HISTORY OF THE ORGANIZATION ECOTOURS BOQUILLA
Ecotours Boquilla is a company comprised 100% of natives from La Boquilla community, established in 1999 through a business program of the Foundation Uvita de Playa; since then Ecotours Boquilla has persevered working for the benefit of the community and the mangrove ecosystem of the swamp known as Cienaga de Juan Polo. This company showcases the le
vel of organization that the people of La Boquilla have, since for several years its members have worked tirelessly to forge its own source of employment and income. Moreover, since Ecotours Boquilla’s inception, the organization has been strongly linked to the protection of the mangrove ecosystem of the Cienaga de Juan Polo and Cienaga de la Virgen. Through different means this company has been able to denounce before the institutions responsible for monitoring natural resources, the indiscriminate logging of mangroves, as well as the squatters who have devastated large areas of this vitally important resource. Although many have been the achievements, in terms of recovering important areas that had been seized by squatters, the struggle still continues because we must get all people in Cartagena to understand, that mangroves are the most important natural resource we have because it itself is a source of life and it also allow us to create jobs and wealth for communities like ours. Today, Ecotours Boquilla conducts periodic cleanups in the Cienaga Juan Polo, located north of the community, gives workshops and seminars to the residents in the area of influence of the mangrove swamp and the community in general in a variety of subjects including: natural resources management, resources and waste disposal, management and disposal of waste waters, and human interaction with nature. The organization has agreements with Educational Institutions such as the Escuela Normal Superior, Colegio Mayor de Bolivar, and the British School, with the goal of educating youth about the importance of the mangrove ecosystem. One of the biggest impacts that the company has demonstrated over the years, is undoubtedly the creation of jobs through its economic activity, which has resulted in sustainable tourism, based on the organization of the community around the mangrove ecosystem and the Cienaga Juan Polo. Today the company generates more than 50 direct jobs and more than 100 indirect, meaning that all profits are distributed or reflected upon the same community. In this sense it is worth noting that these jobs benefit not only the workers but also their families, who each day are more engaged with the protection of the ecosystem along with its fauna and flora. It is also important to highlight that Ecotours Boquilla has nurtured a struggle to prove it provides a service that is of high quality, safe and sustainable, and that it represents the livelihood of a large portion of the community who are bringing about their own development, and who need only an opportunity to continue to generate wellbeing for its own people. OVERVIEW OF LA BOQUILLA CORREGIMIENTO
VISION
Be a leading company in the development of ecotourism, tourism, and water-sports plans, in the city of Cartagena de Indias, and generate learning processes that lead to the self-generation of employment opportunities within the community, according to the implementation of business strategies in line with market demands, enabling the company to position itself nationally and internationally. MISSION
Position itself nationally, strengthening the image of the community of La Boquilla as a tourist destination for ecotourism, ethnotourism, and recreational water sports, implementing plans that promote the ecological zones of both the community and the city in general
CORPORATE OBJECTIVES
Strengthen Ecotours Boquilla company, institutionally and businesswise, implementing strategies consistent with the requirements of national and international markets. Design and implement marketing and sales strategies for ecotourism services and others in line with the company Ecotours Boquilla, through different media and advanced technological tools in the world. Promote, together with environmental authorities and the community, policies for the preservation and conservation of the environment, especially the mangrove ecosystem.
