Oaxaca, Mexico - 6 February 2009

Voting is open until February 20 for the Indigenous Tourism and Biodiversity Website Award. The Award will be presented to an indigenous tourism operation which has a website that promotes sustainable practices and educates visitors on cultural protocols and biodiversity conservation.

This initiative is a collaborative effort between Planeta.com and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity to showcase best practices in web-based technologies helping indigenous people manage tourism in a biodiversity-friendly way. Tourism services owned and operated by indigenous people and communities are eligible for the Indigenous Tourism and Biodiversity Website Award.

The award is part of a larger initiative by the Secretariat, aimed at building capacity for indigenous and local communities with the view to support and strengthen sustainable tourism initiatives through the use of new information and web-based technologies. It is a complement to the Indigenous Communities, Tourism and Biodiversity Workshop Series in which indigenous and local communities from each region are developing their own web based tools and methods with a view to improving their websites and their capacity to reflect traditional ways in conserving indigenous land, and to allow potential visitors and clients to learn about indigenous practices and cultures.

Planeta.com hosts a number of awards aimed at improving the quality of communication about responsible travel and ecotourism. Coverage of indigenous people and tourism are highlighted in the regional guides.

Details
http://planeta.wikispaces.com/itbw