The digital platform 'Autóctonus', created by Maider Cedrún and Iban Otero, proposes personalised routes that connect travellers with small producers and artisans in rural areas.
The Basque startup 'Autóctonus' has burst onto the tourism sector with a proposal that champions local consumption and sustainability. Founded by Maider Cedrún and Iban Otero, the digital platform allows travellers to design personalised routes that avoid crowded circuits and directly support small businesses, farms, family wineries, and artisan workshops.
The project, based in Durango, was presented on the BIOK programme of DOTB, where its creators explained the details of an initiative that seeks to transform the way we travel. According to Iban Otero, CEO of the startup, the aim is "for the economic impact to really stay with the local producer and the village being visited."
Three pillars: authenticity, sustainability, and community
The platform is based on three key principles. The first is authenticity: the experiences are guided by the very inhabitants and professionals of the primary or cultural sector of each region. The second is sustainability, with the reduction of the tourist footprint through circular economies and zero-kilometre consumption. The third is community, a network that protects intangible heritage and gives visibility to rural projects that often remain invisible in large online travel agencies.
"We advocate for another way of travelling," Cedrún and Otero stated during the interview. The website www.autoctonus.com is already operational and allows users to discover hidden gems away from commercial circuits, from a family winery in La Rioja Alavesa to a pottery workshop in a village in Gipuzkoa.
A model that benefits travellers and territories
For the traveller, Autóctonus offers a more authentic and personalised experience, away from mass tourism. For the territories, it represents a direct economic injection into local communities, fostering generational change in rural areas and the preservation of traditional crafts. The startup anticipates that its model could be replicated in other regions of Spain, always focusing on the local producer.
"We want the traveller to take a piece of the culture of the place, not just a photo," explained Maider Cedrún, the company's general director. The platform already has an initial community of users and producers and expects to grow during the upcoming summer season.
Autóctonus thus joins other responsible tourism initiatives gaining ground in Spain, a country that welcomed over 85 million international tourists in 2025. In the face of overcrowding, proposals like this seek a balance between economic development and the conservation of local heritage.
Interested individuals can register on the website and start planning their next getaway with a more conscious approach. The startup is already working on new features, such as geolocating nearby experiences and a rating system based on sustainability.
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