Published on : Wednesday, February 6, 2019
In Costa Rica, tourism is a pillar of economic growth, which has tried to cultivate traditional tourism of beach and mountains. However, rural tourism is also an attractive and feasible option for rural communities and small producers.
Last November, the Nicoya campus of the National University (UNA), hosted the XI International Congress of rural tourism and sustainable development (Citurdes), which saw the participation of more than 125 specialists from Mexico, Chile, Brazil, Panama, and Costa Rica, among others.
“We live in a very unique moment: the people of the urban area are awakening to the issues of quality of life are important, not only holidays and leisure but a sustainable lifestyle. This is where rural development enters with an extraordinary offer potential, offering a gastronomic opportunity and a contact with the almost magical nature, it is enriching those people who stopped in their daily world to look for north and a sense of inspiration”, said Andrés Yurjevic, Chilean businessman.
According to Aurora Hernández, coordinator of Citurdes, this rural offer must be popularized. He said, “Although Guanacaste is characterized by a beach and sun tourism, there are other communities where you live from the rural, from that everyday field, and that can offer an authentic experience of relationship with nature, culture, and activities such as livestock. These options must also be presented by the tour operators, where today many of our students know the small producer and the new ventures, so they are capable of taking tourists and guiding the entrepreneur in their development “.
The Citurdes was held for the first time in a Central American country by a joint effort of the UNA and the Federal University of the State of Rio Grande do Sul.
Tags: Costa Rican economy