On the 11th and the 25th of this month, students from the Tourism Course of the Ponta Grossa State University (UEPG) visited the head office of the Purunã Institute and one of the environmental education trails that is being set up.

The visit was part of a pedagogical activity of the Tourism Planning Laboratory, taught by Professor Valéria Albach, that is being developed in partnership with the Secretariat of Industry, Commerce and Tourism of Balsa Nova.

The twenty-eight students involved are working on a list of existing offers for tourists, and on the identification of potentialities. They are also using applied research to make diagnoses in the areas of tourism awareness, tourism infrastructure and equipment, tourist attractions (mainly natural) and regional advertising. Based on this information, they will propose actions to achieve some medium-term tourism-related goals from the report Balsa Nova 2030.

Albach emphasizes the importance of this work for the training of students: “Students have the opportunity to experience the process of tourism planning, which, due to its complexity, is difficult to learn in the classroom only.” The presentation of the results is scheduled for November 2017.

Sustainable Tourism is one of the Purunã Institute’s lines of action. Visit www.institutopuruna.com.br and find out more about the Institute.