluntourist" recruitment & placement for episodic engagement Guatemala should be in the process of determine the primary
purpose of our VolunTourism initiative and what audience we should target with our promotional efforts.
Once we have selected a VolunTourism model that supports our goals and objectives, we will be ready to begin a cycle of our own - the perpetual cycle of implementation, evaluation and modification. Improvement will derive from the sincerity of our efforts to follow a steady diet of these three elements and to receive and make use of input from all the interested parties as they respond to each facet of the Guatemalan VolunTourism program.
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Guatemala goes Green The Rainforest Alliance's sustainable tourism program is working with scores of governmental and non-governmental organizations. We helped create the Sustainable Tourism Network of the Americas, which currently includes 60 member organizations from 23 countries in the region.As Secretary of the Network, the Rainforest Alliance has the responsibility of making sure that tourism businesses, local communities and tourists themselves understand how they can benefit from and contribute to sustainable tourism in the countries that safeguard a wealth of biodiversity and endangered ecosystems.
The Big Green Deal Written by Eugenio Gobbato
Hacienda Tijax, Rio Dulce, Izabal
We got the Green Deal certification for the
Hacienda Tijax, second year. Big Deal! One would
think that after having: Planted over 100,000 trees;
separating and recycling our organic garbage;
putting double septic tanks on every toilet; designing
and building in ways to blend into the environment;
building 2.5 Kilometers of trails by hand; conserving
over 42 hectares of Tropical Jungle forest; making
maps, bird lists, list of trees; medicinal plants and for
over 17 years struggling to keep the poachers out of
the land; saving the few remaining little beasties;
returning to the wild uncounted turtles, iguanas,
snakes and crocodiles; producing over a million
pounds of natural rubber; conserving our own
watershed and water supply system; we should have
earned our stripes, or established our “Green
Pedigree” so why trouble with the “Green Deal
Certificate” ?
First because we (Hacienda Tijax) think of
ourselves as members of a wider network of
Institutions and business that genuinely want to keep
Guatemala “Green” and literally save the planet, we
work closely with Alianza Verde, Rainforest alliance
the “Green Deal” people and many other Institutions
like the CONAP, ECORIO, FUNDAECO, MADRESELVA
and many others on issues such as the Mining in
Izabal, Garbage Collection and processing,
reforestation and more. In fact by being one of the
first to sign up and participate we hoped to give the
Green Deal Seal recognition and a chance to be
accepted as a “brand” with some meaning for the
visitors and users of our services.
In order to obtain the Certificate we had to
comply with endless paperwork mostly to prove
compliance with all existing local laws such as:
labor legislation, safety and security, sanitation and
cleanliness, taxes and legal framework of the
company, land ownership; is it registered? do we
have a contract with the government for the shore
line? and much more. The “Green Deal”
evaluating team reviewed our books, our social
security payments, our payroll to insure proper
wages are being paid and so on.
So when and if you do visit us you may see we
proudly post our “Green Deal” certificates and you
should know that our staff is well paid, that we do
pay taxes and social security, pick up our trash and
try to keep the planet healthy.
I post this to make this point as in the past we
have had comments from some passengers
questioning our “Green” status. One actually thought
another small Hotel was actually more “eco-friendly”
than ours, another questioned our having a
swimming pool. In the fist case we were being
compared to a little Hotel which is quite popular with
the backpackers but other than “Invading” a small
piece of shoreline on what used to be one of the
more pristine rivers in the area and thus changing the
nature of the place for ever, they have done nothing
for the environment that I know of in the last ten
years, no tree planting, who knows what they do with
their garbage and sewage what kind of wages they
pay, whether they have built in security and safety
features like fire extinguishers, first aid kit, etc. They
were just lucky that no one threw them out when
they should have mostly due to governmental
incompetence, now they brag about being
Ecological…
Now about having a Swimming Pool, first let
me say that the vast majority of visitors DO NOT
complain about the Pool, second let me say that no
matter what mitigating measures a place like ours
implements it will have an impact on the
environment. The important thing, I think, is to carry
out enough positive actions like the ones mentioned
above in order to offset the inevitable negative
impact from the presence of humans in a given
space. So if the pool is a no-no please forgive us we
promise to continue doing a lot more good than
harm to the environment.
EXPERIENCE GUATEMALA
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EXPERIENCE GUATEMALA
Photo Gallery
important noticeGuatemala
Antigua streets
Antigua Canopy Tour
Indigenous wearing
Enjoying Atitlan lake turixativo.comw w w . t u r i x a c t i v o . c o m
Bocas del Polochic, El Estor, IzabalD e f e n s o r e s d e l a Naturaleza is an none p r o fi t a n d n o n e g u b a r n m e n t a l
organization that supports m a ny e nv i ro n m e n t a l projects, including the
preservation of nature and wildlife in several regions. Currently “Defensores”
has six reserves spread throughout Guatemala: Sierra de las Minas in Zacapa & El Progreso, Sierra del Lacandon in Peten, Parque Naciones Unidas in Guatemala, Bocas del Polochic in Izabal, Valle del Motagua in
El Progreso and Jardin Botanico in Escuintla.Bocas del Polochic is officially considered as a wildlife refuge
and is called “Nest of life” due it abundant vegetation, well
preservation and other natural conditions that allows wildlife, including the Manatee to leave there.
Before roads and railroads, Lake Izabal was the link between
Alta Verapaz and the rest of the world. What is now known as "El
Estor" was the landing and trading post for cargo and travelers to frontier towns such as Cobán. Commonly referred
to as "the store" in English, the name evolved to its present form due to Spanish-speakers
style of pronunciation and spelling.
Recent construction of roads has left El Estor a minor port
visited mostly by locals and the adventurous traveler.The population of El Estor consists largely of Kekchi
speaking indigenous people.
EXPERIENCE GUATEMALA
EXPERIENCE GUATEMALA16 calle 4-53 Zona 10
Edif. Marbella, Of. 4C
Guatemala city, Guatemala 01010
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