TUI Care Foundation launches projects in Mexico and Peru to support traditional handicrafts and crafts

22-05-23

Many rural communities in Latin America pass down traditional forms of weaving and handicraft production from generation to generation. 

However, the lack of integration of their craft into the tourism value chain often means that their livelihoods cannot be guaranteed and their ancestral customs and traditions do not receive the protection they deserve. 

That is why the TUI Care Foundation initiated two new projects to support local artisans in Peru and Mexico, using tourism as a force for the protection of unique cultural heritage.

TUI Colorful Cultures Peru, a project launched together with the Limatours Foundation, aims to empower 135 women artisans from five indigenous communities in the Patacancha basin to help create sustainable livelihoods for themselves. 

Organised into a cooperative, members are provided with materials and weekly technical support from a designer to make high-quality products. The project then connects them with a customer base by securing attendance at local and international craft fairs and exhibitions, and connects them with potential customers in the tourism industry, such as accommodation providers.

Meanwhile, together with Merida-based family business Donia Way, TUI Colorful Cultures Mexico is developing the Way Tun character that will help preserve and share the unique, diverse and indigenous Mayan culture with locals and tourists alike. 

Sales will contribute to the livelihoods of 10 independent artists from Mayan communities. Twenty women artisans will also receive technical support and learn new skills through workshops covering sales, costs and production.

Both projects are part of the international TUI Colorful Cultures programme, which protects cultural heritage and empowers creatives in tourist destinations such as Zambia, Turkey and Kenya.