Rutopia: The Airbnb for learning about Rural Ecotourism in Mexico

This article was written and published in Spanish and has been translated into English via Google Translate. Click here to read the original article.

They say that millennials are very good at travel. Moreover, it has been said that it is the generation that prefers to go exploring than staying in the comfort of a home and thinking about having children. We can not assure that this is a general issue but what we can affirm is that there is no one who does not like to go on a trip.

For all those backpackers in the world, Airbnb first arrived, an alternative to hotels that allows people to feel at home but elsewhere ... but now something has come much better for those who want to live the full experience of getting into the cultural and natural wealth of other territories: Rutopía.

It is a company that acts as intermediary travelers and hosts in rural communities of Mexico. The idea is that people can not only stroll through little frequented destinations, but can live a whole experience of cultural exchange through community ecotourism.

This incredible startup was created by Emiliano Iturriaga, graduated from Tec de Monterrey campus Mexico City. and Sebastián Muñoz, a student from the same campus, who later joined the student Diego Espinoza.

"We are between a travel agency and a tourism consultant; Those who want to know one of these alternative communities will contact us, whether it be a solo traveler or a group. [...] We went to work in Chiapas with an indigenous community. We realized that there was a lot of potential, that there was an incredible market opportunity," explained Sebastián for Conecta.

Through Rutopía, the founders promise that travelers will be able to experience things they normally could not do on a conventional trip.

"The type of activities most common are those that the inhabitants of these communities do in their daily lives ... like going to the harvest, or fishing with the young or making tamales with the ladies of the village. You can also go biking, go swimming, zip lining, but it is mainly to be in touch with the culture and daily activities of the community."

In addition, they intend to help the communities that make expeditions so that more and more people are encouraged to go and as a reward they can live great experiences.

"Communities benefit because there are jobs that they did not have before. We give them the opportunity to work in their own community and not have to migrate. We contacted the communities through other indigenous tourism networks, and we invite them, one criterion is that they all have to be ecotourism initiatives."

Rutopía is a project with only a little more than a year that began, however, that time has been enough to serve around 150 hikers who, according to the Tec de Monterrey, have paid from two thousand (approximately US$104) to five thousand pesos (approximately US$261) for trips of three to five days.

"We hope to increase that number a lot this year; many have been students and international travelers who love to have a very impressive connection and cultural exchange. There are very available communities like El Triunfo, in Chiapas; The Warehouse, in Oaxaca; Uxuxubí, in Quintana Roo, are the ones that are most striking. And we are looking to work with the Lacandones in Chiapas, and Mixtec communities in Oaxaca that are dedicated to pulque and agave."

If you want to know more about this initiative do not hesitate to take a look at its official website ... and if you already made a trip with them, tell us how they passed.

This article was written and published in Spanish and has been translated into English via Google Translate. Click here to read the original article.

Join us in Bangkok the 19th to the 21st of March for the Property Portal Watch Conference.