2024-10-02 23:05:04
Betting on tourism in western Huila. Fabián Guillermo Alvira Guzmán affirms that the west of Huila has potential in adventure tourism, agrotourism and religious tourism. The region’s operators are coming together to consolidate the destination.
DIARIO DEL HUILA, PANORAMA
By: Gustavo Patino
Betting on tourism in western Huila. Tourism in the west of the department of Huila is booming. With spectacular landscapes, unique cultural and adventure experiences, and a rich religious heritage, this region seeks to establish itself as one of the most attractive tourist destinations in Huila and Colombia. Fabián Guillermo Alvira Guzmán, marketing director of Mocca Mirador, Mirador Paraíso del Huila and manager of the Explora Oeste Corporation, leads efforts to unify the tourism offer in five municipalities, in a bid to compete at the regional and national level.
“Western Huila is a very strong region in terms of nature. Here we have the entrance to two large caves where visitors can live a magnificent experience. Additionally, we offer canyon tours, such as Ape Canyon and Davy Jones Canyon, which include a five-hour trip climbing ravines. It is a spectacle of travel,” explains Alvira, while describing some of the natural attractions offered by the municipalities that make up the Explora Oeste Corporation.
Adventure and agritourism
With La Plata as one of the most prominent points, this municipality is the third largest producer of coffee in Colombia, even surpassing some areas of the Coffee Region in quantity of production. This fact has allowed the region to position itself not only as an adventure destination, but also as an important center for agritourism. «We have our own Magic Coffee Route, which is a very complete experience for visitors. In addition, we are working on the creation and positioning of the Cocoa Route, to complement our agrotourism offer,” adds Alvira.
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One of the pillars of the emerging success of western Huila has been the collaborative work between the different municipalities and tourism operators. Through the Explora Oeste Corporation, which brings together five municipalities (La Plata, Nátaga, Tesalia, Paicol and La Argentina), a synergy has been achieved that seeks not only to improve the tourist offer, but also to generate a sustainable model based on community reinvestment. “We are developing a massive tourism strengthening strategy where we want to unify the offer and compete at the departmental and national level as a single offer. What we have learned from other regions, such as the Coffee Axis, is that associativity is key. They have been promoting their destination for 30 years, and that is the path we are following,” says Alvira.
Associativity as an impulse
Associativity has not only allowed tourism projects in the municipalities to work together, but has also generated an economic model in which surpluses are reinvested in improving infrastructure and services for tourists. «The profit is not distributed, but is reinvested in giving more benefits to the community. Everything that is executed through the Corporation or union foundations is reinvested so that the members and the community are the main beneficiaries,” says Alvira.
This approach has allowed the region to continue growing, despite the challenges it faces. However, Alvira emphasizes that promotion continues to be one of the main challenges. Although the Corporation has made significant progress in unifying the tourism offer, there are still gaps in terms of the visibility of the region compared to other consolidated tourist destinations in Colombia.
One of the great values of western Huila is the diversity of experiences it offers tourists. From adventure activities such as rafting and kayaking on the Páez River, to trips through the aforementioned canyons, visitors can find a wide range of activities for all tastes. «The Páez River is one of our greatest attractions for extreme sports. Here we offer rafting, kayaking and other aquatic experiences that are unique in the region,” says Alvira.
Coffee and cocoa routes
In addition, western Huila has a rapidly growing agrotourism offer, where coffee and cocoa play a central role. Tourists can not only learn about the coffee production process, but also enjoy tourist routes organized around the producing farms in the region. «In La Plata we have farms that not only produce coffee, but are also focused on offering tourist experiences. Our Magic Coffee Route is an example of how we combine tourism with agricultural production to create unforgettable experiences for visitors,” says Alvira.
On the other hand, religious tourism is another of the fundamental axes in the tourist offer of western Huila. The region has important pilgrimage sites and a rich religious heritage that has attracted visitors for many years. “We have a very great route of faith and well-being, which includes sites such as the colonial church of Paicol, the church of Nátaga and the mausoleum of blessed Pedro María Ramírez. Furthermore, in La Plata we have the Temple of San Andrés with the image of Santa Lucía, patron saint famous for curing eyesight with her miraculous waters,” Alvira details.
Despite the popularity of these sites, one of the challenges has been transforming religious visitors into long-stay tourists. According to Alvira, many of them visit the pilgrimage sites for only one day, which limits the economic impact on the region. «When visitors go to mass in Nátaga or in another of our religious sites, many times they do not stay, which is not tourism, but simply a visit. We want to change that, offering more complete tours with tour guides and accommodation options for them to stay two or three days,” he explains.
Growth in infrastructure
The growth of tourism in western Huila has also been accompanied by a development of the infrastructure necessary to attract and maintain visitors. Alvira highlights that La Plata has more than 10 tour operators that offer accommodation, viewpoints and recreational centers, many of them focused on rural tourism. “In La Plata, we have three great viewpoints: the Mirador Paraíso del Huila, the Mirador Panorama 360, and rural cabins such as Finca Las Marías, which has access to the San Andrés lagoon. In addition, we have rural accommodations such as Finca Esmeralda, which won the award for best tourist property last year, and sports clubs such as the tennis club in the rural area,” describes Alvira.
The municipality also has several quality hotels, such as the Hotel Casa Medina and the Hotel La Pradera, which combine a colonial style with modern services such as swimming pools and recreational areas. Alvira highlights the importance of constantly improving infrastructure so that tourists can enjoy a quality experience, both in terms of accommodation and recreational activities. One of the most important objectives for the Explora Oeste Corporation is to increase the visibility of western Huila in the national and international tourist scene. To achieve this, various promotional strategies have been implemented that include participation in tourist fairs and gastronomy events, as well as alliances with media and television channels.
Regional and national promotion
«We are behind promoting ourselves at the regional and national level. We visit the media, both printed and digital, and we are participating in fairs such as Gastrofest, where we had a stand to promote our tourism offer. We have also been present at tourism education events, where we promote tourism in our region,” says Alvira. The long-term challenge, according to Alvira, is to turn western Huila into a consolidated and recognized destination throughout the country. «What we need is time. We are following in the footsteps of the Coffee Axis, which has had 30 years of promotion and unionization. If we continue with this approach, we are sure that our region will become one of the main tourist destinations in Colombia,” he says with confidence.