Rios Tropicales Receives International Grant for Costa Rica–Bhutan Sustainable Development Project

PRLog (Press Release) - Mar 18, 2009 -
San José, Costa Rica,  -- Fundecooperacion awarded Costa Rican Geotourism leader Rios Tropicales a major grant for its partnership project on Rural Adventure Tourism Enhancement and Sustainable Community Development in Bhutan and Costa Rica.

“Fundecooperacion funding will allow sustainable tourism development within the Bajo del Tigre community, providing a new vision and hope for a traditionally subsistence farming community,” says Rafael Gallo, co-founder of Rios Tropicales.

Rios Tropicales is the leading agency for the project and Rafael Gallo, President and co-founder of Rios Tropicales, will manage the project. The Association of Bhutanese Tour Operators (ABTO) is the implementing agency for the Kingdom of Bhutan. The project is part of the Fundecooperacion Program for South-South Cooperation (PSC), in which Costa Rica and partner countries Bhutan and Benin, support Sustainable tourism initiatives, among other areas.

The Costa Rica part of the project involves Rios Tropicales partnering with the Bajo del Tigre Community, located near the award-winning Rios Tropicales Lodge on the Pacuare River, to develop sustainable tourism initiatives that will provide income, jobs, education, and international cultural exchange for community members.  The six phase 1 initiatives include attractions, infrastructure, and businesses: a Serpentarium, an Orchid Garden, a Butterfly Garden, and Internet Café, environmentally sustainable bathrooms at Bajo del Tigre School, and expansion of the Tilapia sustainable fish farming project.

On the Bhutan side of the project, Rios Tropicales will train and collaborate with Bhutan’s teams about best practices developed over 25 years of successful rafting adventure tourism in Costa Rica. In addition, Rios will support Bhutan’s early development of sustainable communities via sharing lessons learned from its ongoing sustainable tourism work with Bajo del Tigre . Mr. Gallo will travel to Bhutan in May of this year to begin onsite assessment and training for Bhutan’s current adventure recreation operations.  

About Fundecooperacion
Fundecooperación finances sustainable tourism initiatives in order for communities to take advantage of natural, social and cultural resources of their surrounding areas. It promotes and spreads new ways of tourist operations that contribute to sustainable development. Fundecooperación finances projects to owners of lands that have tourist potential, to owners of operating tourist activities, to local or international foundations and organizations, to private tourist companies, which support community groups regarding productive projects, and to local governments.

About Rios Tropicales
In 2007, and again in 2009, National Geographic ADVENTURE ranked Rios Tropicales the #1 Rafting Company in Costa Rica, and one of the top 5 Rafting Companies in the world. Rios Tropicales was an award winner in the 2008 National Geographic Ashoka Changemakers Geotourism Challenge and a finalist in the 2008 Conde Naste World Savers Award. Established in 1985, Rios Tropicales is the most experienced and largest rafting adventure company in Costa Rica. Led by its local founders, Rios Tropicales has expanded into a complete eco-adventure company offering Costa Rica vacation packages whitewater rafting, award-winning eco-lodge, sea kayaking, jungle kayaking, ecotours, hiking, canopy tours, wildlife safari, mountain biking, and tree-planting and sustainable development tours. Tour locations include the most treasured natural areas of Costa Rica: Central Costa Rica, La Fortuna, Canas, and Quepos.  http://www.riostropicales.com

Contact:
Julie Thorner
Rios Tropicales
San José, Costa Rica
828-488-3420
julie@willowworks.bz
http://riostropicales.com