Regenerative Tourism in Cuetzalan, Puebla: Community Inclusion and Participation

Today, regenerative tourism has become a priority to protect the environment and promote local development, which is mainly focused on restoration, that is, to generate benefits, leaving aside consumerism and the damage or negative impact on the environment, in turn, this activity promotes the empowerment of communities, since they are the ones who govern the decision making in the projects.

Cuetzalan, Puebla, is an ideal destination to experience regenerative tourism, where an effective and beneficial participation is encouraged for all parties involved, both tourists and the cooperative integrated by locals. Currently, the participation of both actors plays a very important role, since it becomes fundamental for the association in strategic decision making, promoting development in regenerative aspects by involving social, environmental and economic issues, seeking to significantly improve the quality of life and the relationship between the locals and the environment.

Roots of Regeneration: the Tosepan Kali case

In the Sierra Norte of Puebla, in a native town, there is a cooperative called Tosepan Kali, which means "The house of all" because of its name in Nahuatl, where the pillar is that everyone has the opportunity for inclusive participation, since the mission is to generate cooperativism among the participants who are part of it. In addition, tourism is an activity that holistically favors its community.

Based on the above, the population works from community management, where empowerment plays a significant role in their decision making since their activities are carried out in a responsible manner and, empirically, they work from a regenerative approach; for example, one of the actions of the cooperative is to use bamboo as their source of raw material for the construction of furniture, houses and spaces or enclosures. In this sense, they allocate activities for its cultivation, treatment, use and implementation, to avoid an exploitation of the resource, on the contrary, that from these practices they generate a positive impact on their environment. 

On the other hand, they offer workshops to visitors to learn about the extraction of cinnamon, the work in the crops, as well as the uses of the coffee fruit, the process of honey (melipona bee), to mention a few. On the other hand, there is a priority to find a way to make a worthy use of all the resources without affecting their environment; a practical case is when one of the guides takes you to another community where there is a tour in a garden to teach the tourist to value and be aware of the fruit trees, or even a vegetable garden at home, since it involves a connection between the person and nature.

It should be noted that all activities are led by the people of the village themselves, so there is a system where they can get involved to provide a unique experience and adapt to what they have around them. An important point is that the locals have tried to prevent multinational companies from entering as a way to manage their resources and territory, diversifying practices, not only in tourism, but also in agriculture, handicrafts and coffee plantations.

In this context, the town of Cuetzalan and the cooperative aim to enter the world of regeneration with their activities, as well as to generate a space for all visitors to feel in an environment where they can experience the essence of what they want to transmit. In this way, they seek to promote the conservation of its natural and cultural wealth.

Tourism management in Tosepan Kali is an example of how the community can lead a regenerative development that benefits everyone by prioritizing active participation and joint decision-making. This type of tourism must be an inclusive process that prioritizes the needs and aspirations of the community, in addition to generating a positive impact on the environment and society, and is therefore encouraged to move towards this perspective.

Article written by Misael González González, a student of the Bachelor's Degree in Cultural and Natural Tourism Management at the Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Tequisquiapan Campus.