The town of Mindo, just two hours from Quito, is renowned for its adventure sports and unique experiences. It is located in the middle of the lush cloud forest of the Andean Chocó of Pichincha, declared by
la UNESCO como Reserva de la Biosfera en 2018..
En este paraíso natural, las empresas Casa Divina Eco Lodge y SabinaTour Operadora are committed to sustainable tourism — a commitment to life in all its forms, in which they have already achieved concrete progress.Ambos emprendimientos son el sueño compartido de Molly Brown y Efrain Toapanta, una pareja estadounidense-ecuatoriana que se conoció en Mindo y construyó su vida en torno a su pasión por este maravilloso ecosistema (
te contamos su historia aquí)
.Turismo Sostenible
Molly and Efrain started their company in 2007 and since then they have realized their goal of preserving the forest, regenerating it and, at the same time, developing touristic and environmental education activities in a sustainable way. They have been part of the transition that Mindo has undergone since the 1980s — from a place dedicated to logging, cattle raising and hunting to a place focused on ecotourism and related activities.
Para Molly, el turismo sostenible es la única opción y aprovecha sus emprendimientos para transmitir este mensaje. “No solo estamos hablando de cómo podemos vivir en un mundo mejor, no se trata solo de viajar y elegir hoteles verdes. Siempre me gusta llevarlo a otro nivel: que nuestra forma de viajar sea una reflejo de nuestra forma de vida”. explica.
As Efrain says, many times people think that sustainable tourism is just a hike in the woods and nothing more, but it is so much more. “It’s going for a profound change, doing real and tangible things. It’s nice to talk about sustainability, about projects, but it’s another thing to make a real change… what I want for my family is how I want my business.” Certificación TourCert
En julio de 2022, SabinaTour y Casa Divina lograron la re-certificación internacional
TourCert recertification, until 202.
This recognition is given to companies that comply with high standards of social, environmental, and corporate responsibility, after exhaustive evaluations of their practices. This process began in 2016 when Casa Divina integrated a pioneering group of 62 Ecuadorian companies seeking to improve their ecotourism offer in Latin America, later joined by SabinaTour.Tour Cert supports with information, training, evaluation, and control.
“Esa es la parte más importante. Si recibes un premio, lo recibes y ahí queda, pero cuando estás en un proceso de certificación debes estar monitoreando, controlando y evaluando tus prácticas. Por lo tanto, hay que promover la mejora continua”, explica la pareja.
One of the main goals of Casa Divina and SabinaTour is to collaborate with the local community to promote conscious tourism at a social, environmental and corporate level, which generates a fair and equitable economic impact. In this sense, they work with other local companies, farms, and guides, to generate an integral development.As Efrain states,
“generamos una economía local que circula. Es una cadena: compramos productos locales, nos vinculamos con otras reservas de bosques y de observación de aves, y nos apoyamos entre nosotros”.For these two entrepreneurs, the important thing is to bond deeply with the community of Mindo and the Northwest.
They consider that their work and mission is to continue contributing to conservation, the community, and the development of all. "Por eso se llama un turismo sostenible. No solo se trata de que solo tu estés bien y con los demás qué pasa”.Para el futuro, a Molly le gustaría crear un centro de reciclaje en el área que también genere ingresos para la población con la gran cantidad de desechos que dejan los turistas. Además, los sueños continúan con planes para investigar más sobre la diversidad de vegetación en la reserva privada donde se encuentra Casa Divina.
Escrito por: Lucila Donoso
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