It is activated with Community Tourism

The Village of El Portezuelo is much more than its famous slope and the zamba that is a Catamarca cultural anthem. Based on a national call, in 2022 the National Movement Carers of the Common Home presented a project to the Ministry of Social Development of the Nation to strengthen community tourism experiences in the NOA. And Catamarca joined the proposal.

The Catamarca project aims to promote community tourism in El Portezuelo and surrounding towns by training and organizing a group of local youth and adults in tourist services (tour guides, hiking, cycle tourism and preparation of regional food). The idea is to generate job opportunities, as well as promote the care of nature, associative work and local development.

After a long wait, the project was approved and the NOA groups received equipment for their initiatives. In the case of Catamarca, the El Portezuelo Caretaker group received equipment for the guides (clothing) and equipment for the fairs (tables, gazebos, chairs, etc.) in August 2023.

In parallel, the Caregivers Movement signed an agreement with the University of Quilmes (UNQ) and began teaching the virtual diploma: “Tourism and Territorial Socioeconomic Development.” Although at the beginning the NOA provinces participated, at the end of 2023, Caregiver groups from the NEA, Central and Patagonia region joined. Currently there are 15 groups of Caregivers taking the diploma throughout the country.

The UNQ Caregivers and Diploma project seeks to ensure that the subjects of the diploma are articulated to the needs and projects of the groups, therefore, based on a system of tutors and in constant dialogue with the diploma professors. , accompanies the implementation of the tourism project in each province. Although the classes are virtual, the different groups meet in person once a week with their tutors to watch the classes and plan tourist activities. In Catamarca the group meets weekly at the town’s Popular Library, which is named after its benefactor “Pedro Salomón Chade” and is on the main street, a few meters from the church.

The tourism project in Catamarca was growing and consolidating to the point that it currently has thirteen members among residents of El Portezuelo, Santa Cruz and other towns in the Valle Viejo department. The group is heterogeneous in terms of the trajectories, ages and origins of the people, since there are traditional families from each town and new neighbors, young people and adults, professionals, students, entrepreneurs and teachers, among others.

The Catamarca group organizes walks and fairs in El Portezuelo and surrounding areas in coordination with the Municipality of Valle Viejo (especially the areas of Culture and Tourism). Since 2022, hikes have been made to the Cueva de la Salamanca in Santa Cruz; to the City of Crows in El Portezuelo; to the Cueva de Mica in La Cuestecilla, to the Cuesta de La Herradura in Huaycama and a hike to Las Cascadas in La Bajada, as well as the organization of local fairs that register wide participation of local entrepreneurs and awaken the interest of visitors. The municipality of Valle Viejo supports with planning, with dissemination of activities and with logistics to have the fire service, civil defense, ambulance and municipal delegations for the cleaning of spaces.

Despite some obstacles that this type of entrepreneurial path usually presents, the El Portezuelo Caregiver Group has been consolidating and dreams of becoming a tourist services cooperative. At this point this year, he has already planned four other walks and will prepare for the winter holidays with original proposals for visitors.

Text and Photos: Collaboration by Érika Loritz

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