Amazon community-based tourism promotes conservation and local income

Community-based tourism (CBT) is expanding across the nine states of the Legal Amazon, transforming the region by linking forest preservation with local income generation. This model of tourism integrates with the regional bioeconomy, allowing visitors to engage with ancestral knowledge and local hospitality while preventing deforestation and resource depletion.

A 2025 study published in the journal Delos regarding the Tumbira community in the Rio Negro Sustainable Development Reserve (AM) highlights the economic impact of this model. The research found that tourism directly engages 55% of residents, reaching 75% of the population when including indirect chains such as agriculture, navigation, and handicrafts.

Beyond environmental conservation, the region offers diverse cultural and historical destinations. Travelers can explore sites such as the Museum of the Acrean Peoples in Rio Branco, the Cabo Orange National Park in Amapá, and various archaeological sites, museums, and historical cities that showcase the complex socio-environmental history of the Amazon.