In order to continue the triangular cooperation project between Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic and Germany on the protection of protected areas and biodiversity, the Ministry of Tourism (MITUR) received a delegation of Costa Rican technicians who will carry out a series of tours of selected tourist destinations in the country.
Within the framework of this initiative, which receives the support of the German Development Cooperation (GIZ), the Costa Rican mission, together with specialists from local entities in the area, will make tours and exchange experiences with residents in communities with ecotourism potential such as Samaná, Las Galeras, Jamao al Norte and Puerto Plata.
One of the main objectives is to learn about the experiences of both nations in selected tourist destinations, as well as community participation in protected areas.
Carlos Andrés Peguero, Vice Minister of International Cooperation of the Ministry of Tourism (MITUR), led the welcoming ceremony for the Costa Rican delegation that will continue the project “Management of Tourism Destinations Responsible with Biodiversity and Resilient to Health Crises”.
The event was attended by the ambassadors of Germany, Mrs. Maike Friedrichsen and of Costa Rica, Edwin Arias Chinchilla, in the Dominican Republic.
Peguero, on behalf of the Minister of Tourism, David Collado, highlighted the commitment of the government headed by President Luis Abinader, the respect for the environment, protected areas and ecosystems, as has been the new tourism project of Pedernales, 66 percent of which is a protected area.
“We believe that the new page we must build is that of sustainable tourism in harmony with the communities receiving tourism,” he said.
The Mitur official highlighted the importance of this initiative to exchange experiences by valuing the richness in biodiversity and tourism development shown by Costa Rica over the years.
At the welcoming ceremony, Maike Friedrischsen, German ambassador in the Dominican Republic, valued the nature, landscape and human warmth, common factors shared by both Costa Rica and the Caribbean country, for which the government of her country and the German cooperation are pleased to support this type of initiative.
Meanwhile, Edwin Arias Chinchilla, Costa Rican ambassador to the Dominican Republic, highlighted the inclusion in the initiative of some 18 innovative ideas for the recovery of the tourism sector between the two countries, including the development of tourism products, waste management, among others.
He noted that, in two years of implementation, this project comes to contribute to the fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 agenda of the United Nations.
For her part, Olaya Dotel, Vice Minister of International Cooperation of the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Development (MEPyD), thanked the governments of Germany and Costa Rica for providing the necessary tools to successfully contribute to the development of this project.
He said that the exchange of knowledge in terms of sanitary protocols and other tools, following the world crisis generated by Covid 19, was key to sustain Dominican tourism “which last year 2022 had figures of 7.16 million non-resident tourists and around 8 billion dollars in income, making it a record year for the tourism industry”.
The Dominican Republic’s ambassador to Costa Rica, Mayerlin Cordero Díaz, and Rafael Gutiérrez Rojas, Minister of Environment and Energy and Executive Director of the Central American country’s System of Conservation Areas, also participated virtually.
Both agreed on the benefits that will result from these meetings for issues and aspects in common that both Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic have in natural resources such as biodiversity, as well as the experiences of community participation in protected areas.
At the event, held at the Mitur headquarters, the Vice-Minister of Protected Areas of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, Federico Franco, also addressed the meeting.
Specialists from the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT), the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MARENA) and representatives of the German cooperation agency (GIZ) are participating in these tours in the country until the 25th of this month.
The project is also supported by the Ministry of National Planning and Economic Policy (MIDEPLAN).
Source: Mitur.gob.do
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