“Tourism has no ceiling to grow in Santa Fe”
In a one-on-one with Diario CASTELLANOS, the Secretary of Tourism of Santa Fe, Marcela Aeberhard, referred to the work that has been carried out in the area in these 6 months of Pullaro management. A measurable, concrete plan is “the legacy we want to leave.” Training with programs like “Impulsa” are key: “This industry without a chimney must be given content.” Winter holidays and XL weekends are coming: a WhatsApp number as a 24/7 tool to find out everything you can do in the Province in a diverse offer.
The connectivity that accompanies the development of this industry that has no roof, one of the axes of an interview he had with his counterpart from the Nation, Daniel Scioli
-An XL weekend is coming, the winter holidays, how is the province preparing for these moments?
-We are preparing a presentation that we are going to do together with different travel agencies and with the proposals organized by towns such as Santa Fe, Rosario, the north of the province. There are proposals to visit such as the RAMSAR Site – Jaaukanigás, which is a very significant place: 490,000 hectares of biodiversity, a protected site. It is like the continuation of Iberá. There are no physical limits there but political ones. There will be many proposals and we are going to make them known. We want to seek the attention of the people of Santa Fe so that he can tour his province. From north to south, from east west, there are proposals. The southern lagoons invite you to do activities linked to nature, large cities like Rosario are full of theatrical, cultural and sports activities. In Santa Fe, Esperanza, Rafaela… in the north you have Florencia, Villa Ocampo, Reconquista, Avellaneda. There are places to visit, still lifes, grocery stores. Gastronomy is always a good argument for tourism. Rural tourism, educational farms.
-What do I do on winter vacation? The WhatsApp
-In March, the Santa Fe Tourism Secretariat presented a digital tool. Through a WhatsApp number (342-5908723) you can access a chatbot that, interactively and 24 hours a day, provides updated information on attractions and events to enjoy throughout the province. “During winter holidays, the question always arises ‘what do I do with the kids? Where can I take them?’ With this tool, we can visualize the ‘must see’ of the province, we invite you to explore it… it is very simple, you do not have to download an application. What places that are close to me can I visit? Places that are not so far away, that I do not have to consume? a lot of fuel. You can also find tourist packages: proposals, for example, about faith tourism, Moises Ville, Jewish temples, capturing the history and heritage that exists in the city of Santa Fe. There are proposals for everyone. pockets and for all families.
-The tourist corridors…
-We are working with microregions. We are giving a lot of impetus to the coastal corridor of Route 1: there are many cabins, sport fishing. There is the Carcarañá corridor, the museums, the tours, the proposals linked to active tourism, hiking. Also the gastronomic routes. You in the dairy basin, where there are first-class cold cuts, pastas.
-A fundamental issue for tourism is the infrastructure that the visitor can count on. How do you see Santa Fe in that sense?
-We have many challenges at the infrastructure level. Today you access the province by routes, highway. Geographically we are in the center of the country. That’s a strength. The challenge, as the Minister of Public Works (Lisandro Enrico) recently said, is road maintenance and safety. There are more than 4,000 km of provincial routes and more than 2,800 national routes. You will also access it through the Airport, river walks in Rosario… you can access it in several ways: routes, very well-prepared bus terminals, airports, river docks. The challenge, clearly, is to improve connectivity with tourism. There is great work we have to do. With Renata Ghilotti (Secretary of Transportation of Santa Fe), we have recently met with the Secretary of Tourism of the Nation, Daniel Scioli to whom we raised the need to improve connectivity because this is fundamental for the development of tourism. It is a great challenge.
Sectoral tables, a concrete plan
In another part of the talk, the official referred to the sectoral tables: “What the Minister of Productive Development, Gustavo Puccini, asks us to do is to work in the value chain of the tourism sector. We are going to start working with the sectoral tables. We understand that there is a lot to contribute. The economic activity generated by tourism is very important and the economic impact is very significant. And for the province that is important because it also generates labor. It is something that we are very interested in working on.
-They have revitalized the theme of popular festivals in the different locations, could it be?
-We value and consider the popular festivals that are organized throughout the Province. From a small town to the biggest city. We accompany, we highlight, we make visible the importance of that productive matrix that is often the argument for holding large popular festivals that bring together families. The effort of the municipalities and communes. I think that in these first six months of management we have many challenges ahead of us but we understand that we are on the path that Governor Maximiliano Pullaro has set for us: being very close to the territory, to the people. Have presence, listen, set up sectoral tables and have a plan. That is what is distinctive and the legacy we want to leave.
“No one can do an activity of such magnitude alone”
The Secretary of Tourism of the Province referred to the event that took place this weekend in our city: “No one can do an activity of such magnitude alone.” In a note published last week in CASTELLANOS DIGITAL, the official highlighted the importance of the event and the “joint” work between the different sectors: “The public-private articulation and the sector linked to organizations, sports federations, the club, the Municipality, the Province. It is a joint effort. No one can do an activity of such magnitude alone. It is always important to work in community, as a plural organization.” He highlighted that this “shared leadership” is what in some way distinguishes tourism: “We see it throughout the province. In every activity that is organized, the support of the public sector is crucial. Obviously the effort of the private sector that calls for the activities it organizes. The presence of the State is necessary: from the traffic regulation, to having the city in good condition, to the providers that are trained. From the moment the visitor arrives in a city and loads fuel, we have to have that sensitivity. to receive and be good hosts. Aeberhard celebrated these activities and highlighted the commitment and support from the Province: “The State accompanies and tries to guarantee that it happens in the best conditions. We understand that there is a lot to contribute,” she promised.
