To put this pilot project into action, UNESCO has closely collaborated with the National UNESCO Commission of Nicaragua, the Nicaragua Tourism Institute and the French Cultural and Cooperation Center in Central America. To allow the integration of cultural preservation interests, community empowerment aims and economic development strategies, other national, regional and local institutions, tourism businesses and NGOs have also been involved. The project was initiated by a series of stakeholder meeting s defining objectives, conditions and actions appropriate to the project aims. These included the creation of synergies between private and public sectors, the mapping of the route and principles underlying its sustainability, and the transfer of knowledge between tourism professionals and local communities enabling the latter to access the commercial circuits of the tourism industry.