Triangular cooperation between Germany – Mexico – Guatemala: Strengthening communities through ecotourism after the pandemic
Project description
Title: Strengthening the resilience of communities that depend on nature tourism in the face of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
Commissioned by: German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Countries: Mexico, Guatemala, Germany
Lead executing agency: Agencia Mexicana de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo, México (AMEXCID)
Overall term: 2021 to 2023
Context
The COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected the communities in Mexico and Guatemala dependent on ecotourism. Most tourist activities were halted to stop the virus from spreading, causing many communities to suddenly lose their most important source of income.
As a result, many people migrated from the communities to the towns. Others were forced to resort to environmentally detrimental and unsustainable ways of earning income. To enable tourism to thrive again, the communities need comprehensive hygiene strategies and suitable offerings.
Objective
Tourism-dependent communities are better able to cater to visitors safely and sustainably.
Approach
On behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the project supports communities in their efforts to develop a regional ecotourism network.
The project trains the communities in nature tourism activities that take international health standards into account. These training courses are part of a peer-learning programme in which communities form networks and discuss typical applications with other communities. In this way, they gain a common understanding of the medium and long-term benefits of the measures.
In addition, the project shares experience and knowledge with existing initiatives on the Yucatán Peninsula. These are aimed at helping the local economy recover from the coronavirus crisis and strengthen indigenous communities through local financing mechanisms. The projects are funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
Last update: June 2021
