From Recovery to Empowerment: Mary’s Journey with Community Tourism in Medellín

Upon witnessing the negative impacts of overtourism, we decided in 2024 to stop taking groups to one of the most popular tourism destinations in Colombia.

The idea to avoid Comuna 13 – a neighbourhood in Colombia’s second biggest city Medellin – forced us to explore new areas of Medellín to support emerging community-based tourism projects that are still finding their place in the city’s tourism landscape.

That’s when we decided to develop a full-day experience in Comuna 3 – Manrique – where a local project, Constelaciones, was just beginning to gain attention as a potential tourist destination.

Fast forward two years and the decision to pivot is proving hugely impactful for tourists but more importantly, it is shining the light on one woman’s remarkable story.

Finding a platform

We heard about Mary Luz Atehortua Campiño – a woman from the district who had faced various challenges in her career before she found her role as a charismatic local tour leader. 

Mary used to work in the food and restaurant industry until a workplace injury forced her to stop. 

When doctors eventually gave her the all clear, it was both emotionally and physically exhausting to go back to the kitchen after the trauma she had endured.

Not long after, she was diagnosed with a serious illness that required long-term medical treatment, sadly marking the definitive end of her career in the restaurant business.

All along her recovery, representatives from the local government began visiting the surrounding areas near UVA (a transformed water tank) La Armonía in Comuna 3. 

They introduced a community initiative called Constelaciones. The project aimed to co-create a large-scale mural referred to as a macromural on the façades of homes located behind the UVA.

Aside from the idea of painting walls, there was a deeper purpose: to engage residents in a meaningful process of design and storytelling, turning the project into a platform for community members to become narrators of their own stories and lived experiences for future visitors. 

The initiative also encouraged people to envision new possibilities. It promoted the opportunity of building small businesses or developing tourism-related ventures and sharing food, crafts and cultural experiences with those who came to see the mural.

This is when Mary first considered tourism as a possible new path. She began attending meetings and gradually got involved in the conversations around guiding and sharing with visitors.

Mary soon took her first steps as a guide. At first, the whole process was somewhat off the cuff.

 “We would just stand by the UVA all day, hoping someone would show up. When visitors arrived, we would split into pairs and offer to guide them. (…) We used to work in pairs because I was too afraid to do it by myself,” 

However, Mary slowly fell in love with the role.

“What I liked the most was meeting people, having contact with so many different kinds of people, and being able to manage my own time,” she says. 

That passion eventually led her to enroll with SENA, Colombia’s well-respected public institution for vocational technical training programs, to pursue a degree in tourism guiding and formalize her work in Manrique.

She admits that every tour still feels like the first. 

“It’s like having butterflies in your stomach before a date,” she says with a smile. “I want every new visitor to fall in love with the neighborhood. I want them to leave feeling enchanted.”

Mary’s journey with Kagumu

When we met Mary and learned about her work in Comuna 3, we loved her dedication and saw the potential for building a meaningful partnership. 

During our first conversations, we introduced Kagumu as a company, our educational trips, and our vision for tourism. For Mary, this was new, exciting, and also challenging.

Since 2024 we have been working together, sharing culturally rich experiences in her neighbourhood. That’s why we decided to sit down with Mary and share a paraphrased version of our conversation, so you can learn a bit more about our journey together.

How did you first hear about Kagumu?

“Kagumu was the first certified company that reached out to us. I remember showing the message to the people I was working with at the time – we made a whole celebration out of it! 

Until then, we had only received a few visitors who came on their own and stayed for short two- or three-hour tours. But this was something else. Kagumu, was proposing a full-day experience. It was exciting – but also a big challenge.”

Why was most challenging at the beginning?

“We had no idea how to structure a complete itinerary, how to organize different activities for a group, or even how to charge for our work. 

“We didn’t know the value of our time or how to make our offer more professional. So we started planning everything through WhatsApp: schedules, stops, routes. That first collaboration with Kagumu really pushed us to think bigger.”

What were your first impressions when you started working with us?

“Kagumu became our teacher in many ways. It was with them that we first learned about sustainable tourism practices – like eliminating disposable plastics from our experiences. 

That’s how we ended up asking Telma, one of the local cooks, to buy reusable dishes and cups. 

They also encouraged us to be more thoughtful and inclusive – like learning how to welcome vegetarian visitors or people with food allergies.”

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned from this collaboration?

“Kagumu helped us see the value of our work. They never took advantage of our inexperience. 

On the contrary, they taught us how to price our tours, how to advocate for our time, and how to build experiences that truly reflected who we are. 

I remember Ana (Cristina Velez), the operations manager, told me: Mary, you’ll be in charge of logistics, you’ll manage the restaurant coordination, and you’ll be there with the group all day. That level of trust gave me the confidence to grow.”

How has your project and your vision of tourism evolved since then?

“New ideas began to take shape. Kagumu introduced us to two local dance schools in Manrique and helped us see how we could collaborate. 

That’s how we ended up designing a painting workshop, our very first one was with a Kagumu group. It was such a success that we now offer it regularly, especially with educational institutions.

We’ve also partnered with El Balcón de los Artistas to offer complete experiences that combine visual art, food, and dance. 

For example, during a recent fam trip with 15 international travel agents coordinated by ProColombia, we were able to showcase the painting workshop and a live dance performance. None of that would have happened without Kagumu’s support and encouragement.”

Mary has taken her experience from working with Kagumu over the years, along with her personal experience, and built her own family tourism project, nowadays formalized as an agency called Wima Travels. 

She works with her partner, colleagues and other members of the community to continue to build a thriving business that makes tourism a prosperous and sustainable part of Comuna 3.*

Finally, Mary tells us in her own words  why  working closely with  communities is the best way we can achieve our goals with Kagumu travelers.

“I feel that my mission is to be a bridge, so that many people can achieve their dreams. My project allows me to be that bridge for many people to feel fulfilled.”

We couldn’t agree more!

*Read Telma’s story, another member of Comuna 3 who Mary introduced to us.