MONTEVIDEO – The Uruguayan government has signed agreements with the Children’s and Adolescents Institute (INAU) and Retail and Services Employees Federation (Fuecys) representatives to expand social tourism programs.

Tourism Minister Liliam Kechichian made the announcement during a press conference on Wednesday, saying that her Cabinet department deemed leisure and recreation a human right.

The official expressed satisfaction over the agreements, particularly in the case of the INAU, since the ministry and the agency have been cooperating for a long time on different activities, such as whale watching.

For INAU employees, who perform “very tense and complex tasks,” and continually deal with difficult situations, having access to tourism under this program “changes people’s quality of life,” Kechichian said.

“The quality of the services we provide through social tourism is exactly the same as we provide to any tourist coming to Uruguay,” the minister said. “It is an ethical issue, it is not tourism for the poor, not a lower quality or different tourism, it has the same quality and services.”

INAU president Marisa Lindner said the agreement would improve the occupational health of employees constantly exposed to the grind of their work.

“This is an opportunity to bolster what we consider a right of all workers, allowing them to be included in tourism activities, thus democratizing activities related to culture, the city and recreation,” Lindner said.