Neotropic Expeditions, a pioneer of active travel in Ecuador and the Galapagos, has officially become a Certified B Corporation® (B Corp), following an independent assessment and verification process examining the company's social and environmental performance, governance and business practices. The company achieved a 94.3% score in the audit process, a result that gives Neotropic a meaningful benchmark for the work already in place and for the improvements still ahead.
For more than 30 years, adventure has shaped Neotropic's approach to travel. In 2002, the company pioneered land-based multisport journeys in the Galapagos, opening a different way to explore the islands through hiking, kayaking, snorkeling and time within the inhabited communities of the archipelago. Since then, Neotropic has expanded its work across Ecuador while remaining focused on active journeys that bring travelers closer to the landscapes and people behind a destination.
The road to B Corp certification required Neotropic to turn many practices developed over the years into something that could be documented, measured and independently assessed. It also prompted the company to look beyond its own perspective. As part of that work, Neotropic gathered input from employees, guides, suppliers, communities, commercial partners and travelers to better understand where the company creates value, where expectations are changing, and where improvement is still needed.
That scrutiny matters in a business where many important decisions happen long before a traveler arrives. Who is included in the supply chain, how guides and local partners participate, how experiences are designed, what environmental practices are expected from suppliers, and how a company measures its impact all influence what tourism ultimately contributes to a destination.
Those decisions can be seen in practical ways. In the Galapagos, Neotropic's land-based programs work with naturalist guides, locally based services and conservation initiatives within the inhabited islands. On Isabela, selected journeys combine exploration of the Tintoreras Islets with exclusive access to coral reef restoration work in areas travelers would not normally visit. Rather than only hearing about conservation through interpretation, guests can meet and learn directly from people leading this work on the islands. On mainland Ecuador, itineraries bring travelers into experiences with local farmers, cooks, artisans and community hosts, making their knowledge and livelihoods part of how the destination is understood rather than simply adding a cultural stop to an itinerary.
“Adventure has always taught us to pay attention — to the landscape, to people, to limits and to the unexpected,” says Fernanda Villacís, Managing Partner of Neotropic Expeditions. “B Corp asked us to bring that same attention inward. It challenged us to put evidence behind the values we have carried for years, listen more carefully to the people connected to our business, and be clearer about where we still need to improve.”
Ultimately, the value is in what happens on the ground: who we work with, whose stories become part of a journey, where tourism income goes, and how carefully we operate in the places travelers have come so far to experience. B Corp gives us a framework to keep looking at those decisions and improving them as the company grows.
If travel has the power to transform people and places, then we also have the opportunity to keep asking how our businesses can contribute more intentionally to that transformation.