ecotourism agency viber Born from Cecilia Fortunatti and Mayumi Kurimori’s passion for travel. The company’s travels are not only destinations, but also connect people with nature, history and indigenous communities in Brazil.
VaiViver arranges trips to the natural wonders of Brazil almost every weekend throughout the year. Its mission is to let people discover the natural and cultural diversity of Brazil.
Ceci and Mayu see the importance of establishing an online presence quickly to spread their message and optimize business growth. They used WordPress to create his VaiViver her website. With Hostinger’s services, tutorials, and collaboration with the Customer Success team, they’re running the site without fuss.
From Campus to Anywhere
Ceci and Mayu were engineering students at the University of São Paulo. They dreamed of traveling the world.
The two best friends always loved exploring new places. It was no surprise that they soon knew every corner of campus. They go on adventures while juggling all their study responsibilities to impress their college peers.
![VaiViver founders Cecilia Fortunatti and Mayumi Kurimori.](https://www.hostinger.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/03/vaiviver2-1024x478.jpg)
One day, they decided to share their travel experience with some friends. They organized group trips, shared the costs among the participants, and enjoyed themselves together.
We found that people loved the way Ceci and Mayu organized different, engaging and affordable tours. As word spread, more and more people became interested in such a trip. At that time, the two realized a business opportunity.
Ceci and Mayu founded VaiViver in 2016 with a capital of 14 reals (approximately US$2,7). The money was used for a promotional poster and a cup of hot chocolate as a free drink on the first trip.
Connecting nature, history, local communities and people
Ceci and Mayu have one main reason for focusing on ecotourism. The idea of connecting travelers with nature and the community resonates deeply with them and makes the trip itself more meaningful.
“We are honored to work with local communities like the Quilombolas, the indigenous people of Brazil, and to demonstrate the values these people have for the preservation of society and culture. I am happy to connect them, they are an important part of Brazilian history,” says Mayu.
During VaiViver trips, travelers discover new destinations, learn about the culture and history of local communities, and discuss topics such as how to protect forests. Mayu describes it as “an eye-opening experience”.
“Ecotourism changes lives on both sides. Tourists can reconnect with culture and history while bringing income to the community. Overall, it has a very positive impact,” she adds.
They are especially proud of VaiViver’s Chapadas do Brasil Project. Through this, the agency invites travelers to explore the majestic landscapes of the Chapadas (Brazil’s flat-topped plateaus) and learn about the culture and life of the indigenous peoples who live there.
Seeking to maintain harmony between man and nature, VaiViver also applies sustainable travel practices. By participating in partnerships with social and environmental projects, we offset 100% of our travel carbon footprint.
take root online
Once Ceci and Mayu started their business, they realized they needed to build a solid digital presence as quickly as possible. They knew it was essential to have a website to help brands spread the word.
Ceci and Mayu also realized that many travel agencies don’t have proper websites. This convinced him that creating a website would help VaiViver stand out from its competitors.
Thanks to a recommendation from a friend, Ceci and Mayu found WordPress as the perfect content management system for their goals. They found out about his Hostinger in a blog post and were highly recommended. In 2017, the two started building his VaiViver website on her web hosting at Hostinger.
“Hostinger’s customer success team is very helpful. I also read blogs and Hostinger tutorials. This made building my site easy. It was fun. It was a good learning experience,” elaborates Ceci. To do.
In addition to engaging an audience, the website has also helped Ceci and Mayu streamline business processes and drive growth for the company. Previously, VaiViver’s booking process was a laborious and manual process. The client was booking via Google Forms. This included exchanging messages and manual payment checks.
VaiViver has integrated an online booking feature into their site so you can quickly check your orders and payments via your WordPress dashboard. This makes business operations much more manageable.
Currently, 100% of VaiViver’s sales are processed via the website.
“We don’t have a physical sales channel. We’ve always lived digitally,” Mayu says. “Now we are all over Brazil. Plus, we can live where we want and travel anywhere. That’s the magic of running an online business.”
overcome the difficult road
Ceci and Mayu had to overcome many challenges on their business journey to get to where they are today.
One of them was when VaiViver’s site went down during Black Friday. The company wants to make the most of this shopping season and has launched its promotional campaign. At the time, the company was still on Hostinger’s entry-level plan.
Ceci and Mayu didn’t expect the campaign to attract such an overwhelming amount of traffic. They learned that the downtime was caused by a lack of resources. Hostinger plans can be upgraded at any time, so we did just that so that our site could handle the increased load.
Another hurdle we had to overcome was the lockdown. This is a tough time for everyone, especially for the tourism industry. Ceci and Mayu had to tell their local partners the hard truth that there were no sales.
But they persevered, and after seven barren months, the economy began to recover and sales picked up.
“In 2020-2021, we earned about 1 million reais, and in 2021-2022 we reached 2.3 million reais through our website,” says Ceci proudly. “We consider this a success, especially given our small size.”
She also acknowledges that VaiViver has been able to double its annual revenue. This is because her team now has a better understanding of how to improve sales and optimize the website. Their efforts include applying SEO practices and other digital marketing strategies.
“I recommend anyone who wants to start a business to get online as soon as possible. Create a website so people can easily find you online. It will help you increase your business visibility in the public eye and grow your brand.
beyond the horizon
The company currently has 7 in-house team members and 8 guides. But what are his VaiViver plans going forward?
Ceci and Mayu aim to grow VaiViver’s revenue by 30% year-over-year in 2023.
They believe the company can achieve its goals thanks to the growing demand for ecotourism services. On top of that, VaiViver has a very active social media presence and a completely informative website. It contains all the necessary information about your travel package and offers a user-friendly booking process.
![VaiViver is celebrating.](https://www.hostinger.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/03/vaiviver-1024x637.jpg)
Ceci and Mayu are also preparing for the introduction of VaiViver’s new service. “In preparation for the trail trip, we are already conducting online physical conditioning training. In 2023, we will focus on expanding our personalized service to more customers and also covering the corporate sector.” Ceci elaborates.
Conditioning training was born out of the idea that ecotourism should be for everyone. Since such trips usually involve long hikes, Ceci and Mayu want to make it more enjoyable, even for those who are new to nature exploration.
“I love to see the light in a traveler’s face when they set foot on Brazilian soil,” says the pair. “The sparkle in their eyes after the trip – that’s what drives us. Money is a good result.”
In fact, the name of the business, “VaiViver”, means “in operation” in Portuguese. Ceci and Mayu do just that, encouraging everyone to live their lives and their passions to the fullest.