Sustainability Award for Tropic! LATA 2012

L A T A Members’ Newsletter December 2012

LATA News Dear Members and Friends, Hopefully you have caught your breath following the WTM, a busy period for many of us. We do hope you enjoyed this year’s LATA party at St. John’s Smith Square. The feedback we have received from members and guests has been very positive, but we know we can always improve, so any feedback or ideas will be very welcome. Events like the WTM party don’t happen by chance, so on behalf of LATA and its members we would like to publicly thank the support and generosity of our sponsors the Rio Convention & Visitors Bureau, WTM Latin America and Lonely Planet, as well as the venue itself. We would also like to congratulate our award winners on the night that were honoured by the LATA membership for “Promotional Success”, Turismo Chile; for “Sustainability”, Inkaterra (with a commendation for Tropic Journeys in Nature); for “Innovation”, Mashpi (with a commendation for Crillon Tours); and for “Customer Service”, Journey Latin America. Paulo Senise of the Rio Convention & Visitors Bureau was also inducted into the LATA Hall of Fame. Its’ 5th recipient. We hope to see a good turn out of members for the Airline Forum that will be held on 12 December at Canning House. Your chance to meet the people who fly your clients to-and-from Latin America, and learn their plans for 2013. They will also be taking your questions. Drinks after will be a good way to kick off the festive season. Another important date for the diary is Wednesday, 30 January 2013, when we will be celebrating LATA 21st Anniversary at a reception on the House of Lords Terrace with the All Party Parliamentary British-Latin America Group. We urge all members to make sure their local MP knows about this event and turns up to support you. LATA Tweets & Twitter LATA is getting more and more active on Twitter in the build up to the launch of our new web site. Please follow LATA on Twitter (@latauk), and we will follow you back. You should also follow @LATA_PR, the LATA PR team, who will follow you back and can retweet your news to several hundred influential journalists and publications. LATA PR The latest LATA Press / Media Newsletter is now available to view online at: http://www.brightergroup.com/news/50/59/LATA-Lowdown-What-s-Hot-in-2013 Tropic Journeys In Nature: www.tropiceco.com Last month's Senderos Famtrip to the Huaorani Ecolodge was a tremendous success Gareth who lead the group has tons of information about our new ventures and innovation at the lodge. We are also happy to share that the Telegraph piece on the Amazon features the Huaorani Ecolodge as the highlight and a trip of a lifetime in Ecuador! http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/activityandadventure/trip-of-a-lifetime/9648385/The-Amazon-Trip-of-a-Lifetime.html

Sustainable Tourism Development Experiences in Ecuador

Tropic General Manager sharing the company's experiences and ethos to a group of young entrepreneurs in Quito. For more information please contact us at: info@tropiceco.com or visit our website: www.tropiceco.com

The Amazon: Trip of a Lifetime

Telegraph - UK by Chris Moss Once again the Huaorani Ecolodge featured on the news: "Ecuador The headwaters of the Amazon in Ecuador are widely recognised as the site of some of the greatest biodiversity on Earth. The government is still contemplating exploiting the oil reserves in the Yasuní region but, for now at least, tourism provides a counterweight to the economic pressures. Indigenous tribes such as the Huaorani and the Shuar and the more integrated Quechua communities accommodate visitors at basic lodges along the banks of several tributaries. Lodges are often isolated and getting to one may involve a flight – while boat trips are special, a small plane offers the best vantage point for seeing the full grandeur of the canopy. Highlights include the indigenous tribes, ceibo trees, Huaorani Ecolodge and campsite, hummingbirds, blue morpho butterflies, the Yasuní Biosphere Reserve"

Our latest presence in the news at the Sweedish press. Our GM was interviewed by TRavel Report after our participation at the Long Run Destinations Workshop with the Zeitz Foundation. "Tourism that creates sustainability" "Tourism can be a powerful tool to develop societies financially while also sustaining traditions. In Ecuador you often see conservation efforts of nature and culture, walk hand in hand with a growing tourism industry." "A concept developed in close cooperation with the with the villagers, that works as a prime example, on how tourism can be used as a tool to conserve and sustain nature and culture." Skål!!

Best for Cultural Interaction

Journey Latin America, British tour operator ranks the Huaorani Ecolodge as BEST FOR CULTURAL INTERACTION http://www.journeylatinamerica.co.uk/papagaio/Top5/jungle-lodges.aspx A stay at Huaorani Ecolodge offers a unique rainforest experience, coupled with an intimate insight into the lives and culture of the Huaorani tribal people. While the lodging is basic, the profound impact of forging a connection with the living culture of a jungle tribe is what sets it apart. Visitors will discover first-hand how people live in remote jungle communities, how they make use of the forest's resources, and the ill effects of oil exploration on them and their lands. Bring your sense of adventure: you'll arrive by light aircraft and dugout canoe, and learn how to set traps, make fire without matches, build a shelter in minutes, use a blowgun, practice the perfect swing of the machete and catch fish in jungle lagoons.

New Award for Tropic at ETC 2013 Responsible Tourism Showcase

We just got this amazing news to add the recent ones at Conde Nast Traveller and the National Geographic Traveller! Tropic's been awarded by the Educational Travel Community (ETC). the ETC's commitment to advancing responsible tourism, hosts an annual Responsible Tourism Showcase to recognize the efforts of ETC members and their partners working diligently in the field to develop and implement responsible tourism initiatives. We are proud of getting the 1st place and cogratulate the other winners and participants. Special thanks to Andrea, Pelin and the team at Holbrook for their kind nomination and support to our work in Ecuador. for more details please check: http://travelearning.com/content/index/2013_rts_honorees?subCat

Huaorani Ecolodge at the National Geographic Traveller

Another great piece about our ecotourism programas in Ecuador. Thanks to A&K and Chris Moss for your support on this one. Ecuador: Tribal Tales Home to the Huaorani Indians, Ecuador’s Amazonian rainforest is one of the world’s most biologically rich strips of land, where travellers can learn to hunt with a blowpipe, shin up trees barefoot, summon birds and spot monkeys. Yet despite being a region of unequivocal beauty, the threat of oil drilling hangs heavily in the air. Read the article here: http://www.natgeotraveller.co.uk/where/ecuador/75331/