BACKGROUND
As a journalist, author and photographer covering
Mexico, I can be
attentive to local and foreign concerns. It's my job.
Living in Mexico for more than ten years I have learned
a lot not by asking the right questions but rather listening to
what people say. This presentation highlights Oaxaca
where I have lived since 2001.
Covering the evolving culture of ecotourism, responsible
travel, indigenous tourism, I write for Transitions
Abroad magazine and I host the Planeta.com website, which has
won two awards for travel coverage from the Mexican governmentt.
The aim of both is to provide options for travelers seeking responsible
travel, in-depth, slow travel.
OAXACA
Un area de conflictos es un area de oportunidades.
(An area of conflict is an opportunity).
- Hugo
Antonio Santiago
Oaxaca was headline news in 2006 for teacher strikes and political
protest. It is in the process of recovering from crisis.
MAPPING THE CITY
One of the collaborative projects I have enjoyed 100% is editing
the text for the "Things to do in Oaxaca" guide featured
in Oaxaca
maps. The publisher, Baruch Nestor Garcia, and I met about a
decade ago at a tourism conference.
As an English speaker in a Spanish speaking country, I am annoyed
by poor translations. I see first-hand how the lack of readable
English translates into negligible sales of crafts and tour providers
attempting to sell to the international market. And in the realm
of tourism I think this is a critical and frequently overlooked
detail. Brochures and business cards need to provide information
that engages the potential client.
Let me stress the importance of continuity. Working with Baruch
over the printing of ten-plus editions of the map taught us both
a great deal. There is no better teacher than the lessons learned
working with someone else oer an extended period of time. How often
are we willing to invest this amount of time?
OAXACA OPTIONS
Oaxaca Options is a series of panel discussions, lectures and small
fairs organized by Amigos
del Sol Language School and Planeta.com.
Launched in 2001, the series encourages experts
to share lessons learned in developing tourism that supports natural
and cultural diversity.
After the 9/11 crisis in 2001, tourism in the villages near Oaxaca
City plummeted and immigration from these towns rose as unemployement
increased. To highlight the opportunities for travelers already
in Oaxaca, Planeta co-hosted
a seminar on artesania, tourism and the Web in the Oaxaca Options
round table. This was followed by an annual rural tourism fair.
TOURISM AND CRAFTS
Travelers often spend months if not years researching a trip ahead
of time. Is it any surprise they usually want to buy some local
crafts while on vacation and that they seek out craftmakers whose
work they enjoy?
Craft sales provides income for talented artisans who sell their
products to tourists. The educated traveler spends a longer time
visiting the artisan than someone who purchases a package trip and
has little idea of what to expect.
ENGAGING THE BUYER
One missing step is developing engaging brochures and business
cards that show a traveler how to reach the town or market where
the artisans make their sales.
The artisans say that to succeed, patience is required. "You
won't make sales everyday and some artisans get discouraged, saying
that the time spent in a market is time lost from producing something,"
said weaver Juan Bautista.
WALK WITH THE WEAVERS
In 2007 Planeta.com is updating our guides to a dozen craft-making
villages in Mexico. We are collaborating with the Community Museum
in Teotitlán del Valle promoting weaver-guided
tours. For details, consult Planeta.com's updated town
guide and our directory
of weavers.
Cazaneun
d'beni ruin chei laadi
On November 1st Associated Press syndicated a story
about the impact of the summer's political unrest on the craftspeople.
"We haven't sold a single thing in about five months,"
weaver Luis Lazo Mendoza told the Associated Press reporter. "We
don't have a Web page to sell over the Internet. Besides, people
like to feel the texture and quality of the carpet."
The article states that Lazo Mendoza normally sells three or four
of his families' hand-woven, originally designed carpets a week.
But since the political problems started in late May, unsold carpets
piled up in their home. Weavers who normally use the proceeds of
their sales to buy more wool for yarn have plenty of wool, but money
for food and daily expenses is running out.
While websites documenting craft production is on the rise, few
of the artisans sell their work via e-commerce.
Individual efforts are succeeding. Scottish-born David
Sutherland, develops websites for the artisans in Oaxaca.
While there have been efforts to train artisans in developing economies
how to make effective use of the Web, most artisans do not use computers
and rarely use phones. For example, just a few years ago in 2005
many families in Teotitlán
del Valle and Santa
Ana del Valle were just getting phones installed.
Likewise U.S.-born Eric Mindling purchases crafts and organizes
tours via Manos
de Oaxaca, which educates readers and travelers about local
crafts.
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE AND TOURISM IN MEXICO
The cultural diversity of Mexico is inspiring. And
it's difficult to generalize as there are so many different stories.
Elsewhere in Mexico Canyon Travel formed a partnership
with the Copper Canyon's Tarahumara Indians. The company trains
and employs them as naturalist guides and assist the Tarahumara
operate lodges the indigenous community owns. The lodges are a part
of an initiative to develop community-owned tourism facilities as
an alternative to logging the pine forests.
REALITIES TOURISM
Tourism professionals and journalists ask whether it's time to
promote travel to Oaxaca. Most locals say 'yes' and the sooner the
better. True, things remain uncertain ('unresolved' is the frequently
used word in conversations), but that alone should not deter visitors.
Over the past year there have been two distinct types of tourism
promotion -- one led by the state government highlighting high fashion
and luxury travel and reality
tours.
Truth is, Oaxaca excels in realities tourism. The state boasts
17 indigenous languages and the greatest degree of biodiversity
in the country. There is no single face to Oaxaca tourism given
that there is no single face to Oaxaca.
|
