Pura Vida

Our First Project Will Be In Costa Rica

Why Costa Rica?

Costa Rica’s unemployment rate has been on the rise over the last decade. By the end of 2019 unemployment reached 12% overall, and over 30% in youth aged 15-24. Rural areas like the southern zone suffer the highest rates of unemployment and poverty. These same rural areas are also experiencing increasingly high levels of tourism.
We can bridge this gap and empower these communities through the tourism industry!

Online Hospitality Training Program

Our groundbreaking community project is a free online hospitality training program for locals in the Costa Ballena region ages 16-24.

 

The intensive 60-hour course teaches hospitality-based English language development as well as leadership skills to excel within the hospitality industry.

 

Graduates of our program will receive job placement assistance in premier hotels.

Sponsor our training program!

Every donation helps another student earn the opportunity to develop professionally and seek a career in hospitality. Sponsoring the training program helps fund curriculum development, educator salaries and job placement. Sponsors will receive recognition on our website and social media, as well as on program materials.

 

Business Sponsorship:

Local businesses in the Costa Ballena region can become a Business Sponsor by donating $500 or more to the training program.

Premier Sponsorship:

Individuals and businesses can become a Premier Sponsor by donating $2,000 or more to the training program.

 

Request further information by email at info@real-tourism.org or by phone/WhatsApp at +1 559.797.1884

Our Dream Facility

We have an amazing hotel picked out that we are fundraising for the purchase and retrofit of. This facility will function as a teaching hotel with a hospitality training center embedded within a nonprofit hotel. The ideal location of a jungle setting along a river and within walking distance to the beach can’t be beat. This eco-friendly hotel also boasts a Level 4 Certificate of Sustainable Tourism (CST).

This facility offers:

Donate now to help us realize our dream and begin training students for employment in the hospitality industry. All profits from the teaching hotel go directly into the community for education, tourism business microloans, and university scholarships.

Donate now to help us realize our dream and begin training students full-time for employment in the hospitality industry.

All profits from the teaching hotel go directly into the community for education, tourism business microloans, and university scholarships.

“Why Paris?
Paris Needs No Reason, Paris Is Its Own Reason.”

Maureen Johnson

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Tourism Business Financing:

We strive to increase the number of locally owned tourism businesses by providing a low-cost financing option for entrepreneurs that would otherwise not qualify for traditional financing. We offer microloans to locals that wish to start a new tourism business or expand an existing tourism business. Applicants without prior education must complete REAL Tourism Development’s hospitality management training program or business management community courses to ensure successful management of their new or expanded business. We also reward participants whose businesses meet specific socially and environmentally sustainable criteria by offering partial loan payment forgiveness.

University Scholarships:

We can promote local management and ownership positions in the tourism industry by offering a formal education to students who would not otherwise be able to attend university. Each year we will provide one full-ride university scholarship to a local high school student pursuing a degree in Tourism or Hospitality. Preference will be given to students that participate in REAL Tourism Development’s youth outreach program, those that plan to stay in their home country to build their career in tourism, and those most in financial need, as well as to females who historically have lower rates of higher education and employment.

Hospitality Training Centers

We combat unemployment and the lack of qualified local applicants for hospitality positions in developing countries with our hospitality training centers. These centers for at-risk youth and disadvantaged community members will equip graduates for employment in high-paying luxury hotels. Training centers will be part of an operating hotel to provide both formal classroom education as well as practical training and apprenticeship on location. Students will be selected based on need, with a preference given to females due to their higher rates of unemployment. Students will select a program from the areas of housekeeping, restaurant service, culinary, or hotel management. Graduates will be provided with a paid internship at a major high-end hotel, and with assistance finding employment after the internship. And as a nonprofit teaching hotel, all profits go directly into the community to improve their quality of life.