INTUS - Institute for Sustainable Tourism Development in Latin America & the Caribbean.

INTUS – Institute for Sustainable Tourism Development in Latin America and the Caribbean is a nonprofit organization headquartered in Rio de Janeiro that was created to turn tourism into a driver of economic prosperity, social inclusion, and environmental conservation through innovation and strategic partnerships. Its purpose is to show that sustainability is not only an ethical duty but also a business strategy capable of boosting entire destinations, companies, and communities.

How INTUS Works

• Education & Capacity Building – International seminars, intensive networking, and training programs that demystify sustainability, reveal how to cut operational costs, and create competitive advantages for businesses and destinations.

• Events & Projects – Design, curation, and production of initiatives that embed circular-economy principles into tourism, always co-created with public, private, and community partners.

This flexible model lets INTUS either manage a project end-to-end or collaborate with local teams, ensuring solutions tailored to each territory’s needs.

Flagship Initiatives:

• SITUS – International Sustainable Tourism Seminar (2023, 2024, 2025 editions), a forum for dialogue and networking that brings together global leaders to discuss trends, policies, and opportunities in sustainable tourism.

• Circular Beach – Pituaçu Waterfront (Salvador-BA), a study and collaborative workshop applying circular-economy concepts to coastal regeneration, setting a benchmark for other seaside cities.

• Sustainable Tourism in the Atlantic Forest – Co-creating community-based tourism itineraries in 13 municipalities of Rio de Janeiro that host Atlantic Forest protected areas. The project extends foreign visitors’ stay beyond the capital, linking them to authentic experiences (guiding, homestays, gastronomy, handicrafts). This opens new income streams for local communities and provides direct economic incentives to conserve one of the planet’s most threatened biomes, helping curb deforestation and valuing the region’s natural and cultural heritage.

• Green Corporate Travel – Technical journeys for Latin-American executives to visit renewable-energy projects, carbon-negative hotels, and sustainable parks, fostering Brazil–UAE joint ventures in green infrastructure.

Alignment with the 2030 Agenda:

INTUS focuses its actions primarily on SDG 8 (Decent Work & Economic Growth), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption & Production), and SDG 14 (Life Below Water), with SDG 17 (Partnerships) as the cross-cutting axis to amplify impact and scale.

By uniting governments, businesses, academia, and civil society around projects that balance competitiveness with responsibility, INTUS confirms that “Preservation Is Prosperity” and invites new partners to join this journey toward more prosperous, inclusive, and resilient destinations.