Eco-tourism and Pejego Tours

What is Eco-tourism?

Eco-tourism is defined as “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment, sustains the well-being of the local people, and involves interpretation and education” (TIES, 2015). Education about Eco-tourism is meant to be inclusive for both staff and guests!

Eco-tourism in village Semoisi

The most important reason why we were able to join TIES is that we really make experiences possible for the tourists. We let tourists experience village life in the Maroon village of Semoisi where the villagers belong to the Saramacca tribe. Within the local community, the villagers have been trained to accommodate, guide, and entertain the tourists, this has a real added value to the Eco-tourism aspect. Because of this, the money generated from tourism stays within the community and small businesses can be generated within the area. Not only does this eco-tourism affect the locals but it is a real once in a lifetime experience for the tourists, they get an entirely new vision about the local life in Suriname.

Travelife partner

Our partner Footprint Travel in the Netherlands received also in January 2020 an award from Travelife for the sustainable tourism holidays they offer to their tourists. Because of that Pejego Tours and Footprint Travel have signed an MOU where the following was agreed:

• Footprint Travel will continue to offset CO2 emissions not only from flights but also from local transportation and accommodations during the tour.
• We will reduce the use of plastic and work to reduce it.
• We provide customers with the correct information in advance so that they can make informed decisions about the destinations they visit.
• Communities are involved in and will benefit from tourism.
• Responsible and respectful of local, natural, and cultural environment is handled.
• Responsible tourism is promoted by our customers so that they can be animal-friendly travelers, for example by looking responsibly at wildlife in their natural environment.
• We continue to pursue our own commitment to conservation and economic development where we operate.
• We continue to support an ethical and responsible interaction with the Flora and Fauna.

Pejego Guides; where knowledge matters!

During our training with the tour guides the points above were thoroughly discussed. We mainly talked about the current situation of sustainable tourism in Suriname. Our goal for the future is to become 100% sustainable! We want to combine sustainable tourism with the best experiences for our tourists in order to make unforgettable memories for everybody!

If this blog triggered you to experience village life, read more about our Eco-tourism  trip to Semoisi here: https://pejegotours.com/semoisi-authentic-in-4-days/