The House of Representatives hosted a historic moment for Misiones when the Government presented its Strategic Plan for Sustainable Tourism (PETS), with the premise of strengthening the commitment to sustainability and the preservation of natural resources. During the event, they presented the entire program that emerged from a regulation passed in the Misiones’ Legislature in 2018.
The PETS is a document created from a diagnosis, constructed through a participatory process involving the public, private, and academic sectors, aimed at guiding and integrating management strategies and actions.
“We have designed this program based on a law passed by the Legislature in 2018 that creates the Provincial Tourism Council (CPT),” stated Tourism Minister José María Arrúa.
In an exclusive interview with Canal 12, he explained that “these are strategies for the tourism industry with a five-year perspective as currently being implemented.” He recalled that the last strategic plan promoted by the province was in 2000, known as ConsulTur.
The provincial official detailed that the idea is to work with a long-term project and to keep tourism as a state policy, “primarily based on the territory with local stakeholders, in-person and virtual workshops in the 78 municipalities, as well as an exchange of ideas and proposals.” He added, “This governance aims to foster a sense of belonging and concrete objectives for the future.”
He also referred to practical tasks to be used in the coming years. “A plan that has responsible individuals in each area and works with the government because tourism is cross-cutting. What is done in energy, infrastructure in sports, or in culture, nourishes our industry.”
Regarding another state policy embraced by the province, which is environmental preservation, the provincial official explained that “in every session of the House of Representatives, laws are passed to protect biodiversity. This is the development of sustainable tourism.”
Since November 11, 2011, when the Iguazú Falls were chosen as one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature, Misiones has made major improvements regarding the impact of tourists. In the words of the Minister, “The idea is to integrate all of tourism with a common perspective and have Misiones as a destination in general, not by zones, cities, or sectors.”