La Paz is best known for its boardwalk, Balandra beach and for being the access point to beautiful islands of the Sea of Cortezbut locals and visitors alike can enjoy a unique experience that will change their perspective on the capital of the country. Baja California Sur.

In the El Manglito neighborhoodwhere NOS Sustainable Northwest has been working with its inhabitants for almost 15 years to rescue the Ensenada de La Paza group of fishermen launched a tourism-focused business in 2019 that they have called Manglitours.

A complete experience

This venture is in charge of the Fishermen's Organization Rescuing the Inletand its president Hubert Méndez Camacho The experience is an enriching one for tourists, because in addition to showing them the natural beauties of the region, it is also a great opportunity to learn more about the Ensenada de La PazThis tour offers a complete immersion in the area's restoration history, as well as aquaculture and fish farming activities. sustainable fishing.

"They are told about the history of the restoration, the achievements, challenges and challenges. We also talk about how aquaculture is being done, how the fishing for scallops is being done, sustainable fishing, how to select the banks and which bank to leave to not fish," he says.

In addition, tourists on the four-hour tour can enjoy the sighting of birds, dolphins and turtles, but the experience they enjoy most is locating an axe callus at the bottom of the sea, extracting it and tasting it.

Once they return from the tour, the walkers are served on the shore of the beach where they are installed a shade, with benches and a table where they can enjoy a ceviche or a fritanga, fresh water and natural water, he says.

Conventional tourism, the objective

From 2019, the Manglitours has been able to penetrate a very specific sector: scientific or educational tourism, since those who most frequently hire its services are non-governmental organizations, scientists, students and fishermen from other states of the country who come to learn about the success story of the restoration of the Ensenada de La Paz and the way the community has organized itself.

However, Méndez Camacho acknowledges that it has been a little more difficult for them to reach the conventional tourist because they have not known how to promote their product.

"What does complicate things a bit is how to reach the tourist, who appreciates this, who wants to live a different experience from what they already have here, how to reach that tourist (and tell them) that there is not only Espiritu Santo Island or Balandra or Whale Shark, that's where it has been a little difficult for us," he says.

Tourism and gastronomy, a partnership that works

In addition to researchers, students, and fishermen, who also discovered the experience of the Manglitours are some of the region's chefs, with whom they have managed to establish a partnership that favors both parties, says the president of OPRE.

The Manglitourshas been instrumental in promoting local products among chefs and restaurants, with whom they have forged solid business relationships because they have shown interest in the fresh and sustainable products caught by the members of OPRE.

"With the chefs that we left, we practically have an order of different products, they have already set aside some oyster, they set aside some mussels, they told us to make them some scallops and some clams," he says. "They told us, 'you know what, I'm going to send you 10,000 pesos and you can supply me with different products that you have and we can work this way'".

In addition to opening a direct market for the products it commercializes OPREthe chefs that have visited them end up promoting the Manglitoursbecause they have left happy with the experience.

"It is something very cool that people have liked a lot and we promote our products and give an added value of not exploiting so much, but selling little, but at a good price and of very good quality too. This has helped us a lot with respect to our product in Manglitours", emphasizes Méndez Camacho.

With the continued success of Manglitours, OPRE hopes to continue attracting more tourists interested in living an authentic experience and contributing to the sustainable development of the region. El Manglito and its surroundings.