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  Raphael Leite de Santana (Gaia Tour) - Putting Sustainable Tourism into Practice
   
 

Nowadays more than ever the importance of tourists getting to know communities and their residents is being understood by the residents of such communities throughout Rio de Janeiro.
 
 
As opposed to simply visiting a place, direct contact allows oneself to learn a lot more about the place that is being visited and the cultures and customs attached to it.
 
 
To see Rio through the eyes of a Carioca (a resident of Rio) and to get to know the heart and soul of the people from whatever perspective makes for a new experience, a totally new face of tourism that, although different, is very impressive.
It also means that other people can view at first hand the problems in society and trace the story of a people and a city. One of the key aims of sustainable tourism is to learn new values, and this is achieved when tourism is promoted in the communities: the exchange of ideas, observing each other, learning and teaching – this is a one possibility for the joint progress of tourism and the communities.
 
 

The World Tourism Forum brought together locally and internationally respected people in the field of tourism. Therefore it was possible to learn of success stories from all over the world, projects that have already worked, ideas that could grow and be used o develop new ideas.
 
 
One good example of something that is already happening and that is ready to “mature” is what is being done in Piauí: “the paintings and the biodiversity has put little Sao Raimundo Nonato on the map”.
 
 
In the Capivara mountain range some remnants of human existence from 40 thousand years ago were discovered, which turned out to be the biggest concentration of archaeological sites in the world. Four hundred and six sites have already been logged and more are being discovered each day. Many poor people who do not have any idea of the wealth their town possesses are found living on this mountain range.
 
 
It is here therefore that the initiatives that generate income, knowledge, and awareness amongst a local community to aid them better take advantage of their area in a sustainable way that attracts tourists come into play. Thirteen years of work and 4 different projects without any success show that such projects cannot be undertaken without increasing local awareness of the issue at hand. The fifth plan must take this into account to have the desired effects and achieve the expected results. In the last 5 years, the area has been positively affected (reforestation, increased vegetation, and a 12-million litre reservoir), and some inhabitants have been trained to be local guides, many of whom were previously illiterate. These factors have allowed the community to develop cultural and environmental self sustaining tourism.
 
 
For further development of sustainable tourism more trained people are necessary, such as researchers who can improve the sign-posting in the area, such as forest wardens, and such as a well-structured conservation team who can look after the great discovery of the archaeologist Niede Juidon, and allow it to be passed down to new generations and who can therefore study the history of our people and our culture in more depth.
 
 
These important paintings are evidence of ancient history and must be conserved by everyone together: fellow countrymen, admirers of such pieces and humanity in general.