OAXACA DE JUAREZ,
MEXICO -- To celebrate World
Environment Day, Planeta.com presents the ninth annual Colibri
Ecotourism Award to Pedro Martinez, the owner of a small
business in Oaxaca
City that has pioneered responsible travel and ecotourism
the past 20 years.
"Pedro is an inspiration, a model of the small business
entrepreneur who has persevered in creating an enterprise that
touches the lives of locals and foreigners," said Planeta.com
founder Ron Mader. " His work is outstanding and the contributions
he has made to the Rural Tourism Fairs and to improving the
editorial content on Planeta.com are good examples of sharing
lessons and broadening the appeal of Mexico's rural tourism
and ecotourism options."
The Colibri Ecotourism Award recognizes leaders who are at the
forefront of innovative measures to protect cultural and natural
heritage in Mexico.
"We hope that the Colibri Ecotourism Award gets the word
out about Mexico's role in the global movement toward responsible
travel and ecotourism," said Emilio Kifuri, award co-sponsor
and owner of Canyon Travel -- http://www.canyontravel.com
-- a North American ecotourism operator. "Entrepreneurs
like Pedro Martinez lead the way. Literally!"
"This year's Colibri Ecotourism Award recognizes a continuation
of Oaxaca's place in fostering innovative and sustainable tourism
practices," said Greg Custer, award co-sponsor and Vice
President of Destination Ventures -- http://www.magicofmexico.com.
"The Oaxaca region has for millennia been a wellspring
for human cultural advancement. The rest of world should take
note."
ABOUT THE COLIBRI AWARD
Colibri means 'Hummingbird' in Spanish and in 2009 the
Colibri Award celebrates its ninth anniversary, making this
one of the longest-running ecotourism awards. The winner of
the annual award receives a trophy, diploma and a $1,000 cash
award from Emilio Kifuri, president of Canyon
Travel.
"Mexico is one of the world's mega diverse countries and
there are many examples where tourism helps educate visitors
and provides benefits for rural communities," said Kifuri.
"Mexico ought to be at the forefront of the ecotourism
movement and if we pay attention to the work that's being done,
the word 'ecotourism' will make travelers think of Mexico."
The Colibri Ecotourism Award's co-sponsor, Destination
Ventures, contributes directly to Planeta.com to develop
supporting projects documenting the winner's work. The company
specializes in travel industry education and currently works
for the Mexico Tourism Board and United Nations Foundation in
promoting sustainable travel to UNESCO
World Heritage Sites.
Previous winners include Steve
Bridger, Gerhard
Buttner, Hector
Ceballos-Lascurain, Jorge
Chàvez de la Peña, Fernando
Garcia Aguinaco, Marlene
Ehrenberg, Juan
Carlos Ibarra, Jennifer
Morfín, Antonio
Suárez and Francisco
Verástegui.
The winner of the award is selected by Planeta.com founder
Ron Mader
following consultation with previous award winners and colleagues.
CRITERIA
Planeta.com presents the Colibri
Ecotourism Award to those whose work in Mexico
is exemplary and who share what they learn. Good ideas require
good work to come to completion and good work needs to be documented
so that lessons can be shared.
Nominees participate by helpful edits, connecting using Web
2.0, Planeta Wiki
or contribute editorial suggestions for at least a year. Bonus
points are given to those who participate on other websites
and forums. This is part of Planeta.com's desire to create incentives
for communication,
collaboration
and continuity,
all vital elements in the development of responsible
travel and ecotourism.
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