This month, leading boutique operator, Aracari, has been awarded the prestigious Butterfly Mark from sustainable brand consultants, Positive Luxury. The iconic mark recognises Aracari’s positive actions towards sustainable travel in Peru, Bolivia and the Galapagos Islands which has helped set the precedent for eco-conscious travel over the last 20 years in South America.
After a rigorous assessment period evaluating Aracari’s sustainability criteria across ethical business practice, social and environmental frameworks and philanthropy, the Butterfly Mark was awarded, an instantly recognisable symbol helping consumers identify which companies are actively contributing towards sustainability.
Aracari’s efforts are based on the four key pillars of sustainability: environmental, social good, philanthropy and ethical business practice. Every travel experience comes with the promise that Aracari has fostered relationships with local communities and suppliers whilst maintaining upmost respect for nature and its surroundings.
Their positive actions include educating guests on preserving local diversity and habitats, doing their upmost to minimize impacts on the local environment and ensuring schemes are in place to help guests minimise their environmental footprint and paying suppliers and employees the living wage.
Aracari regularly encourage guests to visit community-run projects like Tierra de los Yachaqs, a philanthropic organisation determined to preserve the history and traditions of local people in the Sacred Valley and the community based tourism project Luquina Chica which provides homestays on Lake Titicaca. The project allows guests to have an authentic look into the lives of indigenous Aymara speaking Peruvians whilst ensuring proceeds go directly towards alleviating poverty in the region and supporting the community financially.
Marisol Mosquera, Aracari’s founder comments:
“As a responsible travel provider, we seek to foster relationships with local communities and suppliers so that the economic benefits of tourism can be enjoyed by more, while mitigating the environment impacts in which we operate, to provide the best sustainable trips to Peru and Bolivia. As a Peru native, pioneering the nature of where we travel is sacrosanct to Aracari’s process and the Butterfly Mark is testament to this.”
For more information on Aracari, and to read more about the award, please Click Here.
