São Paulo – Two tourist attractions in Brazil are finalists for the 12th Awards for Excellence and Innovation in Tourism of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). The Awards Ceremony is slated for January 20, 2016 during the International Tourism Fair in Madrid, Spain.
One of the Brazilian finalists is Complexo Turístico de Itaipu, a tourist complex in Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná that’s running in the Innovation in Research and Technology category. The other finalist is Fartura (Plentifulness), a culinary tourism project that spans several Brazilian states and is competing for the Innovation in Enterprises award.
Other contenders are from Colombia, Indonesia, Kenya, Puerto Rico, Lithuania, Spain, Switzerland, Cambodia, Nepal, South Africa, Croatia and South Korea. Other categories include Innovation in Public Policies and Governance and Innovation in Non-Governmental Organizations.
The Brazilian Ministry of Tourism website informs that the Fartura project includes culinary festivals Fartura BH, in Minas Gerais state, Fartura Fortaleza, in Ceará, Fartura Porto Alegre, in Rio Grande do Sul, and Festival Cultura e Gastronomia Tiradentes, also in Minas Gerais. Cuisine is a means of drawing tourists to these areas.
Nominated for its sustainable promotion strategies, the Itaipu Tourist Complex welcomes over 850,000 tourists from Brazil and abroad each year. It grosses BRL 12 million a year, BRL 3.2 million of which are allocated to a fund which subsidizes studies and research on renewable energy, carries out social and environmental projects, and offers a technical exchange program at the Itaipu Technology Park.
Overall, 17 projects have been shortlisted from 109 applicants for the UNTWO Awards. Finalists include initiatives to fight sexual exploitation of children by tourists in Medellin, Colombia; a green certification program in Puerto Rico; a project to encourage communities to preserve coastal areas in Indonesia; a program by Spain’s Meliá Hotels International that creates job opportunities to young people at risk of exclusion; Switzerland Explorer Tours, with a 100% electric bus tour and sustainable tour experiences; and others.
Finalists will present their projects and share their expertise during a forum on January 18 at Palacio Neptuno, Madrid. They will also be able to share and learn about innovative tourism trends. The Awards recognize knowledge creation, dissemination and innovation in tourism and its contribution to sustainability and responsibility in the sector.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
