On June 24th 2021, the Minister of Tourism for Nicaragua, Anasha Campbell attended a “virtual” meeting; The 66th Meeting of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Regional Commission for the Americas (CAM) to fly the tourist flag for Nicaragua.
UNWTO is the United Nations agency responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism.
The meeting was chaired by the Secretary General, Zurab Polilikashvili and the Minister of Tourism of Jamaica, Edmund Bartlett who brought together tourism authorities from 21 countries in the region of the Americas.
The business part of the meeting included the Secretary General’s Report, 2020-2021 Work Plan, presentation of the 2022-2023 priorities, budget, Best Tourism Villages initiative, an update on the draft of the International Code for the Protection of Tourists as well as well as preparations for the 24th Session of the UNWTO General Assembly to be held in Morocco at the end of 2021.
During the sessions that included ministerial dialogue on the reactivation of the tourism sector, Campbell made a presentation that included a pitch for “The land of lakes and volcanoes” that promotes responsible, sustainable, inclusive and accessible tourism for all”.
Campbell stressed the importance of biosafety protocols, air connectivity and an “intersectoral and multidimensional” approach to facilitate the development of tourism, with the main objective of improving the quality of life for the people of Nicaragua.
Something that must have resonated with the Nicaraguan Tourism Minister is the ‘Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO’ initiative. They are looking for the best examples of “rural villages harnessing the power of tourism to provide opportunity and safeguard their communities, local traditions and heritage”. The program will identify villages taking innovative and transformative approaches to tourism in rural areas in line with World Tourism Organization Sustainable Development Goals.
Nicaragua has many candidates for the Best Tourism Villages. Some are well established and are already achieving some of the goals of the UNWTO initiative.
For example; The “White Villages” (Pueblos Blancos) of Nindirí, San Juan de Oriente, San Marcos, Niquinohomo, Masatepe, Catarina, Diriá and Diriomo (named after the simple lime whitewash used on the adobe homes).
The villages, with their history of strong pre-Columbian traditions are easily reached and are a big favorite with foreign and national tourists looking for handcrafted traditional items such as; hammocks, furniture, pottery (cerámica) and leather goods.
I’m sure everyone who has visited Nicaragua can add a few places to the list of “Best Tourism Villages”. See also Nicaragua’s Natural Paradisiacal Locations under the Tourism heading.
Zurab Pololikashvili, the World Tourism Organization Secretary-General, believes that “Tourism can be a driver of positive change for rural communities all around the world”. The Best Tourism Villages aims to recognize the uniqueness of each village and ensure that “No village is left behind”.
The next UNWTO Regional Commission for the Americas meeting will be held in 2022 in Uruguay.
