Atodi’s digital expansion originated from the reFLORESTA Movement’s Future Workshop. The project aims to strengthen community-based tourism in the region and is divided into two phases. The first phase redesigns the social media channels of the Encanto do Arapiuns guesthouse to attract new visitors. The second phase develops a digital platform to sell community-made handicrafts, expanding their reach across different parts of the country.
Idealization
Atodi is home to many natural wonders—streams, trails, beaches, and a stunning starry sky. But the community is more than its landscape; it’s made up of residents with deep roots, knowledge, and livelihoods. The question arises: how can their stories reach a wider audience?
Motivated by this, the 5th reFloresta journey brought together Movement members and the community to identify Atodi’s needs and dreams. Through several discussions, the importance of promoting community-based tourism and highlighting the work already happening within Atodi became clear.
The current project focuses on expanding the digital presence of both the community and the “Encanto do Arapiuns” guesthouse, the main gateway for visitors. This effort aims to boost community-based tourism and share Atodi’s story throughout Brazil and beyond.
The group works to expand its presence on Instagram, helping more people discover Atodi. They promote key information about Pousada Encanto do Arapiuns—such as reservations and services—to attract new guests who share the community’s values. To do this, they use posting schedules and create a consistent visual identity for the social network.
The second phase focuses on supporting the sale of handicrafts, an essential part of daily life in Atodi, and encouraging this ongoing community movement. This will include developing an online sales platform that highlights each product along with a brief description of its meaning, bringing buyers and sellers closer.
By valuing community tourism and the culture embedded in each craft, the project reinforces the importance of Brazilian roots and the knowledge of riverside communities, strengthening connections and solidarity across the country.
The Expansion of Instagram
Social media is one of the most important tools for reaching a wider audience in tourism today. However, it requires effort from entrepreneurs to convey authenticity and trust—community-based tourism is no different.
Atodi already had an Instagram account for its inn, @Atodi_encantodoarapiuns, sharing information about attractions, photos, and videos of the space. The digital expansion project focused on Instagram aimed to refresh existing posts and develop a new visual identity to engage people through the social media algorithm.
The first step was choosing colors representing the community, creating a main palette of blue, green, and yellow—colors that express both a personal and national identity. After defining the palette, members of the reFloresta Movement worked with Naira Matos, from Atodi, to create the first new posts and highlights. This involved thorough research, design, and marketing efforts. The collective work strengthened bonds among participants, showing that it’s possible to contribute virtually to improving many lives.
After months of work, a new bio and profile photo were created. On June 15, the project launched publicly with the post “Atodi, land of ancestral knowledge,” presenting the community with a personal and visual approach to future visitors.
Moving forward, the focus is on maintaining regular posts and stories, using digital tools like a virtual posting calendar to keep the process organized and manageable for everyone.
This first phase confirms that the dreams imagined in the Future Workshop become real through collective effort—bringing the puxirum spirit into the online world.
Craftsmanship:
The art of braids
The crafts of the Atodi community express their world through art, passed down across generations, symbolizing permanence, affection, and tradition. Residents use a variety of raw materials such as ambé (a vine harvested from the forest), plastic fibers, wood, and others. Each product offers countless forms of expression.
Among the main items produced are baskets and panniers made from ambé, using the forest both as raw material and inspiration. There are also panniers and baskets made from plastic fibers, reusing materials that would otherwise be discarded. Artisans vary materials and designs to create items with similar functions, showcasing creativity and care in every piece.
The tipiti, an essential tool for flour production, is crafted using arumã canvas (from a tree that grows around igapós or iguarapés). Beyond their practical use, these items become beautiful decorations, including wooden crafts depicting native fauna like agoutis.
Since the Indigenous Revival, the range of crafts has grown to include biojewels—fashion accessories made from natural, renewable materials such as seeds, fibers, wood, bark, stones, and other organic elements. These biojewels have attracted young people to artisanal work and are especially popular among them, often featuring beads and feathers, emphasizing the uniqueness of each piece.
Atodi’s digital expansion project aims to showcase these products to the world, sharing the beauty of Pará’s art beyond the community.
Next steps
With Atodi’s Instagram growing, the plan is to reach a wider audience by keeping up a steady posting schedule and involving more community members, especially young people, in the process.
Movement participants aim to hold digital media workshops for interested community members, helping them gain full autonomy in creating content and expanding to other social networks like TikTok and Facebook.
The next step builds on the project’s main goal: creating an online sales platform for community-made crafts. This platform will feature a catalog of available products and manage logistics for delivering items from artisans to buyers across the country. These efforts will deepen the connection between reFLORESTA and Atodi, while also preparing local youth for the expanding digital world.
You can help too. Visit our Instagram and get to know Atodi!