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Nariño’s steps forward towards the Nature Tourism Strategic Plan

Nature tourism holds great potential to promote both rainforest conservation and social inclusion, and as such, it is an important industry in relation to GGGI’s mission. GGGI is working with the Administrative Directorate of Tourism and the Environment and Sustainable Development Secretariat of the Government of Nariño to support the nature tourism industry as part of its regional green growth strategy. To facilitate this process, strategic actors throughout the tourism value chain were brought together for a participatory workshop to design the Nature Tourism Roadmap for Nariño. The overall objective is to create a strategic tourism plan for Nariño based on three consecutive phases:

1) Internal diagnosis and analysis of the nature tourism industry in Nariño.

2) Identify a nature tourism roadmap in the department

3) Develop an investment plan within the overarching strategic plan, identifying public and private investment required to adequately enable the nature tourism industry in Nariño.

After the initial diagnostic phase was completed, the areas of Nariño best suited for tourism development were identified and prioritized. The diagnosis outlines the tourist activities currently taking place and the effects of these activities on their surrounding environments, as well as provides analysis of regional existing tourism capacity and potential.

The objective of the ongoing second phase is to collaboratively build both an action plan and a roadmap in order to determine the vision, goals, and strategies for the development of nature tourism in Nariño ending in the year 2030. During the workshop, SMA Tourism consultants presented:

i) A summary of the diagnostic report in order to receive feedback from attendees

ii) The preliminary strategic orientations of the Roadmap and

iii) The strategies and actions proposed to be included in the action plan

The workshop gathered key stakeholders of the tourism value chain highlighting the participation of indigenous and afro-descendant communities of Tumaco-Isla Bocagrande, the Andariegos of Tuquerres and Cumbal, and Guachucal. This participation guarantees the inclusion of vulnerable and minotity groups in the formulation of the Plan. Promoting nature tourism holds the potential to benefit the sector’s entire value-chain and to provide greater economic inclusion for host communities.