Planeta.com Launches Australia Update Focusing on Ecotourism and Aboriginal Tourism
(PRWeb) January 15, 2007 -- Planeta.com's Ron Mader has been invited by Aboriginal Tourism Australia to participate in the annual Business Development Symposium for Indigenous Tourism Operators February 6-8. Ron will also attend the 2007 Corroboree Indigenous Tourism Expo at the Sydney Opera House on February 9.
Ron presents two talks at the symposium: Taking Your Product to the World and Oaxaca Options: Lessons from Mexico. (Details below)
AUSTRALIA TRAVEL SURVEY
Starting in December 2006 Planeta.com is conducting the Australia Travel Survey -- http://tinyurl.com/y3ku9p -- to assess what travelers want from a trip. We are asking Australians and visitors alike about their interests in travel. Questions survey Australian icons and ask for reader input in creating Australia-specific online dialogues.
WEB WORKSHOPS
In February 2007 Planeta.com is offering an accelerated one-day version of our Web Seminar in Sydney, Brisbane and Byron Bay. Registration is online
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=661693095943
OTHER UPDATES
Among the Planeta.com features to be updated in early 2007 is a travelers' guide to Aboriginal Australia.
Also, in connection with a focus on urban ecotourism, Planeta.com will be launching city guides to Adelaide, Brisbane, Byron Bay, Cairns, Canberra, Darwin, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.
ABOUT PLANETA.COM
Planeta.com is an award-winning website that presents articles and discussion about the environment and travel. The site debuted in 1994. Travelers will find tips on choosing eco-friendly and people-friendly trips and professionals will find a number of helpful resources, including the Exploring Ecotourism Resource Guide.
ABOUT RON MADER
Ron Mader is a professional journalist and the founder of Planeta.com, the web's first site dedicated to ecotourism. Ron's work seeks to catalyze communication about environmental conservation, travel and peacemaking. He is currently editing a seminal essay titled Toward Effective Communication in Sustainable Tourism.
Ron is also the ecotourism and Latin America contributing editor for the U.S. magazine Transitions Abroad.
ABOUT ABORIGINAL TOURISM AUSTRALIA
Aboriginal Tourism Australia (ATA) is the primary national organization for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander tourism within Australia. Comprised of Indigenous tourism operators, ATA focuses on professional development among its members so that operators are prepared as market-ready businesses. ATA provides leadership for the development of Indigenous tourism, consistent with Indigenous economic, cultural and environmental values.
SCHEDULED PRESENTATIONS, SYDNEY 2007
Taking Your Product to the World -- The Web is the first calling card for travelers seeking responsible travel across the world. Operators are learning the marketing advantages of being web-savvy and pitching services to a global market.
Oaxaca Options: Linking Locals and Travelers in Mexico -- Oaxaca is one of the most ethnically and biologically diverse parts of Mexico. Planeta.com founder Ron Mader will share some lessons learned collaborating with indigenous artisans marketing their crafts and local tours. Ron will report on the 2007 Rural Tourism Fair and and compare capacity building efforts and marketing in Mexico with that in Australia.
CONTACTS
Ron Mader
Planeta.com
http://www.planeta.com
Lois Peeler
Aboriginal Tourism Australia
http://www.aboriginaltourism.com.au
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