Foundation for Puerto Rico announces 1st Destination Plan meetings in 4 towns
Foundation for Puerto Rico announced plans to hold the first two virtual meetings of the Destination Plan for the regions of Luquillo-Fajardo and Ceiba-Naguabo.
These sessions are aimed at community members from the municipalities, as well as nonprofit and/or community organizations and municipal governments, among others, FPR said.
The meetings seek to include all community components in the co-design of the destination management plan, to promote socio-economic development in the region.
The Destination Plan, which is drawn up as a final product of these meetings that will continue in the coming months, contains specific actions and goals to be developed in the destination and establishes the roles and actions to be carried out by the key local players to increase the tourism activity in a sustainable way, in accordance with the vision adopted by the community residents themselves.
This project is the result of the FPR’s “Bottom Up Destination Recovery Initiative,” which seeks to advance Puerto Rico’s recovery efforts with a multi-sector approach, using the visitor economy as a strategy to make the island a global destination, the nonprofit’s President Annie Mayol said.
“To accelerate sustainable recovery, Puerto Rico needs solid economic growth in multisectoral, strategic and inclusive planning. Through the ‘Bottom Up’ program, the FPR team has managed to reach 16 municipalities throughout the island, supporting more than 1,500 businesses and nonprofits,” Mayol said.
Bottom Up works from research to action-based on four components — basic needs and infrastructure, support for small businesses, social capital and tourism development — to accelerate economic recovery and make the community more resilient, directing local leaders toward planning and self-management of the destination.
The program began in Orocovis and Punta Santiago, Humacao and upon receiving a grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration, the program was expanded to the towns of Aguadilla, Arecibo, Barceloneta, Cabo Rojo, Camuy, Isabela, Manatí and San Germán. Currently, the team working in communities of the towns of Ceiba, Fajardo, Luquillo and Naguabo.
“In these first meetings, we invited the community to join in the conversation with other leaders, to visualize the region as a destination, establish its areas of opportunity and promote economic development through the visitor’s economy. Collective participation is a vital element in the design of Destination Plans,” said Alma Frontera, director of economic development programs at FPR, adding the meetings will also discuss the Cultural Nest, a program led by Inversión Cultural to develop ideas for projects related to culture, nature and tourism.
Residents and organizations of the towns of Ceiba and Naguabo will be able to participate virtually in the first Destination Plan meeting today at 2 p.m. by registering HERE. The meeting for the Fajardo and Luquillo communities will be held Sept. 15 at 2 p.m. and those interested may participate by registering at the following link.
