Social tourism, a nest for people's diplomacy

Edward Mercado -  11.12.2014

There are many types of travelers, some travel to party and get as far away as possible from their daily routine. Some do it to relax and absorb new cultures.

I could go on and on about the different interests a traveler has in mind as they embark into their new destination. However there is a type of tourism that really makes a difference in the understanding why the people live the way they do, their beliefs and traditions. Some call it Social Tourism.

In our approach to customize a social tour, we understand  the importance of a humble path to achieve a true understanding of the cultures. putting all glamour aside and getting down and dirty with the local struggles and history of the people hosting the temporary faces.

For more than a decade Social tourism to Venezuela has increased rapidly, some call it reality tours. whatever label you decide, the root of the successful experience is to connect real people from the working class with no hidden agendas to a frank exchange of humanity, history and culture.

Some if the most memorable experiences I've lived come from social tourism. Back in 2005 a peculiar group of socially conscious students from different regions in the United States visited Lara State, Venezuela. They spent much of their time in the land of the goats: the city of Carora. Learning about the struggles and changes taking place in Venezuela. A commitment emerged from participants to connect Carora to Milwaukee to build a lasting relation between the cities.

After much foot work, a couple of years later both mayors meet in the city of Milwaukee to sign a Sister Cities agreement promoted by the grassroots movement that originated from that first social tour. The sisterhood allowed for many cultural exchanges and personal relations to develop, which increased awareness of the realities and history of Venezuela in a way that no bias media report can never take away.

Taking into consideration official diplomatic relations between the two countries have seen better days. This unique people to people approach has allowed to look pass the ideological differences and instead concentrate in identifying the similarities among the cities, and how the can complement each other.

One trip has led to the other, early 2014 the Sister Cities Agreement was renewed for four more years and now many interested citizens are looking to go a bit further into the relationship. Looking for creative ways to have a positive economic impact through strategic trade initiatives, with a goal of creating deals to complement each other's economy, increase production capacity and transfer technology where necessary. The results are yet to unfold. The potential reach of this type of travelers place Social tourism as a nest for people's diplomacy.