RESPONS Centro de Turismo Sostenible E.I.R.L.
RESPONS works for and with local Andean and native communities to develop, improve and monitor their tourism products, and makes money by marketing and selling their tourism products as a tour operator.
About You
Section 1: About You
Section 2: About Your Organization
Is your initiative connected to an established organization?
Yes
Organization Name
RESPONS Centro de Turismo Sostenible
Organization Website
Organization Phone
+51 43 427949
Organization Address
Jr. 28 de Julio 821
Organization Country
Peru
Is your organization a
For‐profit
How long has this organization been operating?
1‐5 years
Your idea
Name Your Project
RESPONS Centro de Turismo Sostenible E.I.R.L.
Describe your Social Enterprise
RESPONS works for and with local Andean and native communities to develop, improve and monitor their tourism products, and makes money by marketing and selling their tourism products as a tour operator.
Country your work focuses on
Peru
Innovation
What makes your innovation unique?
RESPONS focuses its activities on real sustainable tourism only (our philosophy focuses on four angles: environmental, cultural, social and economic sustainability). We want to prove that a tour operator can make money with real sustainable tourism, and we will do so not only through selling trips and travel packages to tour operators and individual clients, but also through (tourism) development projects and consultancies. In this way, we will make best profit out of our knowledge and experiences in the field of sustainable tourism, and benefit communities the best.
RESPONS is a for-profit on purpose, because we believe that to insert sustainable tourism products in the mainstream market, it has to be commercial, and NGO’s are not always regarded as fair competition by the tourism sector. Also, this relationship is very clear and easy to explain towards the communities. “You deliver a good service; I will buy you that service. I earn from sending you people, so it’s in my interest to market your products; we will both win”.
RESPONS moreover works hand in hand with the local tourism sector stimulating responsible operations through setting up a local CO² compensation scheme, a responsibility index for accommodations, amongst others. We also try to influence behavior of tour operators, communities and individual tourists through offering them the best travel option, the best service and a real commitment towards sustainable developing communities through tourism.
Do you have a patent for this idea?
No
Impact
This Entry is about (Issues)
Tell us about the social impact of your innovation. Please include both numbers and stories as evidence of this impact
First of all, at a direct level we see improvements in our tourism committee members and their families, who are much more engaged in different projects in their communities, that deal with education, conservation and other community developments. Their children also tend to come back to the community more than other children (after studying in a city) because they see opportunities in further developing tourism. Parents see a different future for their children; prosperous and (important!) close to home.
At an indirect level, all RESPONS products include a community development fund (or destination development fund) for all visited places, through which RESPONS, where possible in close cooperation with the tourism committees, puts development or education projects in place. Together with occasional donations from previous clients, RESPONS has already implemented projects and donations worth of more than 10.000 USD in Vicos, Humacchuco and along the Inka Naani. Tourism activities are the perfect basis for donations to be made to communities; tourists can bring them themselves, and/or see results when they visit a place, and be stimulated to give a donation themselves. These donations also stimulate the local population to give a great service to their clients, because they see the interesting side effects of tourism. RESPONS and the local tourism committees continuously make sure that donations are well spent and used on the long run. For one huge donation (€4.500 to Vicos) RESPONS even put two volunteers (supported by RESPONS and the tourism committee) in the village to make sure donations were well channeled.
At last, through offering a great service and commodity to tour operators and individual clients, we are stimulating them to travel RESPONSibly, too! As such, our tourism products can grow and continue developing their communities in a sustainable way. The relationship RESPONS has with the communities is one based on confidence, easy to understand and fair. We feel that “our” communities are happy with this relationship and proud to have this chance to develop RESPONSibly.
Problem: Describe the primary problem(s) that your innovation is addressing
Sustainable tourism initiatives exist in many places. Generally it’s NGO’s that start a project, and they generally do a good job at developing infrastructure and capacities. After a few years, the money/ donation is finished and a local community is ready to receive tourists. However, a big mistake that is unfortunately still being made a lot, is that there is no link with the market. Sometimes a product doesn’t fit the clients’ needs or wants anyway… Where this is the case, a product will not be successful, and thus the community will not reach its development and conservation targets.
A good, commercially strong product is what is needed. Good marketing, communications and administrative support on the long run is essential, too. This is what RESPONS offers to communities; it forms the bridge between the demand and the offer. It is committed to ensuring that tourism products maintain their environmental, cultural, social and economic sustainability. It will build and maintain a long-term relationship with the community based on trust, and profits! When there are conflicts, these need to be solved because profits and sustainability are at risk. When quality goes down, this needs to be solved because profits are at risk. When too many tourists are arriving, capacity needs to be risen (within sustainability criteria) or RESPONS can distribute its travelers to other destinations. RESPONS is committed to continuously work with the communities to improve and maintain sustainability at all angles
Actions: Describe the steps that you are taking to make your innovation a success. Include a description of the business model. What might prevent that success?
Marketing
Nowadays, it is not hard to market a business in a cheap and easy way. RESPONS has a very attractive, informative and completely bilingual website, which on top of English and Spanish is also partially translated into French; our clients’ third nationality. Our website, and how we market it online, is continuously revised and improved, and we are realizing that it is really starting to work. A B2B section will very soon be launched.
Other marketing successes include recommendations by the Lonely Planet, SAEC, amongst others.
Co-operating
RESPONS is a for-profit business, and since the local tourism sector of Huaraz realizes that, it is cooperating much more with RESPONS (NGOs are regarded as unfair competition). Six local TOs are actively selling RESPONS products as part of their offer.
Nine national agents and 8 international TOs have included RESPONS destinations in their offer, and are sending international groups to RESPONS. RESPONS handles their groups base on complete packages from Lima to Lima, arranging transportation, lodging and all activities. The same goes for educational packages, that RESPONS has offered to four educational institutes so far. Educational trips represent a huge potential market for RESPONS.
Quality of service
RESPONS is expanding quickly, and new personnel needs to be local, but highly qualified. It also receives intensive training on the spot within the office, to make sure that all RESPONS personnel is passionate about our philosophy, about giving great service and about continuously improving the business. The only way we can reach our sustainability targets, is through intense cooperation with the tourism sector; making sure that they book through RESPONS because it is the most attractive option. Therefore we need to be always ahead of the others, in terms of quality, efficiency and responsibility.
Other income-generating activities
Through the implementation of projects with project donations, execution of consultancies and participation in competitions like Ashoka’s, we try to earn more experience, spread the word about RESPONS and gain additional income on top of our tour operating activities. It also gives us the chanve to share our experiences and reach our sustainability targets (have everybody travelling more RESPONSibly).
Results: Describe the expected results of these actions over the next three years. Please address each year separately, if possible
2010, year of explosion; in May this year already surpassed the year 2009 in terms of visitor numbers, visits and turnover, and we are expecting to have 2,5 to 3 times more turnover and visits than 2009. In 2009, most clients were direct clients that visited the office, but all the work put into contacting tour operators and developing packages for them is translating in more reservations in 2010. Improved search engine results, satisfied clients and other marketing activities are quickly improving our visibility on the web. Towards the end of 2010, we would really like to launch adapted products on the national travel market, directing towards Peruvian families and students.
2011, year of continuing growth, will be the year when we will really start feeling the result of being recommended so positively in the Lonely Planet Peru; more individual travelers will find the RESPONS office and book tours to our communities. New tour operators will have included our destinations in their travel packages, and finally we hope that the economic crises will be over and people in Europe and USA will start travelling again; RESPONS should get over 500 international visitors this year. It is hard to say what the national market will do, after our efforts in 2010 to get the domestic markets to travel RESPONSibly. 2011 will also be a year of expansion with new products, in our current area but most of all in other places in Central and Northern Peru. At last, RESPONS will actively market its educational packages on the educational tourism market.
2012, year of consolidation. The broader offer of RESPONSible tourism destinations and hopefully a growing number of returning clients should lead to the opening of one or two satellite RESPONS offices in other areas of Peru where several sustainable tourism initiatives are combined. RESPONS as a whole will be regarded as THE sustainable tourism portal of Peru. It will be a respected travel organization well regarded by the local, national and international travel sector. It is hard to look further than 2012, in a world that is so rapidly changing. Other countries possibly??
How many people will your project serve annually?
101‐1000
What is the average monthly household income in your target community, in US Dollars?
$50 - 100
Does your innovation seek to have an impact on public policy?
No
If your innovation seeks to impact public policy, how?
We want to influence travelers, business and governments to travel more RESPONSibly, in the case of governments we would like to help out through consultancies in developing tourism destinations in a more responsible way, we can also improve existing destinations and make them more sustainable through consultancies to local or regional governments, but we are not really interested in changing policies as such.
Sustainability
What stage is your Social Enterprise in?
Operating for 1‐5 years
Does your organization have a board of directors or an advisory board?
No
Does your organization have a non monetary partnerships with NGOs?
Yes
Does your organization have a non monetary partnerships with businesses?
No
Does your organization have a non monetary partnerships with government?
No
Please tell us more about how partnerships could be critical to the success of your Social Enterprise
RESPONS would like to partner with certain organizations that could help RESPONS to grow, be more efficient, execute sustainable tourism development projects or obtain a better connection with our markets of interest.
For example, in our interest to enter the education travel market, I could see RESPONS partner up with some organization that could assist us with that. Also, we might partner up with the Swiss Chamber of Commerce (we have solicited this) and they could help us with reaching out to the European market.
We would like to learn more about how your initiative is financially supported. Please explain your business plan/revenue model
First income generating activity is tour operating of sustainable tourism only. We earn a percentage over the sales of sustainable tourism activities, being individual visits to individual travelers, package trips through tour operators, or educational trips to students.
Second, we have implemented projects in the field of sustainable tourism, and will continue to do so. Projects can have two goals; broadening the offer of sustainable tourism on the one hand, or “sustainabilizing” the operations of the tourism sector on the other. Examples are this CO² compensation scheme that weare developing, the RESPONSibility Index for accommodations, setting up new tourism products in new communities, improving existing sustainable tourism offer, conferences or workshops about sustainable tourism.
At last, and only after a few years, we will offer our services as sustainable tourism consultants to local and regional governments, NGO’s, other businesses and communities.
The Story
What was the defining moment that led you to this innovation?
After an absence of 2 years, I came back to Huaraz for holidays in August 2008. I realized that the communities were still giving a great service to travelers, but that Yachaqui Wayi had never really worked well to increase tourism flows to the communities. Without these tourism flows, they are unable to reach their conservation and development goals.
I was personally ready to start a new adventure, and I was looking forward to living in Huaraz again. I knew I was the right person to take on this initiative, thanks to the confidential relationship I have with the communities, the knowledge about and passion for the tourism products they offer, and the (inter)national connections I have in the travel industry. Back home in Holland, I told my boss that I would quit my job in within five months, and he (and my other colleagues) were not at all surprised.
Based on lessons learned with previous projects, I have set up RESPONS, sharing my dream and the business with my “brother” Pablo Tadeo, a native Vicosino and passionate about sustainable tourism, too. The close contacts we have with our products and how we transmit our passion in our business, has made all our previous clients very enthusiastic about our business, and we are looking forward to what the future will bring.
Tell us about the person—the social innovator—behind this idea.
Mmm, that would be me.. ;-) My name is Guido van Es, I’m Dutch, and arrived in Huaraz for the first time in 2002 for my third-year placement. Pretty quickly, I fell in love with the work I did, especially thanks to the gratefulness of working closely together with the campesinos (local people from the Andes). I came back for my thesis investigation, and decided during that time that I would like to continue working in the field of sustainable tourism.
In 2003, The Mountain Institute made me project coordinator for several projects related to sustainable tourism. I stayed in Huaraz for a bit over three years, and the last project I coordinated was the Yachaqui Wayi Responsible Travel Center (YW). When this was well finished, I went back to Holland to leave YW in the hands of the campesinos, and gain more experience myself in other areas. I have done several jobs, some of which very interesting. However, I never felt the same satisfaction in those jobs as I felt in Peru.
Back in Peru for holidays in 2008, it was just so clear. There was a big need for marketing of sustainable tourism and for a long-term relationship of support for the communities. At the same time, the world of travel is inclining more and more to the responsible, unique and authentic travel experiences that those and other communities are offering. I saw a huge business opportunity, and I felt like the right person to take the initiative. I have the right contacts, the confidence of the communities, and the passion to do it in the most sustainable way. I even had a bit of savings to start off this not-too-expensive business venture! Nothing kept me from setting up RESPONS, and I started working on it right then and there.
How did you first hear about Changemakers?
Newsletter from Changemakers
If through another source, please provide the information
 | 102 weeks agoGuido van Es submitted this idea. |
