In February we came to the end of the 2nd edition of the Mentorship for Small Tourism Businesses, an initiative of Conservation International Brazil (CI-Brasil), in partnership with Futuri and Raízes Desenvolvimento Sustentável, which left a trail of inspiration, strengthening and power in the far south of Bahia.
This mentoring was part of the Turismo + Sustentável Project, with the aim of boosting responsible enterprises and contributing to tourism that respects the territory, values local culture and promotes sustainable development.
More than 300 hours of mentoring
Twenty local businesses embarked on an in-depth journey of learning, exchange and development. With the support of 23 expert mentors, the entrepreneurs took part in 25 group meetings, totaling 75 hours of online training.
In addition to the group training, each business received individual attention with around 12 hours of personalized mentoring, adding up to more than 300 hours of mentoring throughout the process.
The mentoring covered six essential areas for strengthening the businesses: structure and governance, people management, products and services, communication and the market, and local development. And to support the implementation of the improvements, each enterprise had access to seed capital of up to 15,000 reais, earmarked for strategic investments in their operations. With this funding, important improvements were made, such as a restroom for tourists at Aldeia Juerana in Santa Cruz de Cabralia and a pier to receive nautical visitors at Ayê Ecoturismo’s agro-ecological space in Alcobaça.
Uhe special highlight of this edition was the participation of the godmothers, Virginia Alfenas, Tauana Costa, Jussara Rocha and Lucila Egydio, who followed the businesses closely, offering listening, guidance and inspiration with their experience in responsible tourism. They were a fundamental part of this construction, bringing welcome and vision to the entrepreneurs’ daily challenges.
Stories that touch, lessons that remain
The end of the mentoring was also a moment of emotion and gratitude. For Carla Galdino, Raízes’ local agent who also said goodbye to the team during the final meeting, “I also take away a lot of learning, because being part of this mentoring was a very important thing for me too. It was a new job. Even though I already had experience with traditional communities, getting to know your business was incredible. To know that in this beautiful territory we live in there are people who do incredible work (…) I was very happy that my mother was part of it all. It was very good for her too. I left her very free, I didn’t get involved in anything. I let her participate in whatever way she wanted. It was really nice to see how resourceful she was. And I’d really like to thank Raízes for the opportunity to be part of it.”
The words of those who took part reveal the impact of this process. The Petiscaria Sol e Mar, an initiative coordinated by the Barra de Caravelas Fishermen’s and Shellfish Growers’ Association, shared their feelings of closure with affection:
“We miss it already. The girls were even saying something about it. We won’t have Wednesday’s appointment next time. We’ll take some of what we learned during the mentoring sessions with us. It was very valuable. We’re grateful for the encouragement, the support, the motivation. And the learning and exchange, right? The experience of your companions. That’s what it’s all about. Gratitude.”
And for Victor Libardi, from Natura Ecoturismo, “I’d like to say that it was very important for me, for Natura Ecoturismo, of course, to go through all the processes, but mainly for Victor as a person. The personal growth was enormous. Exchanging these experiences with you was very remarkable. You are very important in my life. Our story doesn’t end here. We’ve formed a big family (…) Thank you, Raízes. Thank you, Futuri. Thank you, CI. Let’s go!”
Testimonies like these reveal the power of mentoring as an instrument of connection, empowerment and transformation. More than just training, this process promoted encounters, strengthened bonds and sowed seeds that will continue to sprout in the territory.
We end this cycle with full hearts and the certainty that when care meets knowledge, the results flourish. The mentoring ends, but the paths continue, firm, fertile and sustainable!
The 20 projects are now available in the showcase on our website. We invite you to visit and get to know these projects and further strengthen Sustainable Tourism in Brazil (including on your next trips). Get to know them and support them!
