A delegation from Bolivia was in Truro last week learning a few tricks of the tourism trade.
The five-member team from the central Bolivian town of Pailón discovered how to work with stakeholders such as business owners and visited local attractions including the Truro Farmers’ Market and Victoria Park.
“This has been an incredible week where we felt at home,” said delegate Yesenia Bauer via an interpreter. “It has been priceless, very valuable. We have been able to learn a lot, exchange experiences and understand how to get value added to different products.”
She said the skating rink in Civic Square was a prime example of how different stakeholders – the town and local public – worked together to create an amenity enjoyed by hundreds of visitors over the winter.
Bauer, who handles tourism for her municipality in Pailón, said the main lesson for her was defining a site for tourism stakeholders and properly engaging with the public.
Joining Bauer were her municipality colleagues Henry Suarez, Mario Perez, Carla Soria and Erik Meier, who served as interpreter. Their main host was Jason Fox, director of planning and development for the Town of Truro.
Together, the group also attended presentations with the Nova Scotia Community College as well as meetings at Dalhousie University in Halifax to discuss best practices for promoting tourism.
“I have acquired a lot of knowledge and we feel the partnership between Truro and our town will solve many of our needs,” said Suarez.
According to Fox, the Bolivian delegation’s Truro trip will allow them to train their colleagues in Pailón on how to run a local tourism industry while improving their business management skills.
The Pailón delegates’ Canadian trip was organized with help from the Canadian Federation of Municipalities.
For Suarez, Bauer and their colleagues, their time in Truro left a lasting impression.
“It is cold, but the warmth of your hearts is very big,” said Bauer.
Her hometown is located on a tropical savannah east of the Andes Mountains and the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra.