Designing for Regenerative Travel in Nuquí: The Story Behind Puro

Tourism is one of the world’s most powerful industries—but also one of the most environmentally damaging. As global travel continues to grow, so do its negative impacts on ecosystems, cultures, and local communities. Yet the solution isn’t as simple as “stop travelling.” For many regions, tourism is a primary source of income, identity, and opportunity.

This tension is what inspired my thesis project: exploring how we can travel in ways that are less extractive, more collaborative, and genuinely supportive of local communities. This is where regenerative travel comes in—an approach that goes beyond sustainability by aiming to leave places better than we found them.

Why Nuquí?

My research focused on Nuquí, a small municipality in Chocó, Colombia. Surrounded by one of the world’s most biodiverse tropical rainforests, Nuquí is a place where nature, culture, and community are deeply intertwined. It became the perfect case study for imagining what regenerative travel could look like in practice.

To understand the community and the land, I used ethnographic research—observations, semi‑structured interviews, and time spent learning directly from the people who call Nuquí home. I paired this with practice‑based research, prototyping and testing design ideas with potential users to ensure the project remained grounded in real needs and real voices.

Introducing Puro

The final outcome of this research is Puro: a cultural precinct and a set of curated experiences designed to create a regenerative travel journey in Nuquí. The name comes from Puru—“community” in the Emberá language—and its similarity to the Spanish word Puro, meaning purity. Together, they reflect the project’s intention: a place where community, culture, and nature meet.

Puro integrates tourist experiences with the physical environment of the precinct, encouraging visitors to connect with the land, learn from local knowledge, and participate in activities that support ecological and cultural regeneration. The project is presented through architectural designs, promotional videos, and a series of books that document the process and the vision.

While Puro is a prototype that requires further development, it offers one example of how regenerative tourism could be implemented in Colombia, showing how design can contribute positively to both the environment and the communities that depend on it.

Watch the Project Video

A short film capturing the essence of Nuquí, the design process, and the vision behind Puro.

https://youtu.be/LlORM_Nv3hs

Branding Rollout

A visual identity inspired by place, community, and the regenerative principles that shaped the project.

Hotel & Site Images

A look at the ecolodge and the landscapes that informed the architectural and experiential design.