COMMUNIT Y TOURISM
Incorporating a community tourism focus has played a significant role in our growth as an organization that serves as an additional channel through which we create awareness of the DLG brand and mission and provide economic opportunities for coffee growers. We are intentional to give the stage to the coffee producers themselves to share first-hand about their culture, livelihood, customs, and perspective to create the most transparent and authentic experience possible. We prioritize keeping tourism opportunities concentrated in the communities with which we work. Our signature coffee tour, pepian cooking class, and peanut butter workshop are all taught and guided by coffee producers and their families. Beyond the facilitators, we incorporate a local network including drivers and translators from the community. In 2021, after vaccinations became widely available in the communities with which we work and we felt confident in implementing measures to protect both our visitors and hosts, we resumed offering tourism activities. Upon doing so, we included transporting as a sanitary measure to limit unnecessary, untraceable exposure that would present additional risks if tourists were to use public transportation or shuttle services like they did before the pandemic. Luis and Claudia, who are both producers in the Young Entrepreneurs of San Miguel Escobar, were part of the DLG tourism network in 2021 as a translator and driver respectively.
“ Something I like about the community tourism promoted by De La Gente is that it is inclusive in San Miguel Escobar– there are opportunities for both men and women. I feel happy to be part of this program and for my job...I feel that in some way I am contributing to the economic growth of the families that DLG works with.” Claudia Rodríguez, Young Entrepreneurs of San Miguel Escobar 20
DE LA GENTE 2021 IMPACT REPORT
