Independent tourism from Latin America meets for REMOTE Immersion Cuenca, not Equador

The traveling boutique event brings together independent luxury hotels and DMCs specializing in Latin America with Travel Designers from around the world, with the aim of promoting connections and inspiring exchanges, good business and sustainable tourism in the region.

This year, REMOTE Immersion brings the theme The Joy of Living: healthy experiences for travelers, hosts and the planet, celebrating how tourism can promote the health and well-being of people and nature in times of climate and humanitarian emergencies . As in other editions, REMOTE Immersion is divided into moments of business meetings, activities and experiences, relaxation and learning. Three inspiring guest speakers will lead the REMOTE Talks: Dimitri Poffé, Huntington's disease activist and founder of Explore for Huntington; Gaby Molinos, Communications Director at Sombreros Ortega, and Santiago Peralta, co-founder of Pacari Chocolates. They will be preceded by speeches from tourism experts from the REMOTE Community, in the third edition of REMOTE Seeds.

“Our event was born and remains intimate because we believe in the power of true connections and partnerships to strengthen independent tourism in Latin America. With a small group, we have the opportunity to create meaningful bonds that go beyond business and networking”, says Roberto Bittelman, director of REMOTE América Latina.

The choice of Cuenca as a host destination follows REMOTE Latin America's proposal to reveal off-the-beaten-path destinations, placing them on the map of international tourism. “From the first edition, in the Brazilian Amazon, through Chilean Patagonia, Las Catalinas, in Costa Rica, Barichara, in Colombia, and Cafayate, in Argentina, one of our purposes is to encourage responsible and low-impact tourism that generates opportunities in different and remote destinations. In addition, of course, to promoting the discovery of true hidden treasures in Latin America!”, explains Ligia Secco, director of REMOTE América Latina.

Surrounded by history, arts, traditional culture, natural landscapes and incredible people, at an altitude of 2,560 m above sea level in the Ecuadorian Andes, Cuenca is a magical city that preserves its culture and traditions, offers authentic and transformative experiences and is committed to the development of increasingly responsible tourism. Still little explored by international tourism, Cuenca has invested in infrastructure, experiences, training, promotion and local involvement to develop sustainable tourism that benefits local communities.

“We are very happy to host this edition of REMOTE Immersion because it promotes exactly the tourism that Cuenca seeks: committed to the well-being and sustainable development of the destination and offering unique and authentic experiences to its visitors”, celebrates Lorena Aristizabal, executive director from Fundación Municipal Turismo to Cuenca.

Journey towards a sustainable event

“This year, more than ever, with the support of the Ministry of Tourism of Ecuador and the Fundación Municipal Turismo para Cuenca, who share our same values, we are investing in our journey towards sustainability", says Clara Davies, director of REMOTE LA . “We are always concerned about the legacy we will leave for the destinations that welcome us with open arms and we seek to reduce our negative impacts and increase the positive ones”, argues Davies. This year, REMOTE Latin America partnered with Regenera NGO and is working together with the destination to develop a sustainability strategy that generates meaningful results for everyone involved, starting with the destination and its residents.

Based on the Sustainable Development Goals and the Criteria of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council, REMOTE LA is carrying out a listening and exchange process with 25 local entrepreneurs in Cuenca so that they can advance their sustainability practices. The work of evaluating, measuring, managing and implementing sustainable actions is divided into six strategic areas: air transport, land transport, hotels, tour operators, restaurants, locations and destination and involves a series of actions ranging from waste management to purchasing efficient, including training and team commitment to sustainability.

REMOTE Immersion also hosts an annual REMOTE Legacy, a series of free presentations led by tourism experts and offered to the local community as a way to share and give back to the host destination. This year, Legado takes place on October 18th, at 8:30 am, at Teatro Sucre, Historic Center of Cuenca, and will feature talks by Jorge Moller, director of Regenera ONG and GSTC; Victoria Reed, hotelier and architect at Viva Arquitectura; Timothy Dhalleine, photographer, filmmaker and content creator at EcoCamp Patagonia and Dimitri Poffé, activist and founder of Explorer for Huntington.