MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Punta Arenas delegation to Ecotourism summit in Norway

Olso will host the Eco-Tourism Summit 2007

Sixteen tourism operators from Punta Arenas are traveling to Norway to participate in the World Eco-Tourism Summit which begins next May 14 in Oslo and will be opened by Queen Sonja.

The three days summit agenda includes conferences and debates on ecotourism and sustainable development; ecotourism and conservation; communications and education; ecotourism certification plus a full hour dedicated to Chile's Patagonia. The Chilean delegation which is partly financed by Chile's Promotion Corporation, Corfo, will have a stand at the show with literature, brochures and information on Patagonia. An estimated 400 delegates from sixty different countries will be participating in the summit. According to the Punta Arenas press the Chilean delegation is scheduled to hold a meeting with forty of Norway's and Europe's main ecotourism operators. Mayor Eugenia Mancilla said the summit was an excellent opportunity to present Magallanes a region which has "geographic similarities with Norway and its fiords", and should "give us a clear idea of the international standards needed for such an ecotourism promotion". Christian Miranda head of Magallanes region Tourism Office underlined the joint effort of the private sector and the government in promoting Chile overseas. "I'm convinced this experience will help us incorporate new ideas, new products", he emphasized. Some of the private operators that are traveling to Oslo include Mirador del Paine; Antares Patagonia; Maritima Cabo Forward; Patagonia Activa; Turismo Comapa; Lakutaia; Turismo Whale Sound; Fantastico Sur; Rutas Patagonia; La Maddera; Fiordos de la Patagonia; Hosteria Las Torres; Turismo Cordillera Darwin and Estancia and Hotel Rio Penitente. The Punta Arenas press reports that 46% of the 200.000 US dollars bill will be covered by the Sustainable Tourism program from Corfo.