The winners of the LATA Responsible Tourism Awards 2026 were revealed on Monday June 8 at LATA Expo, De Vere Cotswold Water Park, Cirencester. Organisations across Latin America have exhibited replicable and impactful initiatives in five categories entailing nature positivity, championing cultural diversity, regenerative tourism, diversity equity and inclusion and creating local economic benefit.
The 2026 LATA Responsible Tourism Award citations provide a detailed summary highlighting why the judges recognised each entry with either a Gold, Silver or One-to-Watch award:
NATURE POSITIVE RESPONSIBLE TOURISM AWARD
The judges were looking for examples of consumptive and non-consumptive tourism that act as guardians of biodiversity and demonstrate a positive impact on the conservation of the natural environment, and for conservation organisations and protected area management organisations that are effectively using tourism, consumptive and non-consumptive, to manage and enhance biodiversity.
GOLD: Associação Onçafari, Brazil
Onçafari is a not-for-profit that uses responsible wildlife tourism as a tool to conserve biodiversity and support local livelihoods, integrating ecotourism, science, habitat protection, fire management. The core strategy is wildlife habituation for ecotourism, especially of jaguars and maned wolves. This allows visitors to observe wildlife closely and safely, without feeding, touching, or otherwise altering natural behaviour. By creating greater economic value from the observation of wildlife, Onçafari helps shift perceptions of threatened species from liability to asset. Onçafari has demonstrated how biodiversity can be managed into a viable economic alternative for the people living closest to it, reducing pressure from land conversion, fire, and other forms of degradation. There are now over 300 jaguars in the Pantanal and sightings have increased by 600%.
SILVER: Naturetrek Reserves, Ecuador
For nearly two decades Naturetrek has worked with its conservation charity partner Fundación EcoMinga to protect a threatened cloud forest corridor in the Ecuadorian Andes; classified by WWF as one of the 200 most important wildlife corridors in the world because of its high levels of biodiversity. Naturetrek supports direct purchase of the forest as a public nature reserve, open to the local people for no-impact ecotourism and protected from hunting, plant collection, and any other extractive activities. Naturetrek’s view is that protecting land in perpetuity is the best possible way to protect endangered wildlife species and support the communities living there.
ONE TO WATCH: Amazon Emotions, Brazil
Amazon Emotions has been developing a conservation model where tourism activities support the local economy and are directly linked to biodiversity monitoring and research using standardized scientific methodologies, including RAPELD modules, field sampling protocols, camera trapping, and citizen science tools, to generate consistent biodiversity data. The judges were excited by the potential of this approach to deliver nature positive tourism and hope to see a further application with detail of its positive biodiversity impact.
CHAMPIONING CULTURAL DIVERSITY RESPONSIBLE TOURISM AWARD
The judges were looking for businesses and destinations to make “more meaningful connections with local people and a greater understanding of local history and culture,” and/or offering “culturally sensitive experiences engendering respect between tourists and hosts and building local pride and confidence.”
GOLD: Sama Sama International, TransHistorias Brasilia, Brazil
Working with Casa Rosa in Brasilia, Sama Sama has created an opportunity for trans women to gain meaningful employment in the travel sector and given them a platform to share their stories and experiences with the world. Sama Sama’s approach “is rooted in co-design, dignity and agency. Guides and community collaborators lead how their stories, skills and local knowledge are shared, shaping experiences that are meaningful for them as well as for those participating. The result is learning that feels human, joyful and deeply memorable, building understanding across difference and widening what inclusion in tourism and community engagement can look like when we build it together.”
The judges see this as an innovative and creative approach which, when carefully deployed, can empower disadvantaged and marginalised communities and offer international and domestic tourists a meaningful experience offering an alternative perspective on the place and its people.
SILVER: Condor Travel, Misminay Community-Based Tourism Initiative, Peru
Misminay, is a small Andean community in Peru’s Sacred Valley. Since 2008, Condor Travel has worked with the villagers to develop a community-based tourism model that enables the villagers to secure income and pride. “Visitors are received by local families and take part in daily activities such as agricultural work, traditional cooking, and textile-making using ancestral techniques and natural dyes. These interactions are designed as exchanges rather than performances, where learning happens on both sides.” Benefits are distributed so that all those who wish to participate, gain from the experience, and the management of the initiative is increasingly with the community. As Condor Travel explains “From the outset, we worked with community members to identify which aspects of their culture they considered essential to maintain, not for tourism, but for themselves. We then explored how tourism could support those practices without altering their meaning.” Condor Travel co-invested with the families to make improvements in family homes, kitchens, and sanitary facilities and to secure clean water for all.
ONE TO WATCH: Responsible Travel South America, Ecuador
In the Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve in the Ecuadorian Amazon, Responsible Travel South America has introduced the Killas Experience reviving the use of the Killas, traditional dugout canoes carved from a single tree trunk and historically used by Amazonian Indigenous communities as their primary means of navigation. The experience integrates cultural exchange, traditional craftmanship, and guided river journeys at low speed and low noise, decreasing wildlife disturbance and fuel use compared with conventional motor launches. Tourism revenue has funded this initiative which has reduced disturbance and secured current value for traditional practices governed by the community. The judges hope to see a further application when the ambition to “scale with integrity” has been achieved.
REGENERATIVE TOURISM RESPONSIBLE TOURISM AWARD
Aware of the widespread abuse of “regenerative” in misselling, the judges sought to identify examples of genuine regenerative tourism. We were looking for destinations and businesses seeking to create a better future for a place and its residents. The concept of regeneration requires system change; it has roots in architecture, urban and economic regeneration, and, more radically, in agriculture and ecosystem regrowth.
GOLD: Journey Mexico and Arca Tierra, Mexico
In partnership with Arca Tierra, Journey Mexico is seeking to maintain Xochimilco’s chinampa heritage, 60% of the zone has been abandoned and is at risk of being swallowed by urban sprawl. Journey Mexico is assisting with the regeneration of the area by raising awareness and bringing guests to spend money there.
Arca Tierra, Eart Ark, is working in the chinampas in Mexico City to preserve the traditional agricultural knowledge required to sustain these floating gardens. Chinampas are ancient, man-made agricultural islands and raised field systems developed in Mesoamerica over 1,000 years ago. Famous as the “floating gardens of the Aztecs”, these highly sustainable, rectangular farming plots were built by interweaving reeds and mud to create fertile ecosystems that thrive on natural irrigation and fertilization. “Xochimilco is both a window into ancient Mexico City’s way of life and the site of a trailblazing project fighting to secure its future…. the partnership between Journey Mexico and Arca Tierra demonstrates that regeneration is possible through collective action, transforming a chinampa into a productive, resilient, and thriving ecosystem.”
SILVER: Biofábrica de Corais, Brazil
BioFábrica de Corais in northern Brazil has developed and implemented its own coral restoration methodology. More than 7,000 corals have been planted, engaging more than 400 volunteers. BioFábrica de Corais is annually managing 20,000 coral colonies and tourism is a major contribution to its coral regeneration programme. BioFábrica has structured a solution that goes beyond mitigating the impacts of tourism. It restores degraded reef areas and connect this restoration to regenerative tourism experiences, environmental education, volunteer engagement, and economic inclusion of coastal communities. Customer messaging explains how they will contribute: “Join us on a raft trip, snorkel and collect water in the crystal-clear waters, explore the natural pool , visit a coral farm and actively participate in coral cultivation , helping to regenerate this unique ecosystem. With your participation, you directly strengthen the reef restoration efforts and contribute to the advancement of this essential work for marine life. And more: as a form of recognition, you will receive the guardianship of a coral and follow the updates of the cultivated corals for 1 year.”
ONE TO WATCH: Las Torres Patagonia, Chile
Las Torres Patagonia was originally a family-run cattle ranch. In 1979 the owners began to develop sustainable tourism, and it is now transitioning to a regenerative management model. Through the “Legado Torres del Paine” project, thousands of native species are being planted to restore areas affected by historic fires and a bio-intensive organic garden provides farm-to-table produce while improving soil health. A sequestering carbon and a circular economy model has been developed that includes on-site composting and a rigorous recycling program to minimize landfill impact in a sensitive wilderness area. The judges were struck by the scale of ambition and hope to see another application in a few years when there will be still more impact to report.
DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION RESPONSIBLE TOURISM AWARD
The judges were looking for proven ways of increasing diversity amongst employees or guests for the disabled or differently abled, creating employment and promotion opportunities for women and people of diverse sexual orientation.
GOLD: Lima Tours, Peru
Lima Tours worked with the rural Quechua-speaking community of Huilloc, in the Sacred Valley of Peru to enable them to gain more stable incomes from tourism. Until recently, local families depended mainly on seasonal work as porters on the Inca Trail. LimaTours co-developed the initiative together with community members, who defined the experiences they wanted to offer and selected the participating families. Lima Tours provided technical assistance, training, and market access and supported the formal creation of a community-based tourism association, providing technical assistance in organization, service delivery, pricing, and basic management. It also facilitated, and co-funded with the beneficiary families, improvements to homes used for hosting visitors, including sanitation, kitchens, and lodging infrastructure.
Results have included 336 women trained in gastronomy, housekeeping, leadership, reforestation, ornamentation, and textile production using traditional techniques; 5,342 visitors hosted between 2015 and 2025;129 homes improved with upgraded sanitation facilities, kitchens, lodging infrastructure, 91 improved cookstoves, and 28 solar water heaters; 243 community members have accessed higher education in fields such as business administration, tourism, nursing, agriculture, and accounting; 224 school children have participated in educational trips to destinations such as Machu Picchu, Puno, Trujillo, and Lima and 308 children have been supported annually with school supplies and educational materials.
SILVER: Turistea-Turismo inclusivo (Teamarr / Assembleia Legislativa de Roraima), Brazil
Turistea is an initiative developed by Teamarr the Autism Support Centre of the Assembleia Legislativa de Roraima created to address the exclusion of people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and their families from access to tourism and leisure.
Turistea connects social inclusion, economic development and responsible tourism, creating value for both families and the local tourism sector. It conducts adapted tourism experiences, with sensory planning, predictability, and technical support throughout the activity; provides training for tour guides and professionals in the sector, focusing on accessible communication, welcoming, and serving neurodivergent people; and works to raise awareness among the tourism industry and the community, with the aim of reducing attitudinal barriers and expanding inclusion. To date, more than 130 tourism professionals have been trained, including guides, frontline staff, and managers of tourism facilities. This training directly contributes to creating employment opportunities and reducing attitudinal barriers within the sector. It has directly benefited more than 200 children and adolescents with ASD and indirectly impacted over 500 people, including family members and professionals.
The decision to develop Turistea was driven by three main factors: i) the guarantee of rights. Access to leisure and tourism is part of citizenship and human development, and its absence contributes to the social isolation of people with ASD and their families. Second, the need for genuine inclusion. ii) recognising adapting isolated activities was not enough; it was necessary to structure experiences and prepare professionals to ensure effective, safe, and respectful participation. iii) the opportunity to transform the tourism sector. By training professionals and raising awareness within the tourism industry, it would be possible to reduce attitudinal barriers. The judges hope that others will recognise and value the benefits of this approach and that we shall see Turistea’s work replicated.
LOCAL ECONOMIC BENEFIT RESPONSIBLE TOURISM AWARD
The judges looked for examples of businesses seeking to benefit communities in their locality by sourcing their goods and services locally, growing a local supply chain, and encouraging their guests to buy local.
Céu de Montanhas, Brazil
Céu de Montanhas is a network of local entrepreneurs based in Brumadinho, Minas Gerais, Brazil, formed by families, small-scale producers, and artisans who have come together to develop a rural and community-based tourism initiative. The initiative connects visitors with authentic experiences led by residents, offering activities rooted in everyday life. The network supports its members in designing and delivering tourism experiences and products based on cultural practices, ways of life, and productive activities, such as traditional cooking, farming, and craft-making. Most experiences take place in the homes or properties of the hosts, fostering direct, genuine, and welcoming interactions between visitors and the community. The network prioritises the strengthening of local supply chains by encouraging the use of locally sourced products, materials, and services. Visitors are encouraged to purchase directly from local producers, increasing the circulation and retention of income within the community. Céu de Montanhas uses tourism as a tool for local development, generating income, strengthening small businesses, and promoting the value of local culture, knowledge, and identities.
The Céu de Montanhas was created in response to the economic and social crisis experienced in Brumadinho following the collapse of the Córrego do Feijão dam in 2019. The disaster had a profound impact on the territory, significantly reducing tourism activity, affecting the income of many families, and damaging the destination’s image. It also exposed the region’s over-dependence on mining and the urgent need to diversify local income sources.
The economic impact has been significant: the initiative has structured a network of 38 local enterprises and supported the development or improvement of 32 tourism experiences and more than 30 artisanal producers. As a result, participating businesses reached an annual turnover of approximately US$ 1,097,462 in 2025, generating around US$ 261,109 in direct income for participants and creating 148 jobs. Notably, 75% of participating businesses are led by women, alongside the inclusion of young people and traditional communities. The project has also contributed to increased self-esteem, autonomy, and organisational capacity among those participating.
SILVER: Honorable Gobierno Provincial de Tungurahua, Ecuador
The Honorable Provincial Government of Tungurahua is a decentralized public institution leading tourism territorial development planning and coordination at the provincial level. It was designed in 2008 by more than 280 public, private, and community stakeholders from 9 municipalities, universities, service providers, tourism chambers, parish boards, NGOs, and the Provincial Government to align efforts toward positioning Tungurahua as Ecuador’s tourism powerhouse. Phase 3 (2022-2026) is now concluding. In the 2002 Cape Town declaration on Responsible Tourism in Destinations the delegates recognised the importance of joined up government asserting that “the management of tourism requires the participation of a broad range of government agencies and particularly at the local destination level.”
The judges were impressed by the sheer scale of the multi-stakeholder partnership and the 18 years which it has worked together. In 2026, led by the Provincial Government of Tungurahua, the governance platform currently unites 22 institutions: 9 municipal GADs, CONAGOPARE- Tungurahua representing rural parishes, one delegate from the Indigenous and Peasant Movements of Tungurahua, 4 universities, the Tungurahua Chamber of Tourism, and the Tungurahua Restaurants Association. The scope of work undertaken has been broad including productive strengthening in 16 rural parishes with CONAGOPARE- Tungurahua; integration with UNESCO Tungurahua Volcano Geopark and the Llanganates-Sangay Ecological Corridor. The application is heavily focussed on the scale of the inputs, and it is for this that initiative is being recognised. The judges would like to have seen more detail on the total economic impacts although it is clear that they were significant.
ADAPTING TO CLIMATE CHANGE RESPONSIBLE TOURISM AWARD
Climate change is gathering pace, and we are beginning to have to live with the consequences. Each year we will address either mitigation or adaptation. This year we wanted to focus on adaptation, initiatives to defend against storms, wildfires and flooding.
SILVER: Vipac Travel and CCAIJO, comunidades de Yanacancha and Cuyuni, Peru
VIPAC Travel, also known as Viajes Pacífico, or VIPAC, is a Peruvian destination management company (DMC) established more than 50 years ago, with the mission of creating memorable experiences while helping position Peru as a leading cultural and nature-based destination. Since 2025 it has been instrumental in establishing a collaborative model involving communities, local associations, NGOs, and VIPAC. Together, it has designed and implemented a tourism experience around Singrenacocha Lake. Unusually the first priority is to provide safe nature-based alternatives in the context of increasing climate change risks; the second was to continue contributing to the diversification of the sustainable tourism offer in Cusco.
According to the World Risk Index 2024, Peru ranks among the most vulnerable countries in South America to climate change, third in disaster risk. Furthermore, due to climate change, Peru has lost more than 50% of its tropical glacier surface in recent decades, reflecting an accelerated melting trend evident in the Humantay glacier and highlighting the fragility of these ecosystems. VIPAC decided to stop operating to Humantay as the National Institute for Glacier and Mountain Ecosystem Research (INAIGEM) and Cusco’s regional disaster risk management office have identified additional potential hazards, including avalanches, debris flows, and the risk of lake overflow due to rockfalls or ice-mass detachment. The need to offer clients alternative, accessible nature experiences, while maintaining their standards of safety and quality, led them to explore the Ausangate tourism route, which then brought them to the community of Yanacancha, where Singrenacocha Lake is located.
The judges were impressed by the way in which VIPAC has exercised leadership in adapting to the consequences of climate change.
The judges of the LATA Responsible Tourism Awards 2026 were chaired by Emeritus Professor Harold Goodwin, managing director of the Responsible Tourism Partnership and founder ICRT global and included Katie Cosstick LATA head of member services, Gustavo Pinto, ICRT South America, Anne-Kathrin Zschiegner, director of the Long Run, Chris Haslam, chief travel writer at The Sunday Times, Edgar Weggelaar, CEO of Queer Destinations, Maria Emilia Correa, co-founder and Senior Strategist at Sistema B, and Quinn Meyer, founder of CREES Manu.
The judges of the LATA Responsible Tourism Awards 2026 were chaired by Emeritus Professor Harold Goodwin, managing director of the Responsible Tourism Partnership and founder ICRT global and included Katie Cosstick LATA head of member services, Gustavo Pinto, ICRT South America, Anne-Kathrin Zschiegner, director of the Long Run, Chris Haslam, chief travel writer at The Sunday Times, Edgar Weggelaar, CEO of Queer Destinations, Maria Emilia Correa, co-founder and Senior Strategist at Sistema B, and Quinn Meyer, founder of CREES Manu.
All gold winners from the ICRT LATA Responsible Tourism Awards now go onto compete for a Global Responsible Tourism, Award, sponsored by the Belize Tourism Board. ICRT LATA gold winners will compete for a global accolade with gold winners from ICRT regional awards in Europe, Africa, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia and a worldwide award for other geographies.
Cover image: Associação Onçafari
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