GeoPark, Tauramena mayor’s office present tourism development plan

GeoPark and the Tauramena Mayor’s Office today presented the Tauramena Tourism Development Plan, a technical and participatory roadmap jointly developed with the Universidad Externado de Colombia that sets out how to consolidate the municipality as a sustainable biocultural tourist destination in Colombia’s eastern foothills over the next 12 years.

The plan follows over a year of preparations involving more than 200 people, including community members, businesspeople, tourism service providers, municipal authorities and local leaders. Through creative workshops, working groups with the Council and the Mayor’s Office, and sessions to gather a collective vision, Tauramena assessed its tourism potential and created a route map to develop it.

“Tauramena has an extraordinary natural and cultural heritage: unique ecosystems, rivers, wildlife, gastronomy and traditions that are part of Casanare’s identity. This plan was born here, with the community and with support from GeoPark and the Universidad Externado de Colombia, becoming the roadmap that Tauramena needed to turn that potential into real development,” GeoPark Nature and Neighbors Director Anibal Fernandez de Soto said.

The plan identifies specific tourism products based on the area’s strengths such as nature tourism, agrotourism, cultural tourism and birdwatching, a fast-growing sector in Colombia and the world and for which Tauramena has outstanding conditions. It proposes specific actions to overcome challenges identified, such as structuring tourist packages, formalizing local businesses, strengthening institutional coordination, and improving tourism infrastructure.

“This plan takes Tauramena to the next stage, from having tourism potential to turning it into a real source of employment, income and opportunities for our people. It has a clear vision and aroute to diversify our economy and make us a tourist destination in the eastern foothills,”Tauramena Mayor Javier Alvarez said.

The project illustrates GeoPark’s purpose to Create Value and Give Back and its social investment strategy that supports economic development in the territories it operates in. The Company financed and promoted the project in partnership with the Universidad Externado de Colombia’s Tourism and Hotel Business Administration Faculty, which is held in high academic repute in Colombia.

The plan runs through 2038 with a clear vision of making Tauramena a recognized tourist destination that creates local employment, values its heritage and diversifies its economy. The launch of the plan marks the beginning of the implementation phase, in which the municipalityand its partners will start work on the short, medium and long-term actions outlined in the plan.

PRESS CONTACT

GeoPark | conexiones@geo-park.com

Tauramena Mayor’s Office |