Latin America
Ocean River Sports paddles into new territory with communications hire
November 30, 2011
Victoria, BC – A passion for adventure travel and ecotourism has landed Paul Beckman the with the job of heading up communications for Ocean River Sports, a paddling company based in Victoria, BC. Taking the role of communications manager Beckman brings more than 15 years of experience working (and playing) in the adventure travel industry – including operating kayak tours for cruise lines and taking such high-profile positions as vice president for Mexico’s Ecotourism and Adventure Travel Association and associate board member for Pronatura Noroeste (a regional chapter of the country’s oldest conservation organization). Beckman has been an active member of the Adventure Travel Trade Association and the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association and has experience working with a number of bird conservation organizations and tour companies. “Because our on-the-water adventure business has many arms, including a retail shop, boat rentals, kayak school, tour and expedition outfitter and... Read More →
Member Press Releases
Green Expedition Cruise Company Ecoventura To Encourage Guests, Others to Contribute to Scholarship Program To Train Galapagos Students as Environmental Leaders
October 12, 2011
MIAMI, FL – Ecoventura, the company that cossets guests who opt to sail with its environmentally friendly fleet of small expedition vessels in the Galapagos, announces a 2012 scholarship program for local students from the islands of Isabela, San Cristobal and Santa Cruz to study conservation and ecology-related issues. Santiago Dunn, president, said his company has pledged up to $4,800 to cover the cost of 12 scholarships for one course/module for 2012. Guests aboard Ecoventura’s fleet will be invited to donate to the scholarship fund that is dedicated to training young people to become leaders in society and contribute to the sustainable development of the islands, a World Heritage Site. Donations can be made by going directly to the EPI web site at: https://www.ecologyproject.org/donate/. “Developing critical-thinking skills and a conservation ethic along with knowledge of the problems that threaten the sustainability of the islands are among the main objectives of the training... Read More →
Member Press ReleasesColombia: Far Beyond Cartagena – Large Minority Expands to Colombia Under ‘More Local’ Brand
September 16, 2011
Bogotá, Colombia - The LARGE minority (LM) (www.largeminority.com) team is bringing its unique brand of adventure travel to Colombia. After months of tirelessly researching the conventional “must dos”, the team could ignore them all and offer their own escapades far from the guidebook-carrying crowd. Under the name More Local (www.morelocal.co), the half-Colombian outfit has put together a choice of trips to discover the country’s Amazonian jungle, coffee region and high plain (altiplano). Their holidays come together in the Criollo Experience, a 16-day jaunt spanning the country. Groups will set off from the capital, Bogotá, and head onto the altiplano. They’ll visit the original El Dorado, now a national park, and play tejo – a beer-friendly game of throwing metal pucks at a gunpowder target. The second leg flies the intrepid travellers south for a spectacular dash around the Amazon, cycling into Brazil for a cachaça sun downer, taking canoes into Peru, spotting pink... Read More →
Member Press Releases
Singular Hotels Announces Newest Project Opening In Chilean Patagonia This Fall Landmarked Century’s Old Sheep Factory Restored To Become Luxury Adventure Hotel
September 16, 2011
Patagonia, CHILE – After nearly a century, the landmarked post-Victorian circa 1915 Bories Cold Storage Plant will breathe new life with the December debut of The Singular Patagonia, the Chilean region’s newest luxury retreat, the result of a meticulous 10-year restoration and renovation. Set on nearly 100 acres overlooking the Fjord of Last Hope along the shores of the Señoret Channel in Southern Chile, the 57-room soon to be LEED-certified Singular Patagonia, resurrected by fourth generation relatives of the plant’s founders, pays homage to the once thriving factory’s historic past while delivering all of the conveniences and comforts guests expect today. The new property will also offer guests the singular adventure of exploring a pristine verdant landscape heretofore not accessible to the public and reserved exclusively for their enjoyment. When pioneer Jose Menendez, the great, great, great, great grandfather of co-owners the Sahli-Lecaros family, descended... Read More →
Member Press Releases
2012 Cultural / Educational Adventures to Cuba To Be Offered by Award-Winning Tour Operator, Austin-Lehman Adventures
September 15, 2011
Billings, MT – Award-winning tour operator Austin-Lehman Adventures, the active travel company setting adventure vacations standards in The Americas, Europe, Africa and beyond, announces it will host cultural / educational adventures to Cuba beginning in early 2012. With license in hand from the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Affairs, ALA’s programs will promote cross-cultural, people-to-people contact through licensed guided tours in Cuba in a style similar to its other culturally immersive international programs, said Dan Austin, Founder and Director. One 10-day tour itinerary with an as-of-yet undetermined number of scheduled departures will launch in early 2012. Custom / exclusive small group trips will also be offered. Additional itineraries (requiring separate approval) are on the drawing board for the future, he said. “Excitement about an ALA tour program in Cuba has been running high among staff and past trip alumni, said Austin. “There’s already a... Read More →
Spotlight: Sustainability
Controversial Airport Planned in Costa Rican Biodiversity Hotspot
September 15, 2011
Assistant Editor’s Note: Information and excerpts from The New York Times Green Blog by Dylan Walsh Citing jog creation and poverty reduction, the Costa Rican government has labeled a proposed airport construction project as one of ‘national importance,’ despite objections from the Natural Resources Defense Council that it will negatively impact the Térraba-Sierpe Wetland, an internationally recognized site valued near $2 billion, as well as neighborning enclave of small, high value eco-lodges, all just three miles away. Local inhabitants facing eviction are also protesting. Critics of the project point to a similar development in the Guanacaste Province which has had little economic benefit and a host of environmental issues arising post construction. Guanacaste expanded its local airport to an international terminal in 2002. Studies of the area have tied this expansion to social instability from a rapid influx of international real estate investment and an overgrown... Read More →
Member Press Releases
Ecuador’s Ministry of Tourism to Promote New Products and Attractions in Fall Travel Conventions
September 9, 2011
Cultural Presentations and a Delegation of Travel Suppliers Will Participate NEW YORK – Ecuador’s Ministry of Tourism will be promoting the country’s new tourism products and developments in its four regions – Galapagos Islands, Pacific Coast, Andes and Amazon, to U.S. and Canadian tourism professionals during the winter of 2011 as part of its ongoing campaign aimed to increase tourism to the country. Delegates from the country, including tour operators, hoteliers and destination representatives, will be on hand with representatives from the Ministry and an array of cultural performers, including dancers, singers and chefs, to present Ecuador’s varied tourism offerings during the following conferences. LA CUMBRE (Las Vegas, Sept. 7 - 9, 2011) Ecuador’s Ministry of Tourism will participate in La Cumbre with an island booth and six co-exhibitors including the following tour operators: Klein Tours, Enchanted Expeditions, Latin Trails, Creter Tours and L’Alianxa Tecnoviajes.... Read More →
Members "In the News"Developing a New Model for Resort and Tourism Development
August 15, 2011
Photo: George Potter Assistant Editor’s Note: The following article, written by Donnie Clapp, was published on ATTA Member Mercury CSC’s website and published here with their permission. In 1976, visionary biologist Richard Dawkins coined the term “meme” in his first book, The Selfish Gene. It was his word for the informational equivalent of the gene: a self-replicating, evolving idea. The sort that occasionally hooks into a moment in societal consciousness and establishes itself in people’s minds. Whether silly or profound, these memes represent a new way of thinking about some small part of our world, and we can’t help but be affected by them. For a long time, developers have built destination resorts a certain way, which can be generalized as without much regard to the places in which they exist. In the recent past, a second option has presented itself in eco-tourism, but its focus and audience are both narrow. We believe that there is a third way,... Read More →
Member Press Releases
Ecoventura Offers Two 7-Night Cruise Itineraries Starting January 2012 on 20-Passsenger M/Y Eric, Flamingo I and Letty
July 28, 2011
New Itineraries Developed to Comply with New Galapagos National Park Regulations Will Enhance Experience While Minimizing Visitor Impact MIAMI – Ecoventura’s environmentally friendly fleet of small expedition vessels in the Galapagos will alternate two 7-night itineraries approved by the Galapagos National Park and Marine Reserve beginning on Jan. 29, 2012. Three 20-passenger sister yachts, MY Eric, Flamingo and Letty are charged with helping protect and preserve the fragile eco system while engaging guests in the splendors of the Galapagos archipelago. Cruise rates start at $3,350 per person double occupancy per week. Shorter options are sometimes available on seasonal departure dates only for a 5 or 6 night cruise. “Our team of experts carefully developed two distinct itineraries that would best benefit our client’s interests and allow them to see the greatest variety of species of wildlife possible,” explains Ecoventura spokesperson Doris Welsh. “The two weeklong itineraries... Read More →
Member Press Releases Trade Events
RacingThePlanet: Nepal 2011- A Seven-Day Footrace Across Annapurna
July 18, 2011
Kathmandu, Nepal: RacingThePlanet, an international organization specializing in high endurance races is organizing a footrace in the Annapurna region from 20th to 26th November, 2011. Racing ThePlanet: Nepal 2011 footrace will begin just outside Pokhara. Competitors will have to cover a distance of 250 kilometers within seven days, carrying their own equipment and food. They will sleep in both tents and tea houses supported along the way by highly regarded Sherpas and a professional medical and operations team. During the race, the course will venture close to Mustang Region and the altitude is not expected to go much above 11,000 feet. According to RacingThePlanet, one of their missions in organizing the race is to document and contribute to improving the lives of ethnic minorities and tribes in the areas they explore, and to encourage and support competitors to raise funds for their charities. In the Nepal race, competitors will be supporting over forty charities through their efforts. Around... Read More →
