COP16: These are four women-led tourism projects that will be present at the summit

From tourism experiences that evoke the four elements - water, earth, fire and air - to hiking through Colombia's páramos, exploring local gastronomy, bird-watching and regenerative diving, 17 national agencies have been selected through international cooperation to promote sustainable tourism and highlight Colombia's biodiversity and culture during the United Nations Conference on Biodiversity (COP16), which will be held in Cali from October 21 to November 1.

International cooperation is key to promoting responsible tourism with the environment and communities, and the international event will be a window to showcase experiences with a Colombian seal. For example, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Destino Naturaleza is a conservation program that seeks to promote sustainable tourism in six regions of Colombia: Montes de María, Sierra Nevada, Serranía de Perijá, Meta and Guaviare, Caquetá, Putumayo and the Pacific region. The main objective of the initiative is to promote the natural and cultural heritage of each place in a responsible way.

Cristina Árbelaez, development manager of the Destino Naturaleza program, explains that the bet they have for COP16 is regenerative tourism from four main axes: healthy ecosystems, community well-being, travel experience and business economic sustainability.

"If Cali wants a biodiversity conversation that is national and even global, it is also important to lead from the national regenerative nature tourism. The idea is that from Cali we promote knowledge of the biodiversity of other regions," said Arbeláez.

The Mayor's Office of Santiago de Cali and USAID's Destination Naturaleza program have been working on a strategy to promote and market the offer of outstanding experiences in regenerative and ecotourism focused on biodiversity conservation within the framework of COP16.

In order to promote regenerative nature tourism, a call for proposals, evaluation and selection of tourism packages was made, which allowed the 17 national agencies to present their offers in four categories: Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombian Pacific and Other National Destinations.

In addition to technical requirements such as having functional websites and social networks, another fundamental aspect to participate in the call was to have a focus on sustainability and environmental regeneration, in addition to contributing to the welfare of local communities and having international environmental certifications.

The objective of this initiative is to allow COP16 visitors to extend their trip to Colombia and have the opportunity to live local experiences that will allow them to learn about the biodiversity of different regions of the country.

According to Mabel Lara, Secretary of Tourism of Cali, COP16 will have a great impact not only on local tourism, but also on national tourism. "The United Nations has told us that 12,000 participants will arrive, but we are expecting 15,000. In addition, we will have a historic event, which is the presence of Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations. This generates a valuable impact and leaves us very satisfied," said Lara.

"We have created a tourist directory - Cali Vibrant - that will be available before the COP and will remain as a legacy for tourists who visit us. We will have two versions: a physical, biodegradable one for the event and a digital one that will highlight the specifics of the destination and the attractions it will offer," said Mabel Lara.

Of the selected agencies, two experiences are from Cali (Expedición Roots and Mujer Nativa); two from the Pacific region (Agencia Ecoturismo Eco Caminantes and Agencia Agroturismo Conociendo el Pacífico Nariñense); three from Valle del Cauca (The Colombian Project, Biotácora Colombia and Agencia Eco Turismo Eco Caminantes). Finally, ten agencies were selected in the national category: Parchémonos Colombia, Fundación Monkey Tayrona / Global Sailing, Paradis de Colors, The Colombian Project, Native Colombia Tours SAS, Explora Verde, Agencia Ecoturismo Eco Caminantes, Solera Travels, Tolima Biodiversa Expediciones and Territorio Colombia Viajes y Turismo SAS.

Mujer Nativa, run by Ángela María Rodríguez, is a tour operator run by and for women traveling alone. The package chosen in the call was "Guardianas de la Montaña", an experience inspired by the four elements (water, fire, earth and air).

This package includes various activities at butterfly farms (air), rivers (water), forests (fire), and visits to a permaculture garden (earth). "The four elements of nature are also present in our lives. Air, for example, is embodied in our ideas and dreams; water is connected to our emotions and fluids; fire is the flame that gives us the strength to get up every day; and finally, earth is the ability to realize what we dream and feel," Rodriguez explained.

The experience aims to generate well-being, connect, preserve and interact respectfully with the region and its biodiversity. Within the package, s will be able to participate in activities that include knowledge of permaculture, bio-construction, water source conservation, composting techniques, local and organic cuisine, and planting trees and host plants for birds and butterflies.

For travelers who want to observe birds and learn more about the native flora and fauna of the valley, the "Biodiversity Route of the Western Cordillera" experience offered by the agency Biotácora Colombia, directed by Lina Bautista, is a recommended option. This initiative sensitizes travelers to current threats to biodiversity and explains how their visit contributes to the sustainability of conservation efforts for ecosystems and native species.

"There are many businesses in the area that we would like to incorporate into the Biotácora Routes to help boost the local economy," says Bautista. In addition to exploring different ecosystems, the package includes gastronomic routes such as the pandebono, a visit to tea plantations and, finally, a tour of Cali. "We conclude with a very nice component: the planting of a native tree as a symbolic act for having received this abundance of food, culture and biodiversity," Bautista added.

Lidia Grueso, with her love for the community and the territory, shows the beauty of Tumaco with the experience "Magia Tumaqueña". The agritourism agency Conociendo el Pacífico Nariñense proposes a four-day experience in which the traveler, through five tourist routes, will be able to connect with the culture and daily life of the men and women of Tumaco, learn about their knowledge, traditions and taste the local gastronomy.

"We want tourists to get to know the local gastronomy and see the love and dedication that each woman puts into the preparation of each dish," said Grueso. He also pointed out that the package includes the Cocoa Route and the Mangrove and Piangua Route. In the latter, visitors will be able to interact with the women who have spent their lives extracting piangua from the mangrove swamp.

"When tourists come to Tumaco or the Pacific, they fall in love with the food, the cacao, the fish, but there is something that makes them fall in love even more: the love with which our women welcome them (...) here, the community processes and businesses are run by women," concludes Grueso.

Trekking through indigenous trails and excursions to the moors are some of the activities offered by the "Gran Recorrido Andino", a proposal of Explora Verde, directed by Claudia Botero. This initiative is a "trekking" through ancestral trails in the eastern province of Cundinamarca and the Piedemonte Llanero. Although this package is originally divided into three parts, for COP16 the agency is only including the first segment: from páramo to páramo.

"We travel on royal roads and stay in rural lodges. We pay the entrance fees to the reserves, hire guides and local experts," says Botero. He also explains that tourists are given an ancestral port, which they stamp with Muisca pictograms, while receiving information about indigenous cosmogony.

Tourists will be able to see how tourism can be reconciled with the protection of the marshes and the high Andean forest. In addition, those who take this tour will be able to see how the reserves carry out reforestation, restoration and regeneration work to protect the native flora and fauna.

These are just four initiatives with a regenerative approach, but there are many more that can be done within the framework of COP16 in different Colombian regions, learning more about the biodiversity, culture and gastronomy of the country of beauty.

ANGIE RODRÍGUEZ - TRAVEL JOURNALIST - @angs0614