ABORA EXPEDITIONS:

AGROECOLOGY AND REGENERATIVE EXPERIENCES FOR TRAVELERS AND THE TERRITORY.

Agroecology today represents one of the most solid frameworks for addressing the ecological, social, and economic challenges faced by fragile territories such as La Palma. More than an agricultural production system, it is a holistic approach that combines science, traditional knowledge, and sustainable land management to restore soils, preserve biodiversity, and strengthen local communities.

In La Palma, whose agricultural landscape is deeply shaped by its volcanic origin, agroecology has found fertile ground: more than 417 hectares certified as organic and 257 producers working under agroecological principles (2016 data), driving a model that has continued to grow over the last decade. The island brings together a diversity of microclimates, mineral-rich soils, inherited rural knowledge, and a deeply rooted agricultural culture—factors that position it as a living laboratory for agroecological transition and sustainable innovation in island territories.

Agroecological tourism emerges here as a strategic tool to amplify this impact. Unlike conventional tourism, this model promotes transformative experiences in which travelers integrate into rural life, learn ecological techniques, meet producers, and connect with the land from a regenerative perspective. The key to designing these types of experiences lies in applying the customer experience principles that guide global tourism quality:

• Credible: based on real projects, active farms, and verifiable practices.

• Useful: providing applicable knowledge, territorial understanding, and practical skills.

• Desirable: inspiring emotions, senses, and a genuine interest in nature and local culture.

• Valuable: generating measurable benefits for the territory, the community, and the traveler.

These experiences not only strengthen the local economy and support small producers, but also contribute to territorial resilience: they restore degraded soils, improve water retention, reduce fire risk, dynamize the rural economy, and protect biodiversity. In a context marked by the Tajogaite eruption and increasing climate vulnerability, agroecology positions itself as a strategy capable of uniting science, culture, community, and tourism under a shared vision for the future.

This work proposes a framework for understanding how agroecology and regenerative tourism can be effectively integrated to create experiences that benefit both travelers and the territory, promoting a responsible, measurable tourism model aligned with principles of sustainability and island resilience.