The Central American country celebrated World Tourism Day yesterday with the inauguration of the “Port to Port” route between Ciudad Cortés and Puerto Jiménez
Gustavo J. Segura, Minister of Tourism of Costa Rica this Sunday morning toured part of the new adventure route and tourist attractions called “Port to Port”, between Puerto Jiménez and Ciudad Cortés, in the Osa Peninsula, to celebrate the World Tourism Day under the slogan “Tourism and rural development”. It was the first time in 28 years that this important date was celebrated in the South Pacific of the country.
Segura also attended the inauguration of the “El Embarcadero Historic Walk” in Ciudad Cortés, a project led by the Osa Chamber of Tourism (CATUOSA), in coordination with the Osa Municipality and the support of ICE, ADI, FUNCORCO, ACOSA , JUDESUR, private companies and the community.
“This year, World Tourism Day is dedicated to the capacity of the tourism industry to create opportunities outside the big cities and preserve the cultural and natural heritage; what better place to celebrate it than in the Osa Peninsula, the cradle of rural tourism in Costa Rica.
“The Osa Peninsula has unexplored places and tourism is a vehicle for the economic reactivation that the country urges, without the need for its inhabitants to migrate to seek income and development in other regions of Costa Rica,” said the Minister.
Segura congratulated CATUOSA for promoting sustainable tourism, being leaders in friendly practices, conserving the environment and having signed an agreement with its partners in 2017 not to use plastic, migrating to the use of nature-friendly products.
What is the “Port to Port” route?
Luis Centeno, president of the Osa Chamber of Tourism (CATUOSA), explained the route of the “Port to Port” route.
“This adventure tour links the communities of Puerto Jiménez, Sierpe and Puerto Cortés for tourism, it is a proposal that calls us to think about a parallel tourist growth with the poorest populations, selecting Puerto Cortés, Palmar and Sierpe. Throughout 2019, we have the support of the ICT to train a large number of people in rural tourism and bird watching, ”explained Centeno.
The pandemic did not stop this town, on the contrary, these months they took the main street of Puerto Cortés – 700 meters long – and named it “Paseo Histórico el Embarcadero”, they planted native trees of the region, painted the little houses white, They made a mural with the bicycle as the protagonist, while the Municipality paved the road to receive future tourists.
The tourist offer that can be appreciated in the adventure route “Port to Port” includes attractions present between Puerto Jiménez and Puerto Cortés, among which the historical and patrimonial elements of the center of both towns stand out, the Matapalo reserve, little dream beaches explored as Backwash Beach, the mangrove and wetland of Sierpe, the Museum of Spheres in Finca 6 and the pier of Puerto Cortés as examples of what this new proposal offers and the Osa Peninsula as a whole, recognized worldwide for concentrating more than 2% of the planet’s biodiversity.
