Tourism as a Force for Good: A Partnership Between Ecuador’s Napo Wildlife Center and Latin Trails

In 2017, I had the opportunity to partake in a 6-day Latin Trails yacht cruise in the Galapagos Islands. It was an extraordinary top-tier experience that I wrote about here. I was also the very first guest at the brand new Latin Trails 5-star hotel in Quito called the Illa Experience Hotel & Spa, which I wrote about here.

Marcel Perkins, the CEO of Latin Trails, personally took my companion and I on a stroll/tour of the historic part of Quito. He’s genuinely interested in promoting his beloved country and using tourism as a force for good. (Incidentally, Latin Trails also has a lodge in the Ecuadorian Amazon called Hakuna Matata.)

Recently, Marcel posted the following on LinkedIn, and I asked him if I could republish it for your benefit:

In the inspiring interview below, David Grefa, General Manager of Napo Wildlife Center, and Oscar López, Business Development, share the story behind one of Ecuador’s most iconic community-led luxury lodges in the heart of the Amazon rainforest.

They reflect on how Napo Wildlife Center was born as a community initiative, the challenges of developing a luxury lodge in such a remote and pristine environment, and the values that continue to guide their vision today.

Throughout the conversation, they explain why they chose to trust Latin Trails as a long-term Destination Management Company partner and how this relationship has grown over many years. United by shared values—such as conservation, respect for pristine ecosystems, and responsible tourism—this partnership has played a key role in strengthening Napo Wildlife Center’s international positioning.

Perkins goes on in the post to say the following:

At Latin Trails, we believe tourism has the potential to be far more than movement from one destination to another. When done with intention, it can protect ecosystems, strengthen cultures, and create long-term opportunity for the people who call these places home. That belief is what guides how we select the partners we work with—and why our partnership with Napo Wildlife Center is so meaningful.

Located deep in Ecuador’s Amazon rainforest, Napo Wildlife Center is not just an eco-lodge. It is a community-owned and community-led project created by the Kichwa Añangu people. Every decision—from conservation policies to guest experience—is rooted in protecting ancestral land while creating sustainable livelihoods for future generations.

In a time when “sustainable travel” is often reduced to a buzzword, partnerships like this remind us what the concept was meant to represent. Tourism can help keep forests standing. It can support languages, traditions, and knowledge systems that are under threat. It can offer travelers something increasingly rare: meaningful connection and perspective.

This is not about perfection. Responsible tourism is a continuous process of listening, adapting, and improving. But it starts with intent—and with choosing partners who are aligned not just in business goals, but in values.

If tourism is going to play a role in addressing global challenges—from biodiversity loss to economic inequality—it will be through collaborations that respect people, place, and purpose equally.

That is the kind of travel we believe in. And it’s the kind of partnership we are proud to support.