Tour de chocolate

Asociación de las mujeres en Los Botados

Performing local tourism gives us a concrete and practical approach to better understand how evolve the various communities around the world. It is not always the easiest way to plan a trip because usually it doesn't come in a package. But the research is worth the effort because it makes us take a new avenue. An avenue that is full of authentic experiences. Cultural encounters with locals are an opportunity for all to enrich their mind. Effectively, diversity brings mind changes that help us discover new approach to life and new ways to improve our world.

CONACADO, a democratically run cooperative organization helping more than 10,000 small-scale cocoa producers in Dominican Republic, initiated the creation of a social project, in a rural community, called Tour de Chocolate. The tour is based on an ecological route where organic cocoa beans are destined for fair trade. It is worth to mention that the country is the first producer of organic cocoa in the world.

During the tour, tourists get the chance to understand how producers have managed to unite in order to create the cooperative. In addition to admire the magnificent scenery and learn about chocolate making, tourists have privileged access to the local culture. At each station, visitors are invited to experience themselves every step of the cocoa harvest to its final production. Everything is taught by members of the community to ensure that tourists are in real interaction with the locals. There is also a demonstration of other social projects financed by the CONACADO like supports to school, first aid center and a drinking water distributor center.

In this way, visitors get completely local. They visit a rural community to learn how people live from the fruit of cocoa in total respect of the environment. Indeed, they exchange with the families and get to know their history, customs and traditions. Furthermore, they provide an additional income to the families of producers that will help improve their quality of life.

This project is totally managed by the community. This aspect is really important for all local tourism projects, because starting giving the control to an outside company is starting losing the local flavor. The community has to operate his own tourism product, with all the positive and the negative, in order to develop. This way, they assure to put their own human resources at work and to fully transmit their culture.

In the end, Dominican Republic is known a lot for his all-inclusive resorts. But this country has much more to offer. There are plenty of products of local tourism in the country that offer a great cultural experience. Tourists should inform themselves about the destination in order to enjoy the country to its fullest. They will appreciate more their stay with the new knowledge acquired and get the feeling that they really contributed to the economy of the host country.

This is why in the Local Travel Movement is so important in our world today. It helps the communities around the world to conserve their environment, to reinforce their culture and to develop united.