By DPA
Coro (Venezuela) : Years of economic troubles, strikes and mass protests in Venezuela are now over and the country’s tourist industry is on the upswing, especially in the Caribbean island of Margarita, the state of Merida in the Andes, and Canaima National Park with its Table Mountains and waterfalls, the main tourist destinations.
The northwestern state of Falcon is among the places that have attracted foreign visitors, including some new homeowners from Germany.
Holiday homes with gardens on Paraguana Peninsula beckon with prices starting at about $48,334. There, like everywhere else in Venezuela, a full tank of petrol costs – as of summer 2007 – the equivalent of less than $4.
“Petrol is cheaper than mineral water here,” notes Julio Enriquez, a 60-year-old taxi driver, as he fuels his old, petrol-guzzling Chrysler at a filling station near Adicora. He says he works only when he feels like it.
“We’ve all got a little house, chickens, goats, fish from the sea, a big family and nice neighbours,” Enriquez remarks, adding, “I’m happy in Falcon.”
Falcon? It does not ring a bell with many travel agencies in Europe. Falcon has 770,000 inhabitants, 685 kilometres of Caribbean coast, some islands, the historic city of Coro, four national parks, a bit of desert and a lot of wild donkeys.
The Caribbean islands of Aruba and Curacao are nearby. Large refineries are a reminder of what greases Venezuela’s economy.
Four stray donkeys trot across the road. Cattle munch dry grass alongside it. Cacti and agaves grow in the sandy soil. Flowers of hibiscus and oleander glitter near low-slung houses. There are Caribbean beaches that are prettier. But the sense of having a foothold far from the crowds, the hospitality and low prices are enticing for many foreigners.
Not much is happening in Adicora on this day. The red-and-white lighthouse greets arriving seafarers. A sign saying “room vacant” looks out from the Posada Kitzberger. The white-haired proprietress, Alba Kitzberger, used to live on the Rhine and in Stuttgart.
“Three or four arrivals from Germany bought houses on Paraguana,” she relates.
You have to go through the desert to reach Coro from the airport. Founded in 1527, it is one of the oldest cities in the New World. Schoolchildren in blue-and-white uniforms stroll through colonial-style arcades eating ice cream. Coro has been a Unesco World Heritage site since 1993.
Its surroundings consist of mountains, waterfalls and exotic flora and a giant refinery. While it may be an eyesore for some tourists, the locals are proud of their industry.
Holidaymakers in Morrocoy National Park, in the eastern part of Falcon, are pampered by beaches of light-coloured sand with plenty of palm trees, and rum punch. Mario Finocchi, 45, captain of the tourist boat Catira, can show tourists plenty – a sea turtle on the left, frigate birds in the sky, and a pelican gliding towards its prey on the right.
“Please don’t look behind you – it’d be irritating,” he advises. He means the tall block-like concrete buildings awaiting guests on the coast. Almost only Venezuelans spend the night in them.