english / portugues
   
 
  Pipa Beach Project - Thiago Ferreira Luz (Gaia Tour)
   
 

This is a project that allows tourists to interact with the community where they are visiting, and all of the income is re-invested in local development projects. Also the project gives tourism workshops, and this allows all the young people to develop a skill, and they therefore begin to view tourism in a new way as a means to earn money for their family whilst at the same time protecting the environment.
 
  The project uses specifically introduced local currency, that the tourists (and the local population) change at the bank: the real for the local currency or vice-versa, bearing in mind that currency can only be used in that area, in the bars, restaurants, and local businesses. Tourists tend to pay to do a workshop or at least buy something typical there, such as a mobile phone ring tone of local music and culture, that is made by people from the region.
 
 
Seeing this project working so well there, I had the idea of introducing it where I live, in Santa Teresa, where a large portion of the population works directly or indirectly in tourism.
With a local currency, tourists are bound to spend more in the community, and they will end up getting to know the area, as they will walk around the district, going in to shops, restaurants and the like.
 
 

It would also be good to have various workshops for young people from the community, that tourists can also go to but the tourists have to pay for (with the local currency). Tourists can also do some volunteering, such as English classes, in the area.
I think that initially it will be difficult, as getting the local population and businesses round to my idea won’t be easy, and I would have to do a lot of research to see who is interested in it. Only after this could I start to put it into practice, and then I have to think about introducing the currency through a local bank.
 
  With all of this in place, the end result will be to reduce the risk of muggings whilst helping local communities.