This project will incorporate CEN’s growing experience strengthening basic skills and mindsets that form a strong foundation for self-reliant communities, along with a multi-faceted approach to fostering community-based eco-tourism in a group of 16 small communities near the Juá Creek, near the city of Santarém, in the Brazilian Amazon. The project will improve community livelihoods, without abandoning their unique life styles and culture.

The Juá region has a strong touristic potential due to its proximity to the city of Santarém, beautiful beaches, and the town of Alter do Chão, which draws local, national and the growing number of international visitors. The main road connecting Santarém and Alter do Chão also passes through several of the communities in the region. Tourist development will most likely come to the region on its own; however unless the communities are equipped with what they need to manage the process for themselves, residents of the area will most likely become bystanders, realizing few economic gains for themselves, and risk losing their unique lifestyle and culture.

The process of cultivating a strong and sustainable tourism sector in the region, requires building community leadership and institutions capable of developing and managing the implementation of a community-wide agreed upon plan that will ensure strong, equitable economic growth, while maintaining the cultural and environmental strengths of the communities that make them an attractive tourist destination in the first place.

Objectives

The entire 8 year project’s primary objective is to increase family incomes through Community-based tourism on a sustainable basis.

  By the end of the project we hope to accomplish the following in the communities: 

• Ensure the community is able to execute their unified vision for tourism in the region
• Generate at least 50 new locally managed businesses in the region, such as lodges, trails, beaches, handicrafts, restaurants, and entertainment
• Increase family incomes among residents in the region at least 40% through the business opportunities available in the tourism industry
• Make good progress to overcome key structural obstacles that would otherwise compromise the long term social and economic sustainability of the region’s tourism initiative, such as social capitol, access to credit and markets, strong local commercial value chains for their products, and infrastructure

To achieve this vision, CEN will partner with Eunice Sena and Paulo Melo, two seasoned development professionals that live in the area and together have over 50 years of experience in community-based development, as well as community leaders and potentially other organizations.

Mr. Melo and Ms. Sena have laid the groundwork for this project through several years of community development efforts. This project presents a significant scale up in both the depth and breadth of activities by the creation of a region-wide master plan, integrating community institution and entrepreneur development, capacity building, and market development.

As the Juá Region develops a solid, fully formed community-driven tourism industry over the course of the project, CEN will be able to help develop and host eco-tourism and cultural packages for interested visitors, similar to CEN’s earlier “Unveiling the Amazon” trip offering.

CEN is very excited about this endeavor and the possibilities it presents for community growth in the region and in the many rural communities around the world facing similar needs. Stay tuned for updates on CEN’s work in this region.

Other Resources

Juá Community-based Tourism Project Plans (more details)
Accomplishment so far from the Juá Community-based Tourism Project
CEN’s Community Based-Tourism Program
What is Community-based tourism?
August 2011 draft of the Action Plan for Community-based tourism in the Juá region (Portuguese) (1.5 MB PDF)
Rural Based Tourism Proposal for earlier work in the region (Portuguese) (16.2 MB PDF)