Photo via International Social Tourism Organization.
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Published
on Wednesday, October 30,
2024
By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff and
wire services
Costa
Rica hosted the 2024 International
Social Tourism Organization (ISTO)
Awards which
took place
at the National
Convention Center
in Heredia Province. Israel
Leiva and Marycel Obando Mayorga, two
Costa Rican craftsmen, created the
prize inspired by the Boruca mask out
of balsa and cedar wood. Each mask has
a distinct design and incorporates
elements that represent Costa Rica's
wilderness. According
to ISTO, the event was
focused on "Social Sustainability of
Tourism: Connecting the Essential in
360º",
and gathered over 200 tourism-related
companies representatives,
as well as leaders and experts in
social, fair, and sustainable tourism
from around the world. The
ceremony rewarded the most innovative
projects in the three categories,
such as the
best initiative from a destination,
the best initiative from associations
and the private sector and the best
initiative from academies and
researchers. The
first award was for the Agència
Catalana de Turisme initiative from
Catalunya, Spain, for the elaboration
of two manuals for the various actors
in the tourism sector,
aimed at understanding
what tourism for all is and presenting
guidelines and tools for offering
a quality
service to a wide group of travelers
while improving the quality of the
destination.
The
Vacances Ouvertes initiative from France,
won
the second award for their "Dream
no more, let's go!
10,000
holidays departure project," brings
well-being to those who benefit from them
and demonstrates success when
stakeholders collaborate together. Angela
Teberga de Paula from Brazil was
the winner of
the third award for the project to
promote tourist visits to the town's
cultural, ecological and rural attractions,
from a social tourism perspective and
targeting teenagers who have committed
criminal acts and are
linked
to educational care programs. Costa Rica will
host the Americas Social Tourism
Summit in May 2025. Tourism
is one of the most important economic
sectors in Costa Rica.
As of July, over 1.7
million tourists arrived via air,
representing a 13.5% increase over
the same period in 2023.
The country
reported a new tourism record
reached in 2023, with more than 2,4
million travelers. The
International Social Tourism Organization
(ISTO), based in Brussels, Belgium,
was established in 1963 to promote
accessible and responsible tourism
worldwide. --------------- What have you heard about social tourism initiatives in your country? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com
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