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Nature tour of Costa Rica offered by Texas AgriLife Extension ServiceTexas Texas landowners and managers in the "ecotourism" or "agritourism" business can learn from some of the best in the industry through a specially designed tour of Costa Rica, the tour's coordinator said. The Texas AgriLife Extension Service will host the tour March 8 to 14 to be led by Miles Phillips, AgriLife Extension nature tourism specialist. "This learning tour will provide tourism practitioners, ranchers, land managers or anyone else the opportunity to experience successful operations and learn from their managers in a country that is a world leader in ecotourism and agritourism," Phillips said. The tour will include visits to tourism operations and discussions with business owners, he said. "We'll hear directly from them about how they have succeeded and discuss applications for Texas operations," Phillips said. Some itinerary highlights include: --Travel to Hacienda Guachipelin, a working ranch and resort at the entrance of Rincon de la Vieja National Park. --A visit to Bahia Santa Elena Lodge near the coast and a two-night stay at Santa Rosa National Park. --Travel to La Fortuna, a city known as a center for tourism with a stay at Hotel Arenal Paraiso, which faces Arenal Volcano, a popular site among nature tourists. --A visit to the new Texas A&M Soltis Center for Research and Education, which represents and supports Latin American programs of Texas A&M University. --A visit to a guest farm operation and stay at the cloud forest ecoresort Villa Blanca. --Opportunities for a variety of activities including paddle trips, hot springs and canopy zip-line experiences. The tour costs $1,039 per person based on double occupancy in hotel rooms and does not include travel to and from Costa Rica. To register and for more information, visit www.rpts.tamu.edu/tce/NT and click on "Costa Rica Educational Tour - March 8-14, 2010." Those interested may also contact Phillips at 979-204-8448 or mdphillips@ag.tamu.edu, or Rosie Woodward at 888-336-7578 or Rosie@CostaRicanSpecialties.com. Innovation and creativity among Texans in recent years has already led to significant growth of nature tourism in the state, Phillips said. "A 2006 survey by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service documents the economic value of nature tourism, with a measurement of wildlife-related recreation, and in effect points out the importance of recognizing and promoting best practices in the industry," he said. In 2006, some 6 million people in Texas participated in some form of fish- and wildlife-related recreation, Phillips continued. Anglers, hunters and wildlife viewers generated $8.91 billion in retail sales--$8.24 billion by residents and $671 million by non-residents--creating $4.67 billion in salaries and wages, and supporting 139,404 jobs in 2006, he said.
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