Innovation

Boomerang Viajes is a helpful way of living sustainability. Solidarity tourism ensures quality of life for the rural vulnerable inhabitants and promotes local economic development. A common agenda is built between the tourists and the needs of the visiting places and people. With this agenda, the activity can addresses part of the economic, environmental, and social problems that affect vulnerable places.

Inspiration

Boomerang Viajes is based on the philosophy of the Economy of Communion movement, which is based on three essential pillars:

1. Eradication of poverty
2. Employment creation
3. Education of new men

Overall impact

Boomerang Viajes looks at the vulnerable rural community inhabitants. From there, the tourism product is developed. The package only includes food, materials, and sleeping accommodations: all the rest has to be developed by activities with the local inhabitants, such as cooking with the families, harvesting, or weaving. Tourists learn to live like the locals by doing the same tasks.

Business benefit

These tourist programs are welcomed by the local people living in vulnerable locations. When they started, there were ​​around twelve local entrepreneurs. But now there are more than 100 entrepreneurs working in the northwest region of Argentina. Therefore, this is not social assistance: it creates new jobs in vulnerable locations. The number of visitors has increased each year about ​10%. Other economic benefits come from the infrastructure investment done in each community, which include providing mobile phones antennas and new water pipe connections.

Watch video on Vimeo

Social and environmental benefit

This program stops migration and social assistance. A clear example of this phenomenon is when Bettina, the director of Boomerang Viajes, spoke with a family called Lamas. The mother presented her concerns about their kids leaving the land and culture for an urban future. The family wanted to be part of a local development proposal to prevent their children from going to live elsewhere else. With this opportunity, they raise the funds to pay for their children to go to university in the city but with a prosperous future back at their homes. The idea is to maintain the original values and cultural customs of the locals.

With regards to the environment benefits, tourists get involved not only with the people living in the places they visit but also with the heritage. They perform the same activities as the locals, including taking care of the land. In this way, visitors are re-educated to preserve natural resources.

Interview

Bettina Alejandra Gonzalez, Director of Boomerang Viajes