INITIATIVES IN COMMUNITYBASED TOURISM

Amigos is investing in initiatives that develop community-based tourism in Santa Cruz, providing economic opportunities to the local population while also celebrating the local Kakchiquel Mayan culture. These new initiatives include: community tourism guides and cultural experiences, homestay opportunities with local families, ‘Orgullo Cruceño’ (painting and mural project) and improvements to local hiking trails.

SO FAR.. 44 400+ graduated from CECAP’s various community-based tourism courses 2021 and 2022. visitors enjoyed the services of the Santa Cruz Jo’ Guide association.

The entire village and visiting tourists now benefit from cleaner and safer local trails and improvements to the village center.

A Message From Our Board President

When I look back on 2022 for Amigos the words that come to mind are adaptation, consolidation and vision. We are continually looking at how to improve and streamline our programs with a focus on measuring the actual impact they have on individuals and the community as a whole. Amigos is versatile enough to be able to identify needs and adjust in order to address them and this past year we’ve been working on improving this process.

The building and analysis of our participant database has been an invaluable tool in measuring impact and guiding future decisions. One example was our ability to identify the social-emotional needs of our Reading and Scholarship Program students, and respond with the necessary tools to help them better succeed. While making adaptations such as these, we keep our eyes on the future through our upcoming 5-year Strategic Plan.