Central American presidents to discuss tourism

Negotiations to sign a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United States, as well such topics as culture and tourism, are some of the issues Central American presidents will discuss Friday in a regional summit to be held in San Jose, Costa Rica.

The Central American Integration System (CAIS) warned this will be the year’s last regional summit that will also broach the topics of childhood and adolescence, as well as food security in Central America.

CAIS General Secretary Oscar Santamaria said in a press release that culture and tourism are high on the agenda, so “presidents are aware of the need to add tourism to their sets of local and regional development strategies.”

Mr. Santamaria explained that with this same goal in mind, attendants will also work on strengthening sustainable development policies aimed at tourism in Central America with a view to both preserve and promote the region’s cultural and natural heritage. The effort also intends to beef up and project the area’s tourist image, chiefly in European and Asian markets.