(InfoWebPress – www.journalcr.com)
Four beach-town schools in Guanacaste — those in Playa Panama, Hermosa, Brasilito, Grande and Carrillo — contributed to Costa Rica earning a recognition from the selection committee of the World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO) 2009 Ulysses Awards. The country received the Judges Special Award for Innovation in Governance in Tourism for its program “School Tourism Culture Awareness: Costa Rica Adventure,” organized by the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT).
The first phase of this program also took place at various schools throughout the country, including Mata de Limon, Caño Negro, San Juan de Chicua, La Marina, Ujarras, Jaco, Toro Amarillo, Caldera, Garabito, Miramar, Monteverde, Coronado, Playa Cocles, Manzanillo, Rio Negro, Moin, Monte de la Cruz,
Santa Teresa, Montezuma, Playa Quitzales, Playa Tambor and Playa Hermosa (Puntarenas). The program also included training for teachers about the use of program manuals for continued learning by their students.
The award by officially presented during a ceremony that took place at an international conference organized by UNWTO’s Education and Science Council, which was held May 27-28 in Madrid, Spain. The conference’s theme was “Innovation in Tourism Education.” The conference’s goal was to provide information
about good innovation practices for tourism education, as well as to present examples and practical cases in which innovative research and education methods have been employed.
The judges selecting award winners in the Ulysses program are part of the UNWTO Education and Science Council’s consultation committee. ICT’s School Tourism Culture Program seeks to create awareness among students in grades 1-6 about the importance of sustainable tourism and the responsibilities that
come with tourism development. The program also aims to increase knowledge, understanding and a sense of value about the country’s tourism heritage and traditions. “This type of joint efforts show the firm desire of governmental institutions to create interest among our children so that they will learn in an attractive and fun way about the country’s tourism attractions and will participate in the promotion and protection of the national tourism heritage,” said Tourism Minister Carlos Ricardo Benavides.
Additionally, the initiative hopes to teach children — through the use of interactive materials, games and an accessible language — about the importance of sustainability, the tourism industry, the protection of natural resources, and the adequate management of solid and liquid waste. ICT’s School Tourism Culture Program seeks to create awareness among students in grades 1-6 about the importance of sustainable tourism and the responsibilities that come with tourism development.