The destination of Pérez Zeledón is considered the gateway to the Brunca Region and precisely the nineteenth canton of the province of San José was selected as the initial destination and starting point of the tour of strategic work sessions of the Minister of Tourism , William Rodríguez in the region, organized with the objective of promoting and improving the tourist product and developing promotional actions in the cantons that comprise it.
The tour will run from March 15 to 17 in the cantons of Pérez Zeledón, Buenos Aires, Osa, Golfito and Coto Brus.
The head of the Costa Rican Tourism Institute visited Pérez Zeledón in the company of the ICT marketing and tourism development managers, as well as the coordinator of the ICT Regional Office in the Middle and South Pacific. This tour is precisely part of the follow-up to the previous visit made by the President of the Republic, Mr. Rodrigo Chaves Robles, last February in the Brunca Region.
“Without a doubt, the Brunca Region has great potential and particularly the canton of Pérez Zeledón has attractions of great importance and magnitude. If there is something that the country needs, it is to diversify its product and we have to turn these large-scale and rural tourism attractions into a solid and salable tourism product. We come with the idea that each canton and community take over the tourism product and together we achieve that national tourists look at the region as a first-rate destination," said William Rodríguez, Minister of Tourism.
For his part, Jeffry Montoya, mayor of Pérez Zeledón, highlighted the importance of “continuing to promote the attractions we have, we must also position ourselves as a canton that complements the agricultural with the tourist, together with a series of increasingly consolidated ventures. We are much more than Cerro Chirripó and we have expanded the offer of rural tourism and we are working to position ourselves as the destination or the gateway to the Brunca Region”.
Also participating in the strategic meeting were Vice Mayor Rosibel Ramos Madrigal, Gregory López Calderón coordinator of the Tourism Management Office, the Chamber of Rural Experiences, CONAPDIS, representatives of the Federation of Chambers of Industry and Commerce of Pérez Zeledón, as well as other local representatives.
Agreements that mark the tourist path of Pérez Zeledón
As part of the results of the work session, there was a commitment to shape and strengthen the tourist product and include even more, the cultural element within the offer. Likewise, establish more direct coordination between the ICT and the INA to increase and improve training.
Specifically and as part of the immediate application of this initiative, yesterday, first aid training was carried out in Pérez Zeledón for more than 100 tourism entrepreneurs from the canton and surrounding areas, in conjunction with the local government, ICT Capacita and Medical Emergencies. They were also invited to make the most of and take advantage of the ICT Capacita platform, which has more than 150 online courses.
The tourism minister urged and invited the canton's entrepreneurs and businessmen to acquire the tourism declaration as a fundamental requirement for them to be included in the ICT tourism promotion and in eventual participation in international fairs.
It was also announced that the Interactive Tourist and Cultural Guide of Pérez Zeledón and Buenos Aires is 95% complete and even with its English version and will be officially launched in the coming weeks.
An agreement was reached to include people with some type of disability as part of the tourist offer and as one of the axes of social tourism.
Additionally, artisans from the canton were invited to form part of the ICT Crafts with Identity program and generate a new group in the towns of Pérez Zeledón, Dominical and Costa Ballena, projected for the year 2023.
ICT committed to carry out promotional actions on topics such as culture, protected areas, gastronomy and adventure tourism. Added to the above is promotional support in three major events to generate visitation to the area during the second half of 2023 throughout the region.
The Institute reaffirmed its support and accompaniment and advice to the Cantonal Tourism Plan and the canton's tourism policy that the Municipality of Pérez Zeledón has developed.