In the first edition of the Awards for Sustainable and Social Tourism in Ibero-America, the Costa Rican Network of Accessible Tourism won the award that accredits it as first place in the Solidarity Tourism category, an event that took place within the framework of the ‘Sustainable Social Tourism Summit’.
The venue for the event was the city of León, Guanajuato, where the ‘Award for Sustainable and Social Tourism in Ibero-America 2022’ was awarded and the best practices in social and sustainable tourism at the international level were chosen in three categories: Environmentally Responsible Tourism, Solidarity Tourism and Socially Responsible Tourism.
An important achievement
“This is an important achievement for Costa Rica and for the Network, because it denotes Costa Rica’s efforts to make tourism increasingly inclusive and accessible, now known and valued in other latitudes, which helps us to differentiate ourselves as a destination,” said Alberto López, general manager of the Costa Rican Institute of Tourism.
Thanks to this award, said Stephanie Sheehy, representative of the Costa Rican Network of Accessible Tourism, “we can bring to Costa Rica a new award where solidarity and social tourism is the transversal axis of our work. We are doing things well as an organization and as a country, and this award certifies it, highlighting Costa Rica as a responsible, sustainable and supportive destination”.
During the ‘Sustainable Social Tourism Summit’, 35 high-quality projects from countries such as Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Spain, Argentina and Costa Rica, among others, were presented.
The Costa Rican Network of Accessible Tourism won the ‘Solidarity Tourism’ award with a project that takes into account the management, operation and development of tourism.
It included the following elements:
- Promotion of community participation in the management of local tourism
- Accessibility and inclusion in its broadest spectrum
- Empowerment of specific vulnerable groups through tourism
With a platform, they promote sustainable tourism in CDMX
One of its star projects is ‘Donatapa’, a work of environmental social responsibility that collects plastic waste to transform it into plastic wood that is later used in the creation of implements to create accessible beaches.
Thanks to the work and joint support of the entity, local governments and the private sector, it already has more than 10 accessible beaches in Costa Rica with access walkways for wheelchairs and generation of amphibious wheelchairs.
“We unanimously present the award and highlight the outstanding sustainable tourism practices of this proposal and even this initiative as well as others will be remembered and will serve as an example for other countries,” said Gustavo Pérez Berlanga, one of the members of the jury.
