The Business Year Special Report
José Koechlin, General Manager & Founder, Inkaterra
Seeking to define ecotourism, Inkaterra produces scientific research as a starting point for the conservation of biodiversity, education, and the wellbeing of local communities.
For 40 years, Inkaterra has been a pioneer in sustainable tourism. What do you think about all this experience through which you advanced on concepts that did not yet exist, such as ecotourism?
We work under a holistic approach where we produce scientific research as a basis for biodiversity conservation and the wellbeing of local communities. Our research and conservation endeavors are the main source of inspiration for travel experiences at Inkaterra properties. Thus, the Inkaterra experience is appealing to a vast array niche markets—say birding, family travel, gastronomy, or academic tourism. It is not only about going on a field trip but being able to offer an experience based on factual information of a particular site, given by native communities who can transfer their experiences to the traveler, along with scientific knowledge. Thus, our holistic approach derives in ecotourism, which allows us to fund our research and conservation initiatives.
What is your assessment of all these years working on this concept?
Travel & Leisure magazine’s ‘2019 World’s Best Awards’ (American Express Group), where 300,000 readers voted for their preferred travel experiences, acknowledged Inkaterra as the world’s third-best hotel brand. Being a Peruvian group, small in relative terms, we can attract a lot of attention to the concept through satisfaction delivered, due to the experience provided through native architecture, the biodiverse settings we study and conserve, local people who belong to our team, and the passionate, knowledgeable excursions we share with travelers.
To you, conservation is an investment. How can you get other companies in the industry carrying out projects in natural areas to understand this?
We return to the value equation stated before. What is the value? Part of the value is guaranteeing a profitable economic model. Inkaterra achieved it through its non-governmental organization Inkaterra Asociación. Committed to our research, conservation and community endeavors, it feedbacks the travel experiences and hospitality services we provide at Inkaterra. The difference with traditional NGOs is that these raise money for activities with a function in any given timeframe. In our case, we produce income to achieve permanent conditions on environmental management in rural Peru.
What impact has Inkaterra had on the communities located in the places you work?
Our aim is to improve the quality of life for every living being—flora, fauna, and human populations. We arrived at places where there were no communities, in the traditional sense. The Amazon rainforest of Madre de Dios, where we started back in 1975, has an area of 84,000sqkm. When we arrived, there were supposed to be 16,000 inhabitants. Being in the countryside with native people, performing continuous good practices over the years, has a positive effect on local memory, which has helped Inkaterra be accepted and seen as a positive, reliable business model. We encourage local communities to stay in their homeland, providing a sustainable source of development. According to our calculations, we have trained more than 4,000 people. As we are in the category of hospitality, it is not uncommon to meet our former workers managing positions throughout hotels in Europe, the Caribbean, or the US.
What projects and challenges does Inkaterra face in the upcoming years?
We want to increase the tourist flow in destinations where we are already established, while creating a new destination in an area with all the potential for tourism: Cabo Blanco tropical sea, desert, and dry forest in northern Peru. NGO Inkaterra Asociación presented to the Ministry of Environment a technical proposal for the creation of Peru’s first marine reserve in Cabo Blanco, an effort we have pursued since 2012. Meanwhile, we are improving conditions for the Cabo Blanco artisanal fishing community. The Ministry of Culture in Peru officially declared Cabo Blanco and El Ñuro’s artisanal fishing as National Cultural Heritage, an effort led by Inkaterra. It is the most important acknowledgment ever given to this millenary tradition, which nowadays plays a key role for the conservation of the Tropical Pacific Sea and the sustainable use of fishery resources.