Projeto Bagagem is a Brazilian NGO aimed at improving the livelihoods of low-income Brazilian communities by developing and implementing local development alternatives based on community-based tourism. Its main strategy is to support the development of tourism itineraries that benefit primarily the host communities financially, environmentally culturally and socially. Projeto Bagagem’s team identifies established NGOs that are exemplary in their area of expertise. Through a collaborative process, an itinerary is developed that generates income for local communities and a learning experience for the visitors. Projeto Bagagem’s itineraries feature 3 main components:

1. The Special Destination, bringing together some of the most successful community development solutions in environmentally relevant Brazilian regions. With Projeto Bagagem it is possible to visit these places and experience how these innovative solutions came about;

2. The Special Traveller, who looks for a different type of holiday, chosing a non-conventional way of travelling that enables him or her to get in touch with community life and the local reality in an authentic way;

3. The Special Trip, translated into the way in which Projeto Bagagem conducts the tours, bringing out the best in each participant within the group, in a process where values such as cooperation, respect and flexibility are strengthened, creating a trust relationship with partner organisations and host communities.

Projeto Bagagem’s plan of action consists of 3 inter-related programmes based on the establishment of cross-sectoral partnerships, giving rise to a strong and sustainable Solidary Economy Network for Community Tourism in Brazil:
1. NETWORK OF COMMUNITY-BASED TOURISM DESTINATIONS

Currently made up of Projeto Bagagem’s four itineraries (two in the Amazon and two in the Northeast), all created in collaboration with local partners. Projeto Bagagem, together with the local partner, offers a 2-year capacity building programme to a selected group of local youth, after which they are capable of owning and managing the community-based tourism activity locally. The first Local Community Tourism Youth Group is located in Lençóis (Bahia), in partnership with a local NGO (Grãos de Luz e Griô).

2. NETWORK OF PARTNER TRAVEL AGENCIES AND ORGANISATIONS

In order to guarantee the sustainability of the local youth groups and itineraries, Projeto Bagagem establishes partnerships with national and international travel agencies and community-based tourism organizations/cooperatives. By offering its itineraries as attractive social products to be commercialized at fair rates, Projeto Bagagem’s intends to invert the rationale of the tourism market chain, prioritising the host communities.

3. NETWORK OF TRAVELLERS

The setting up of the Network of Projeto Bagagem’s Participants enables former participants to support the visited communities after their travel experience. Former participants receive an electronic bulletin on a regular basis with news on the latest expeditions as well as the developments of Projeto Bagagem’s further projects. Through this permanent contact former participants can support the project(s) of their choice, and keep in touch with the communities they visited.

 

Projeto Bagagem's work is based on a set of guiding principles – click here for more information