The Foreign Trade and Tourism (Mincetur) received the Joining Certificate that identifies Peru as member of the International Social Tourism Organization (ISTO) among other countries and institutions that pursue social tourism development policies.
Mincetur’s head Magali Silva received the said certificate during the First National Forum on Social Tourism, held in Lima with the participation of foreign speakers engaged in Social Tourism development, and more than 200 local attendees from public and private sectors.
Mincetur promotes the Social Tourism initiative since 2015 by leading the less fortunate population to take part in tourist activities such as guided tours through main tourist and historic circuits of Peru.
“We are proud to receive this certification, because this way we are standardizing the service we provide, mainly in the case of social tourism, which lets us help those who have not had the chance to know our tourist resources and explore their history,” the minister said.
Social Tourism will enable us to grow as Peruvians, because the more we get to know our community, the more we will come to respect and love what is ours.
In 2014-2015, Mincetur carried out 11 pilots that favored 440 school students and senior citizens.
Besides, Social Tourism is expected to benefit other 8,560 people at the regional and local levels this year.
The ISTO aims at attracting several types of organizations, such as national governments, regional and local authorities, e.g. communities, state-owned companies, private companies, associations, and social tourism cooperatives whose activities are based on the values and goals of a social and sustainable economy.
(END) JCC/JJN/RMB/MVB
Published: 3/31/2016