Red De Turismo Sustentable Y Desarrollo Social

What Red De Turismo Sustentable Y Desarrollo Social does

Red de Turismo Sustentable y Desarrollo Social AC (RED) is a Mexican civil society organization (nonprofit association) founded in 2009 and headquartered in La Paz, Baja California Sur. Its mission is to strengthen local economies and conserve natural and cultural heritage by promoting low-impact, community-based tourism models in and around Mexico's Natural Protected Areas (ANPs), with a transversal gender, equity, and inclusion perspective. The organization operates through two core programs — Economías Sustentables, which fosters tourism microenterprises with a gender perspective, and Turismo para la Conservación, which generates planning tools, governance models, gender protocols, and public use programs for ANP authorities — and runs associated campaigns and digital resources such as Abracemos el Golfo de California, YoSoyTiburónBallena, and virtual tours of women entrepreneurs in Calakmul and Loreto.

RED serves four primary stakeholder groups: local communities in and around protected areas, tourism professionals, tourists, and donors/funders. Its flagship engagement was the 2021-2024 project 'Manejo efectivo del turismo basado en la naturaleza en ANP del Golfo de California,' executed with the federal Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas (CONANP) and funded by the Fondo Mexicano para la Conservación de la Naturaleza (FMCN), covering four Gulf of California protected areas across five work axes including COVID-19 tourism diagnosis, governance strengthening, technological tools, and gender protocols. The organization has also partnered with WWF, ConCiencia México, Ecology Project International, and Enseña por México on whale shark conservation (2016-2023), and engages universities and the Jóvenes Construyendo el Futuro government program for internships and youth employment.

RED's business model is non-commercial: it does not sell products or charge fees. Revenue arrives exclusively through donor and foundation funding (notably FMCN), with 'distribution' occurring via direct project engagement with communities and ANP authorities, university alliances, and government workforce programs. Its technology footprint is modest — a Google Sites web platform for outreach and dissemination, Canva-hosted microsites, standard social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok), and pilot technology tools for ANP tourism management developed collaboratively with CONANP as models for replication in other Mexican ANPs. Geographic reach has expanded beyond Baja California Sur into Sinaloa, Sonora, and Campeche, supported by a 15+ year institutional knowledge base of technical reports, diagnostic studies, gender manuals, and annual reports.

Name

Red De Turismo Sustentable Y Desarrollo Social

Legal name

Red de Turismo Sustentable y Desarrollo Social AC

Website

https://redturismosustentable.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Red de Turismo Sustentable y Desarrollo Social AC (RED) is a Mexican nonprofit founded in 2009 in La Paz, Baja California Sur, that strengthens community-based tourism and conservation in Natural Protected Areas across the Gulf of California, Sinaloa, Sonora, and Campeche, serving local communities, tourism professionals, tourists, and institutional funders.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainable Tourism Development Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Community-Based & Indigenous Tourism Enablement (Local Ownership, Benefit-Sharing) (THAAANAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community-Based & Indigenous-Led Ecotourism (THAAAEAH), Biodiversity & Habitat Conservation Services (Restoration, Wildlife-Safe Operations) (THAAANAH)

Keywords

• Sustainable tourism development
• Community-based tourism
• Protected areas management
• Conservation programs
• Community tourism networks

Headquarters

HQ city

La Paz

HQ country

Mexico

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donor and foundation funding: RED operates as a civil society organization funded by donors and partners including FMCN (Fondo Mexicano para la Conservación de la Naturaleza) and other institutional funders. Revenue is not derived from commercial product sales.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

RED (Red de Turismo Sustentable y Desarrollo Social AC) is a Mexican civil society organization that delivers two core programs: Economías Sustentables, which supports community-based tourism microenterprises and low-impact tourism economic alternatives with a gender/equity perspective, and Turismo para la Conservación, which develops tools, studies, and protocols for managing tourism inside Natural Protected Areas (ANPs). The organization also runs conservation initiatives (e.g., whale shark protection) and produces dissemination materials, gender manuals, and virtual tours of community tourism ventures.

Product overview

Red de Turismo Sustentable y Desarrollo Social (RED) is a civil society organization based in La Paz, B.C.S., that operates as a non-profit network rather than a commercial product company. Its offerings consist of two core programs: Economías Sustentables (fostering low-impact tourism economic alternatives with gender perspective) and Turismo para la Conservación (generating tools for tourism management in Protected Natural Areas). These programs deliver various publications, campaigns, virtual tours, and conservation initiatives including: Abracemos el Golfo de California campaign, virtual tours of women entrepreneurs in Calakmul and Loreto, the YoSoyTiburónBallena whale shark conservation program, and technical reports on tourism in the Gulf of California. The organization also produces outreach materials, annual reports, and gender perspective manuals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Economías Sustentables (Sustainable Economies Program) A RED program that fosters economic alternatives through low-impact tourism models and improves the economic, social, and environmental performance of local tourism ventures, applying a gender, equity, and inclusion perspective. It targets community-based tourism microenterprises operating in and around Mexican Natural Protected Areas.
• Turismo para la Conservación (Tourism for Conservation Program) A RED program that generates tools, studies, and technical knowledge to support the strengthening of tourism management inside Mexican Protected Natural Areas (ANPs), driving more orderly and sustainable tourism in coordination with CONANP and other partners.
• Abracemos el Golfo de California Campaign A RED awareness and community-collaboration initiative promoting small actions by tourism service providers, private vessel operators, and tourists to protect biodiversity and collaborate with communities of the Gulf of California.
• YoSoyTiburónBallena (Whale Shark Conservation Initiative) A RED-led multisectoral initiative promoting integral management and protection of whale sharks in the Gulf of California, run jointly with WWF, ConCiencia México, Ecology Project International, and government institutions from 2016 to 2023.
• Comunidades Turísticas Comunitarias en Loreto (Community Tourism Directory — Loreto) A RED digital platform and directory that showcases community-led tourism ventures in Puerto Agua Verde, Rancho San Cosme, San Javier, and San Juaniquito in Loreto, linking tourists to local community providers.
• Virtual Tour — Women Entrepreneurs of Calakmul A RED virtual tour that showcases women entrepreneurs engaged in community tourism in Calakmul, with a directory of community tourism ventures intended for prospective responsible travelers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Project (2021-2024) generated diagnostic studies, gender protocols, public use programs (PUPs), governance strengthening strategies, and technology tools for 4 ANPs of the Gulf of California.
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Government program: Jóvenes Construyendo el Futuro (STPS)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024RED is active on the platform with two open positions for youth (Administrative Assistant and Technical Assistant) in La Paz, B.C.S. Folio: 191433.
• Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas (CONANP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Collaborative partnership for the project 'Manejo efectivo del turismo basado en la naturaleza en ANP del Golfo de California' (2021-2024). RED and CONANP worked together across 5 axes: COVID-19 tourism diagnosis, collaborative planning tools, governance strengthening, technological tools, and gender equality protocols. The collaboration covered 4 protected areas of the Gulf of California.
• WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Collaboration on the whale shark (Tiburón Ballena) project from 2016 to 2023, as part of a multi-sector effort including government institutions, academia, and the private sector for the protection of the species.
• ConCiencia MéxicominorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Collaborated with RED on the whale shark project (2016-2023), contributing to the multi-sector protection effort.
• Ecology Project InternationalminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Partnered with RED on the whale shark conservation project (2016-2023) as part of the multisector initiative.
• Enseña por MéxicominorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Participated in the whale shark project collaboration (2016-2023) alongside RED, WWF, and other organizations.
• Universities (BCS and other Mexican states)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partnerships for social service (servicio social), professional internships (prácticas profesionales), and volunteer programs, enabling students to contribute to community tourism projects while gaining experience.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Suyé Tours: Indigenous Maya-led community tourism cooperative in Yucatán operating community-based tours, gastronomy, and lodging experiences; comparable to RED as a community-based tourism venture in Mexico with gender and local-ownership emphasis.
• Pronatura Noroeste: Regional division of Pronatura covering northwest Mexico (including Baja California Sur, Sonora, and Sinaloa), working on protected areas and community conservation - directly overlapping RED's geographic and thematic niche.
• EcoColors: Long-running community-based ecotourism operator in Mexico (especially Yucatán and the Maya region) that designs nature and community tourism experiences, closely paralleling RED's Economías Sustentables program in focus and Mexican operating geography.
• Comunidad y Biodiversidad (COBI): Mexican civil society organization focused on community-based marine conservation and sustainable fishing in northwest Mexico (Sea of Cortez/Gulf of California region). Highly comparable to RED due to overlapping Gulf of California geography, marine focus, and community-based model.
• Pronatura México: Mexico's largest conservation civil society organization (A.C.), operating across multiple biomes and Mexican states with community-focused conservation and sustainable development programs - directly comparable in legal form, mission, and Mexican geographic footprint to RED.

Broad incumbents

• Conservation International México: Global conservation NGO with Mexico programs spanning biodiversity, marine, and community-based conservation; broader portfolio than RED but addressing overlapping themes of sustainable tourism and natural protected areas.
• WWF México: Mexican operation of WWF, a global conservation NGO with large-scale marine and protected-area programs. Already a direct collaborator of RED through the 2016-2023 whale shark initiative, and operates in the same protected-area and community-conservation space but at significantly larger scale.
• The Nature Conservancy (Mexico): Global conservation NGO with active Mexico programs focused on marine protected areas, fisheries, and community stewardship in the Gulf of California and Mexican Pacific, overlapping RED's geography and protected-area focus at much larger scope.

Others

• Centro Mexicano de Derecho Ambiental (CEMDA): Mexican civil society organization focused on environmental law, policy advocacy, and rights-based conservation; comparable to RED as a Mexican environmental NGO but operates via legal/policy advocacy rather than on-the-ground community tourism enablement.
• Fondo Mexicano para la Conservación de la Naturaleza (FMCN): Mexico's primary private environmental fund supporting biodiversity and sustainable-use projects; comparable to RED as a Mexican civil society organization in the conservation ecosystem, and is RED's primary institutional funder rather than a direct operational peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/RedTurismoSustentable
• Instagraminstagram.com/redturismosustentable
• TikToktiktok.com/@redturismo_sustentable
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/redturismosustentable-ac

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Red De Turismo Sustentable Y Desarrollo Social