SUSTAINABILITY
S U S T A I N A B I L I T Y:
In the essence of our hotel project lays a deep commitment to local communities and the preservation of the biocultural heritage of the Mayan world. Services are provided by community members, creating local employment, which represents 80% of our total hosts.
A main aspect of this successful hotel project is its vision for sustainable tourism, aiming to drive economic and social development in the region. We work to be the link between the present and the past of the Mayan world, seeking to generate new opportunities for individual and social development for the inhabitants of the communities. In this way, we contribute to achieving a balance between the environment, wealth, cultural values, and the opportunities of the contemporary world in terms of social well-being and sustainable economic development.
The Haciendas are part of a Mexican Business Group focused on the development of Sustainable Tourism in Mexico. It represents organizations, businesses, and initiatives that develop and operate programs and experiences generating social, educational, and community well-being skills to activate local capacities and socio-economic development. Together, we are committed to the integral and sustainable development of Mayan rural communities in the Yucatán Peninsula. In summary, we are dedicated to promoting strategies and connections that strengthen the identity of Mayan culture, emphasizing the importance of preserving biocultural heritage. We play apart to balance the environment, cultural wealth, and social well-being, forging a path towards a better future.
Connecting to the Essence of Maya Biocultural Heritage
The connections of our Sustainable Tourism project allow you to learn about and understand the ecosystems and livelihoods of Maya communities. By immersing yourself in this experience, you not only observe the biodiversity and local heritage but also become part of a narrative that celebrates the essence of the communities we engage with. Each visit is an opportunity to give back and contribute to the regeneration of these environments while getting to know the people.
Social Impact
o Sustainable Employment: Creation of job opportunities that prioritize local hiring and the development of personal, collective, and individual skills, akin to career planning for social impact.
o Community Education Initiatives: Implementation of English classes and personalized training programs to enhance skills and employability, empowering local individuals with valuable knowledge for future opportunities.
o Cultural Exchange Programs: Engagement initiatives that promote understanding and appreciation of Maya culture among guests and community members, fostering mutual respect and cultural preservation.
Cultural and Strengthening Identity
o Compilation of oral histories to preserve local legends for future generations.
o Revitalization of traditional medicine practices with Mayan herbalists to enhance community health in their native language.
o Reconstruction of properties adhering to traditional architectural styles, ensuring cultural heritage is preserved.
o Educational programs.
Environmental Impact
o Waste Management: Implemented best practices for waste reduction, leading to significant improvements in waste segregation and recycling rates.
o PET Management: Adopted strategies to minimize the use of PET products, promoting alternatives that reduce plastic waste.
o Water Conservation: Measured reduction in water consumption across operations, demonstrating the effectiveness of implemented water-saving measures.
o Biodiversity Protection: Protect native flora and fauna, contributing to the conservation of local ecosystems.
o Environmental Sanitation Campaigns: Engaged communities in environmental sanitation, reforestation, and preservation of traditional Maya practices in sustainable gardening.
Economic Impact
o Local Conservation: Prioritized the purchase of local goods and services, fostering economic opportunities for community vendors and artisans.
o Value Chain Development: Strengthened connections with local producers to enhance the value chain, ensuring fair compensation and promoting sustainable practices.
o Sustainable Job Creation: Created employment opportunities within the haciendas that prioritize local hiring and skills development.
O U R P A R T N E R S
Over the last 25 years, the biocultural heritage activation in the Yucatan Peninsula has been promoted through strategic investment in sustainable tourism, generating intercultural spaces and unique experiences that travelers seek. And accompanying local communities to envision and activate their initiatives towards regenerative economy projects.
Our sustainable tourism project is a platform to connect the Mayan culture to value chains. We accomplish the cultural revaluation vision of the Mayan World through companies based in Yucatan and nonprofit organizations that work together to ensure our long term sustainable vision.
Vision :
To assure the sustainable wellbeing of the rural Mayan communities based on their cultural and living natural heritage by joint participation in their economic and social development.
Mission :
To promote an integral and sustainable development of the rural Mayan communities that we interact with, through inter-cultural participation in unique experiences and value chain that celebrate Mayan culture´s heritage and its surrounding nature. This in order to guarantee an integral development that generates a better personal and communal present and future for their inhabitants.
P A R T N E R S :
Fundación Haciendas del Mundo Maya :
Foundation dedicated to creating socio-economic development opportunities in the Yucatán Peninsula, with
the active participation of community members as protagonists of their own social well-being projects. It implements economic and social development projects framed within the “Community Development Program”, promotes the dissemination, promotion, and rescue of the natural and cultural wealth of the Mayan region, establishing the foundation for the generation of micro-regional development poles and driving strategies to strengthen the capacities and skills of the inhabitants of these communities.
Taller Maya / Traspatio Maya :
Taller Maya is a collective brand of Mexican design formed by a multidisciplinary creative team collaborating with social artisan enterprises in the Yucatán Peninsula to promote the development of their communities. Born in 2002 as a response to the initiative to recover traditional techniques of the Mayan culture through a training program led by Haciendas del Mundo Maya Foundation (FHMM), resulting in self-management and business management projects. Traspatio Maya is a brand representing a network of rural producers in the Yucatán Peninsula dedicated to sustainable production of salts, honey, corn, and vegetables. It arises as a platform for access to a fair trade network thanks to the results of various food procurement projects promoted by Haciendas del Mundo Maya Foundation (FHMM), fostering self-management and empowerment of producers in this region. The artisanal gourmet food alternatives available at Traspatio Maya have a triple impact on a social, economic, and environmental level, ensuring fair labor and trade conditions and sustainable management that protects the natural and cultural resources of the peninsula.
Catherwood Travels :
The extraordinary starting point to open your eyes, mind—and perhaps even your spirit—to the Yucatán Peninsula artistic, natural, and cultural richness of the Maya World. Experiences designed by Catherwood Travels take you beyond expectations; cenotes, Mayan sites and ruins, and provide new ways to discover the diversity of jewels and magical places of the Maya Universe; and the exclusive spaces that Catherwood Travels offers for admiring, feeling, contemplating, enjoying, exploring, and discovering other ways to travel through a combination of expert knowledge and the warmth and attention of our local hosts, with visits and expeditions through history, nature, and living culture; the pleasure of exquisite stays in haciendas, villas, and private reserves that pamper their guests with home-like care, and with the presence, attention, and sensitivity of all senses, including the taste of Catherwood Travels chefs and cooks.
C E R T I F I C A T I O N S , A L L I A N C E S & R E C O G N I T I O N S
For over 20 years, we have been committed to social and environmental responsibility in Mexico. Thanks to this commitment, we have achieved numerous certifications and forged alliances that reflect our dedication to preserving the environment and supporting Mayan communities. Each Hacienda is restored with historical, architectural, social, and natural sensitivity, honoring the Mayan culture that surrounds them.
In 1994, Hacienda Temozón was acquired, marking the beginning of our commitment to the region. Over the years, The Haciendas have been globally recognized for their socially responsible actions. Today, The Haciendas face the challenge of strengthening their environmental initiatives to establish themselves as the best hotel group advocating for Sustainable Tourism.
A M O M É X I C O ( 2 0 2 1 – 2 0 2 2 )
A platform that promotes creativity, collaboration, and competitiveness in the tourism, gastronomic, and cultural industries in Mexico. At the end of 2021 and during 2022, the top 100 life experiences, thematic routes, products, and tourist destinations in the country were recognized, of which 10 initiatives were awarded for their contribution to social returns from the tourism sector. Among these, the «Haciendas del Mundo Maya Experience,» supported by The Haciendas and Fundación Haciendas del Mundo Maya, was awarded.
R A I N F O R E S T A L L I A N C E ( 2 0 1 0 – 2 0 1 9 )
Since 2010, The Haciendas, together with Fundación Haciendas del Mundo Maya, have joined the Sustainable Tourism program of Rainforest Alliance, now known as NepCon, to verify good practices in business, social, and environmental management.
T R A V E L + L E I S U R E ( 2 0 1 0 )
The Haciendas received the “Global Vision 2010” award from Travel + Leisure for their contribution to the rescue of artisanal and architectural heritage.
W O R L D S A V E R S A W A R D ( 2 0 0 9 )
The Haciendas, along with Fundación Haciendas del Mundo Maya, received the “World Savers Award 2009” from Conde Nast for their social and environmental commitment, especially for their contribution to poverty alleviation.
E A R T H C H E C K ( 2 0 0 7 – 2 0 0 9 )
International Certifier for sustainable tourism developments. The objective of working with their guidelines is to strengthen tourism sustainability at The Haciendas, providing quantitative and qualitative results of the business, social, and environmental initiatives developed together. Their
sustainable tourism program guides The Haciendas towards a responsible path, seeking sustainable business management and strengthening the social and environmental commitment between The Haciendas and the Foundation.
A W A R D R E C E I V E D A T T H E I T B ( 2 0 0 7 )
World Tourism Fair in Berlin, Germany. Received in March 2007 for the best practices in social responsibility developed at The Haciendas through Fundación Haciendas del Mundo Maya.
T O U R I S M F O R T O M O R R O W A W A R D ( 2 0 0 5 )
World Travel and Tourism Council, Investor in People Award Winner. In 2005, The Haciendas and Fundación Haciendas del Mundo Maya were recognized with this prestigious award, which distinguishes responsible tourism developed at The Haciendas among 150 participants worldwide.