De Moderne Luxe van Verantwoord Toerisme
Verantwoord toerisme staat meer dan ooit centraal in het reizen van de toekomst. Als positieve keerzijde van een sombere medaille heeft de pandemie voor een groeiende bewustwording gezorgd over de zorg voor onze planeet. Bij Outside the Corral selecteren we zorgvuldig lokale partners die streven naar een positieve en minimale impact op het lokale milieu en de gemeenschappen waarin ze actief zijn.
Een mooi voorbeeld is onze Argentijnse partner Kevin Begg van Estancia Los Potreros, een bekroonde authentieke estancia, gelegen in de heuvels van de Sierras Chicas in centraal Argentinië. In dit artikel laten we Kevin graag aan het woord over de opmerkelijke manier waarop hij verantwoord toerisme toepast in Estancia Los Potreros en deze filosofie deelt met zijn gasten.
Kevin Begg - Estancia Los Potreros
This is a time to change how we travel, supporting hotels and destinations which have an ethos of responsible tourism and sustainable practices. Both of these are huge parts of life at Estancia Los Potreros. Still a working cattle estancia, we work hard to remain true to our original values.
We produce the majority of our energy through renewable resources, mainly wind and solar, all our farming is based upon organic principles. We try to minimize our impact on the land and allow nature to dictate our course, managing our herd carefully we prevent over-grazed and eroded land, ensuring we have sufficient grass for both our horses and cattle throughout the year.
Located on a provincial reserve of the Sierras Chicas we have a farming style which continues to encourage the presence of incredible wildlife including the elusive puma, wild boar, foxes, hares, and with regularly sightings of the Andean Condors, whose habitat lies across the Punilla valley, in the Sierras Grandes. Although we are known for our world class riding we have an incredible variety of birdlife year round, from the commonly spotted burrowing owls, field flickers and southern lapwings to visits from the more exotic peregrine falcons, black vultures and American kestrels.
One of life’s great luxuries should be to leave a positive impact on the places we love to visit, helping them to protect their culture and history but more importantly ensuring we will be able to visit time and time again for years to come.
Supporting our community is very important to us as well. The majority of our staff are a part of our family. Many have followed in the footsteps of their elder brothers, fathers, grandfathers, and even great grandfathers, who have worked alongside the Begg family for generations. We have long supported the local rural school, with the help of our guests. By running a small shop on the estancia, we donate all the income to the school, which is where many of our gauchos studied, and is now attended by their children.
Our commitment to responsible tourism was born out of a necessity, as our location is off the grid, and we have to be as self-sufficient as possible, but now more than ever we are working on minimizing our impact on our environment. Although this doesn’t mean we are for-going luxury, we are redefining the way we live. Even mealtimes celebrate each season of fruit and vegetables accompanied by tender delicious beef from the estancia.
One of life’s great luxuries should be to leave a positive impact on the places we love to visit, helping them to protect their culture and history but more importantly ensuring we will be able to visit time and time again for years to come.
Ontdek meer over deze prachtige estancia op onze website: Sierras Chicas Estancia Verblijf. Helemaal klaar om jouw vakantie op deze magische plek te plannen? Aarzel dan niet om contact met ons op te nemen om deze droom waar te maken!
