The State Tourism Secretariat (Setur-BA) concluded, this month, in Canudos, in the Caminhos do Sertão tourist area, the first stage of the pioneering training project in the bird watching segment. At the City Council, the department brought together public managers, professionals and businesspeople from local and neighboring cities, who were updated on the characteristics of activities to contemplate these animals.
“We are happy to see our region covered by this work by the State Government in tourism, which is very important for the economy of the municipalities, generating expectations of more jobs and income”, highlighted the mayor of Canudos, Jilson Cardoso.
“This meeting helps to strengthen a niche market that has been growing in Bahia, with actions that organize the tourist trade and are necessary for the development of destinations”, added the coordinator of Turismo de Glória, Eid Kentenich.
The practical part of the training took place at the Canudos Biological Station, an environmental reserve of Fundação Biodiversitas, dedicated to the preservation of the Lear’s Macaw, an endemic species of the Bahian Caatinga, threatened with extinction. The protection work caused the bird population to increase from 50 to more than 2 thousand individuals. In the reserve, the group led by Setur-BA had the opportunity to observe the macaws maneuvering in the air and took photos.
“Tourism can be an important tool for bird conservation, putting an end to territorial disputes between humans and animals. This would serve as an incentive for investments in hotels and training aimed at serving tourists and researchers. The protection of biodiversity must be a joint effort, involving public authorities and the whole of society”, said university professor and researcher Eliseu Pinheiro da Cruz.
Lear’s macaw was chosen by Setur-BA as the symbol of birdwatching tourism in Bahia. The organization is finalizing the first itinerary for the segment, with hundreds of species catalogued, eight of which are endemic, which will be launched at Avistar Brasil, the largest event of its kind in Latin America, which takes place from May 17th to 19th, in São Paulo.
“To prepare the itinerary, we were in the tourist areas Chapada Diamantina, Caminhos do Sudoeste, Costa do Cacau, Costa do Descobrimento, Costa dos Coqueiros and Caminhos do Sertão, which are home to the largest number of species, among the most sought after by bird watchers. We train the tourist trade and listen to experts, to offer visitors original experiences and qualified services”, reported the superintendent of Promotion and Tourist Services at Setur-BA, Fabíola Paes Leme.
Photo: Tatitana Azeviche/Ascom Setur-BA
