Geotourism Innovators Honored at Gamma Blue 11s 2013 Summit

Last week, National Geographic was proud to be the host of the first ever Geotourism Challenge Summit, which took place Oct. 14 and 15 at jordan 11 Gamma Blueour headquarters in Washington, DC. The summit brought together winners and finalists jordan 11 Gamma Blue 2013 of the Geotourism Challenge a global competition of tourism related projects that promote natural and cultural heritage while improving the well being of local residents (you can learn more about the project from the video, above).

The three winners the Yachana Foundation (Ecuador), 3 Sisters Adventure Trekking (Nepal), and Rios Tropicales (Costa Rica) were selected out of a total of 321 entries from 83 countries for their innovative approaches in promoting geotourism, which is defined as "tourism that sustains or enhances the geographical character Gamma Blue 11s of a place its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage and the well being of its residents." Each of the three winning projects received a $5,000 award. The competition was carried out by Ashoka's Gamma Blue 11s for sale Changemakers and the National Geographic Society's Center for Sustainable Destinations (CSD).

Summit participants discussed a series of new geotourism initiatives. Beginning in 2009, the Global Geotourism Network jordan 11 Gamma Blue for sale plans to provide an Internet based platform for tourism professionals and travelers to share information and tools to develop projects and set new standards for destination stewardship. The network is a project of the Montreal based Centre of Excellence for Destinations (CED) in collaboration with the CSD.