WhereNext Awarded USAID Colombia's Destination Nature Activity

WhereNext’s sustainable tourism consulting service line has been awarded USAID Colombia's Destination Nature Activity as the local implementing subcontractor.

WhereNext Awarded USAID Colombia's Destination Nature Activity

With partners DAI, and Green Team Global, WhereNext awarded USAID Colombia's Destination Nature Activity


Client: U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)

Duration: 2022-2027

Region: Latin America and the Caribbean

Country: Colombia

Service Lines: Sustainable Tourism Consulting, Creative and Production Services, Ongoing Digital Marketing / Branding (Story365)


Bogota, Colombia | February 27, 2023 - This week, WhereNext, a fully integrated creative storytelling agency, production company, and sustainable tourism consulting firm celebrates being awarded USAID/Colombia's Destination Nature Activity as the local implementing subcontractor. Destination Nature Activity is a high-profile and innovative new program that embraces the emerging nature tourism industry as a central pillar for the Government of Colombia to achieve its environmental ambitions while meeting its social and economic commitments in the 2016 Peace Accord.

This 5-year project will address the root causes of environmental degradation and reduce major drivers of land use change that contribute to GHG emissions by using nature tourism as a tool for conservation while supporting the livelihoods of rural citizens, who represent the growing conservation constituency in Colombia.

Coinciding with the Peace Accords, Colombia's international tourist arrivals surged by 85 percent in the mid-2010s as a new generation of travelers discovered the vibrant flora, remarkable fauna, and unique ecosystems of the world’s second most biodiverse country. WhereNext, DAI, and Greenteam Global's Regenerative Nature Tourism approach embraces this trend and the Colombian government’s commitment to green growth, which is captured in the 2020 Tourism Law (co-written by WhereNext's Sustainable Tourism Expert Cristina Arbeláez in her previous role as an advisor to the Vice-Minister of Tourism).


“For over a decade, WhereNext has been working to help shape a sustainable future for destinations, businesses, travelers, and communities in Colombia. We’re incredibly thankful for this opportunity to continue living out our collective passion and to generate demand-based results that directly lead to improving biodiversity conservation and the livelihoods of rural citizens in Colombia through sustainable tourism experiences.”
— Gregg Bleakney, WhereNext Founder CEO

WhereNext's Sustainable Tourism Consulting Activities:

  • Work with local destination management organizations to improve the competitiveness of nature tourism experiences, increase local employment, and sustainably manage high conservation value natural assets.

  • Improve collaborative governance between destination management organizations and environmental authorities to balance tourist traffic with a sustainable carrying capacity of ecologically sensitive tourism destinations.

  • Increase public and private investment in nature tourism to generate revenue dependent upon low emissions land use and protecting biodiversity for its suite of ecosystem services.

WhereNext's Creative Services and Audio Visual Activities:

  • Generate market demand through WhereNext's innovative Story365 digital marketing service line.

  • Design and produce branding campaigns and immersive video experiences for project stakeholders.

Get involved:

WhereNext is actively hiring for Destination Nature Activity staff positions based in Colombia. Follow on LinkedIn HERE to keep up to date on new job postings or apply directly through the hiring portal. WhereNext loves working with genuine people. People who stand for what they believe in and pursue their dreams regardless of gender, culture, race, or economic background.


For more information, how to get involved, images, videos, and interviews, contact:

Andres Rueda, Strategic Communications & CLA Director

Andres_Rueda@destinonaturaleza.org

Direct: ‭+57 (318) 424-8781‬

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About WhereNext

WhereNext is a fully integrated creative storytelling agency, production company, and sustainable tourism consulting firm with offices in Bogotá, Colombia; Seattle, Washington, and Mexico City, Mexico. Our mission is to help shape a better world for communities, brands, destinations, and travelers around the globe.