Planeta Update - Climate Change
October 2009
>> http://www.planeta.com

Here are plenty of resources about climate change and tourism!

Tourism and Climate Change
http://www.planeta.com/climate.html

Wiki
http://planeta.wikispaces.com/climate

Flickr Group
http://www.flickr.com/groups/worldclimate

Forum
http://forum.planeta.com/viewforum.php?f=91

Slideshare
http://www.slideshare.net/planeta/climate-presentation-732903
http://www.slideshare.net/planeta/climatetips

Twitter
http://visibletweets.com/#query=COP15&animation=1

------ End of Forwarded Message

Planeta Update - Indigenous Tourism and Biodiversity Website Award
>> http://www.planeta.com

ANNOUNCEMENT

Nominations are open until the end of November for the 2010 Indigenous
Tourism and Biodiversity Website Award. Details
http://planeta.wikispaces.com/itbw

The Indigenous Tourism and Biodiversity Website Award is a collaborative
effort between Planeta.com <http://www.planeta.com> and the Secretariat of
the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) <http://www.cbd.int> with the
support of the Heidehof Foundation to showcase best practices in web-based
technologies helping indigenous people manage tourism in a
biodiversity-friendly way.

The award is presented to indigenous tourism operations for their websites
that promotes sustainable practices and educates visitors on cultural
protocols and biodiversity conservation.


Timeline

Nominations will be accepted through November 30, 2009

Confirmation of eligible candidates occurs in December 2009

Voting for the popular award takes place online in January and February 2010

Jury voting takes place online in February 2010

Winners of popular and jury voting receive award and face-to-face workshop
training in April 2010 at the Reisepavillon in Berlin, Germany

Criteria

The Indigenous Tourism and Biodiversity Website Award creates an opportunity
for indigenous people and communities to improve their websites. Among the
criteria for selection, the website should ...
* be regularly updated
* link to other relevant sites
* reflect indigenous ownership, authenticity and heritage
* encourage sustainable livelihoods, respect of life on earth
* be user-friendly
* be trustworthy
* provide clear contextual information
* have text in English
* add the award logo

Bonus points to applicants making the most of Web 2.0 channels!

Details:
http://www.planeta.com/ecotravel/tour/awardsitbw.html
http://planeta.wikispaces.com/itbw

Invitation to World Parks
http://www.flickr.com/groups/worldparks

The focus of this Flickr photography group are the parks and protected areas
around the world.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR
Best Practices
Conservation
Signage
Trails
You (!) enjoying a world park

To see some examples of the group and to learn how to upload photos, check
out the presentation
http://www.slideshare.net/planeta/worldparks

REFERENCES

Tourism and Parks
http://www.planeta.com/ecotravel/tour/parks.html

Parks Forum
http://forum.planeta.com/viewforum.php?f=43

Related Group: City Parks
http://www.flickr.com/groups/cityparks

Planeta Update - Event Evaluation
http://www.planeta.com

ANNOUNCEMENT - Planeta.com invites readers to evaluate events. Trade shows.
Academic conferences. Festivals.  Fairs.  And everything inbetween!

"We would like to know what works and what doesn't,"  said Planeta.com
founder Ron Mader. "Are the events green?  Are they fun? Are they
productive? Let us know!"

Evaluate an event in which you have recently participated online
http://tinyurl.com/eventsurvey09

Responses to the survey will be published online and shared  at upcoming
events.  Lessons learned will be shared in Planeta.com Green Events Guide
http://www.planeta.com/ecotravel/tour/greenfair.html

Viva Central America! Panama Conversation with William Friar in the Planeta
Forum http://forum.planeta.com/viewtopic.php?t=1268

Planeta Press
September 2009
http://www.planeta.com

Hashtags are used to document events and 'trending topics' most often on
Twitter and Delicious. You'll find detailed explanations on the Planeta wiki
http://planeta.wikispaces.com/tags

The future of conferences - recommended listening:
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/futuretense/stories/2009/2564798.htm - will most
likely demand real-time, online interaction, starting with Twitter and
Flickr.

Here are some of the tourism and eco events I'm paying attention to this
week, all documented online Twitter

COP 15
http://twitter.com/#search?q=%23COP15

Conde Nast Traveler World Savers Congress
http://twitter.com/#search?q=%23CNT09

Marketing Now Conference
http://twitter.com/#search?q=%23mktgnow

Responsible Tourism Conference (Belize)
http://twitter.com/#search?q=%23rtbelize09

Editing

Web 2.0 Strategies for Visitors and Locals (and everyone in between)
http://planeta.wikispaces.com/web2

Introducing the World Market
http://www.flickr.com/groups/worldmarket

Please show us markets around the world particularly those that feature locally
made and natural products.

Related

Food, Health and Building Communities
http://www.planeta.com/food.html

Planeta Update - Ecotourism Spotlight Award
August 2009
>> http://www.planeta.com

ANNOUNCEMENT

Voting Ends August 31 for Ecotourism Spotlight Award
http://planeta.wikispaces.com/spotlightaward

Government websites that engage locals and visitors about ecotourism and
responsible travel are eligible to win Planeta.com's annual Ecotourism
Spotlight Award <http://www.planeta.com/ecotravel/tour/awardspotlight.html>

"Locals and visitors are seeking ecotourism experiences," said Planeta.com
founder Ron Mader. "The Ecotourism Spotlight Award encourages government
leaders to move forward as we give credit to those leading the pack."

Nominees for the 2009 award include Quito Visitors' Bureau
<http://www.quito.com.ec> , Responsible Tourism Guide to the Mekong
<http://exploremekong.org/responsible>  , Ecotourism Laos
<http://www.ecotourismlaos.com> , Failte Ireland
<http://www.failteireland.ie/Research---Policy/Policy-Analysis/Environment>
and Mexico's National Commission of Natural Protected Areas
<http://www.mexiconatoural.com.mx> .

Examples of best practices include Failte Ireland's Ecotourism Handbook
distributed to all 16,000 Irish tourism businesses and Quito's documentation
of eco activities including weekend bike rides. Web 2.0 tools are showcased
on the Mekong site.  Two-time Ecotourism Spotlight Award winner Ecotourism
Laos has been revising its site and shows how any good website must be
regularly updated to maintain its effectiveness.

The Ecotourism Spotlight Award was developed to create incentives for
communication, opportunities for conversation and a reward for participation
among government leaders working toward ecotourism and responsible travel.
Municipal, regional, national and international government websites are
eligible.

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

Planeta Update - Ecotourism Spotlight Award
>> http://www.planeta.com

And this year's nominees are ... Quito Visitors' Bureau, Responsible Tourism
Guide to the Mekong, Ecotourism Laos, Failte Ireland and Mexico's National
Commission of Natural Protected Areas.

Voting begins July 20!

Details
http://www.planeta.com/ecotravel/tour/awardspotlight.html
http://www.slideshare.net/planeta/2009spotlightaward

Planeta Update - Ashoka Geotourism Challenge
June 2009
>> http://www.planeta.com

We're big fans of the Ashoka Changemakers Site and the current Geotourism
Challenge: Power of Place - http://geotourism.changemakers.com

There are a number of friends colleagues participating and we look forward
to online conversation about so many innovative ideas. The challenge is also
featured on Facebook.  Viva Web 2.0! Voting begins July 14.

We'd like to announce the official Planeta.com entry in the challenge: the
Oaxaca Markets Project --
http://geotourism.changemakers.com/en-us/node/24743 -- based on the past
eight years of documenting markets and working with vendors in developing
internet skills. Comments are welcome online
http://geotourism.changemakers.com/en-us/node/24743

Planeta Update - Flickr Friday
June 5, 2009
>> http://www.planeta.com

World Environment Day
http://www.flickr.com/groups/worldenvironmentday

World Environment Day is June 5 and Planeta.com invites you to share photos
that celebrate environmental awareness in the World Environment Day Group on
Flickr.

The group -- http://www.flickr.com/groups/worldenvironmentday -- is
accessible to all. There are many inspiring pics! To share your photos all
that is needed is an account on Flickr -- http://www.flickr.com

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

Photos of ...
Low carbon lifestyles
Reforestation
Biodiversity conservation
Parks
Recycling
the official WED event in Mexico
WED events around the world
Earth!

RELATED

World Environment Day Survey
http://tinyurl.com/2h2742

World Environment Day - Planeta.com
http://www.planeta.com/ecotravel/tour/wed.html

World Environment Day Wiki
http://planeta.wikispaces.com/wed

World Environment Day Official Site
http://www.unep.org/wed

Planeta Update - Ecotourism Spotlight Award
June 2009
http://www.planeta.com

Government websites that educate visitors about ecotourism and responsible
travel options are eligible to win Planeta.com's Ecotourism Spotlight Award.
Details about the 2009 Award are online the Planeta Wiki.
http://planeta.wikispaces.com/spotlightaward

The award was developed to create incentives for communication,
opportunities for conversation and a reward for participation among
government leaders working toward ecotourism and responsible travel.

We have two approved nominees: Explore Mekong and Ecotourism Laos

The Ecotourism Spotlight Award was developed to create incentives for
communication, opportunities for conversation and a reward for participation
among government leaders working toward ecotourism and responsible travel.
Municipal, regional, national and international government websites are
eligible.

Winners are announced in celebration of World Tourism Day (September 27) to
spotlight best practices from government institutions. Winners receive
international exposure and bragging rights.

More info
http://www.planeta.com/ecotravel/tour/awardspotlight.html

Mexico 2.009
http://www.slideshare.net/planeta/mexico-2009

A bit of history. Planeta.com is a two-time winner of the prestigious 'Lente
de Plata Award' given by the Mexican government for tourism coverage.
Planeta was created by Ron Mader in 1994. In 2009 the website is celebrating
our 15th anniversary and we're making a major revision to our award-winning
coverage -- http://www.planeta.com/mexico.html -- about Mexico.

In the next few months we¹ll be adding more links to Web 2.0 channels and
assisting local tour operators, language schools, indigenous artesanos and
government officials make the most of the Web in sharing stories about
conservation, ecotourism and responsible travel. Recognizing the advances in
the interactive, dynamic Internet, we're calling this work Mexico 2.009 --
http://www.slideshare.net/planeta/mexico-2009

Specific editorial suggestions -- see
http://www.slideshare.net/planeta/editingtips  -- are always welcome.

Updates this year on Planeta.com include revised guides to parks and
protected areas, traditional markets, local sports and indigenous tourism
options throughout the country.

In 2009 Mexico hosts the World Environment Day (June 5), celebrating
environmental action and awareness. Planeta.com celebrates World Environment
Day each year by announcing the winner of the prestigious Colibri Ecotourism
Award -- http://www.planeta.com/colibri.html

Details

Mexico 2.009
http://www.slideshare.net/planeta/mexico-2009

Mexico Guide
http://www.planeta.com/mexico.html

Colibri Ecotourism Award
http://www.planeta.com/colibri.html

Planeta.com launches our first online auction of traditional folk art from
Oaxaca, Mexico. The first piece is a design called the Granada Flower (Flor
de Granada) made by Luis Lazo Mendoza from the village of Teotitlán del
Valle. The weaving is 145x76 centimeters in size (57x30 inches).

Details
http://oaxaca.wikispaces.com/auction

"We are delighted to provide for auction a weaving prepared by one of the
students who participated in the Oaxaca Amigos English Language Class last
year," said Planeta.com founder Ron Mader. "Beyond this auction, we
encourage everyone to visit the folkart workshops in person. It's the best
way to make lasting friendships with the artisans."

Since not everyone can travel, Planeta.com is collaborating with the
artisanos in this online auction. Profits from the auction are used to
subsidize internet training offered to the artisanos. Ron Mader has offered
these workshops in Oaxaca since 2001.

DETAILS

The Flor de Granada Auction takes place between Monday, March 23 (noon,
Mexico time) and Tuesday March 31 (noon, Mexico time). Winners will need to
add a shipping fee. Winners will need to submit the payment via PayPal the
same day the auction concludes.

Winning bids will be tracked on the Oaxaca Wikispace.
http://oaxaca.wikispaces.com/auction

Rural Tourism Photography Group
Please submit your favorite photos of responsible rural tourism around
the world.

Details
http://www.flickr.com/groups/ruraltourism

Administrative note: This group has 50 members and 250 photos

More info about rural tourism online Planeta.com
http://www.planeta.com/ecotravel/tour/rural.html

Planeta Update - Indigenous Tourism/Biodiversity Website Award
February 26, 2009
http://www.planeta.com

Breaking news! -- Winners have been announced for the 2009 Indigenous
Tourism and Biodiversity Website Award. The winner of the judged 2009
Award is Guurrbi Tours. Runners up are Squamish Lil'wat Cultural
Centre and Nguna - Pele Marine Protected Area.

The winner of the popular count ITBW Award is Indigenous Trails.
Runners-up are TIME Unlimited NZ Tours, Squamish Lil'wat Cultural
Centre and Nguna - Pele Marine Protected Area.

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. More than 200 people made
their selection. The award is presented to an indigenous tourism
operation which has a website that promotes sustainable practices and
educates visitors on cultural protocols and biodiversity conservation.

Voting took place from January 20-February 20, 2009.

More info
http://planeta.wikispaces.com/itbw

Related Feature

Tourism and Indigenous People
http://www.planeta.com/ecotravel/tour/indigenous.html

Announcement: 2009 Ecotourism Spotlight Award
>> http://www.planeta.com

Nominations open in April for the 2009 Ecotourism Spotlight Award. Complete
details are online the Planeta Wiki.
http://planeta.wikispaces.com/spotlightaward

ABOUT THE AWARD

Government websites that educate visitors about ecotourism and responsible
travel options are eligible to win Planeta.com's third annual Ecotourism
Spotlight Award.

The award was developed to create incentives for communication,
opportunities for conversation and a reward for participation among
government leaders working toward ecotourism and responsible travel.

"Many tourism officials are figuring out Web 1.0 principles as locals and
visitors are seeking out the Web 2.0 experience," said Planeta.com founder
Ron Mader. "The spotlight award helps nudge government leaders forward as we
give credit to those leading the pack."

The winner is announced in celebration of World Tourism Day (September 27)
as way of spotlighting best practice in responsible travel and ecotourism.

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

Related
http://www.planeta.com/ecotravel/tour/awards.html

Voting is now open for the Indigenous Tourism and Biodiversity Website
Award! Please take your time to review the nominees and vote before February
20.
http://planeta.wikispaces.com/itbw

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.

The 2009 Rural Tourism Fair takes place January 19-30. Organizers
promise a very big small event. The fair is hosted each year by
Planeta.com and friends. Details
http://planeta.wikispaces.com/ruraltourism2009

"This year's event expands on what we've accomplished the past few
years in Oaxaca, Mexico," explained Planeta.com founder Ron Mader, who
created the fair in 2001 as a way of conducting an inexpensive
grassroots event to bring together locals and visitors. Among the
advances -- many of the local artisans and tour providers have their
own websites and photo galleries on Flickr.

Highlights

The objective of the Rural Tourism Fair is to highlight options
visitors have exploring the rural countryside in a responsible manner
while modeling what makes an authentic grassroots tourism event. The
fair features travel options around the world and encourages those
using Web 2.0 tools including Facebook, Flickr, Twitter and YouTube to
document best practices. Among the highlights -- a walk with the
weavers in the town of Teotitlán del Valle, dining adventures at the
Caldo de Piedra restaurant, local food tastings, a video night and a
hand's on visit to a community garden.

The event -- now in its 9th year -- is held in late January as a way
to kick start the new year and help participants get traction for new
projects.

How to Participate
There are easy ways to participate:
1) Share photos in the Rural Tourism Photography Group --
http://www.flickr.com/groups/ruraltourism/
2) If you are in Oaxaca, join us for one of the events listed in the
program. Bonus points if you can share photos in the Photography Group!
3) If you organize your own event, let us know so we can add it to the
program

If you can help promote the event, please add a link from your website
or forward the news to a friend.

Details
http://planeta.wikispaces.com/ruraltourism2009

Planeta Update - Book of the Year
December 2008
>> http://www.planeta.com

Planeta.com is pleased to announce our 2008 Books of the Year
http://planeta.wikispaces.com/bookaward

2008 Winners!

Environment - Watching Giants: The Secret Lives of Whales
http://tinyurl.com/9pth3d

Food - Eat Smart in Sicily
http://tinyurl.com/9ozops

Guidebooks - Traveler's Tool Kit: Mexico and Central America
http://tinyurl.com/8k6w3r

Tourism - Disappearing Destinations
http://tinyurl.com/9nxmoz

Related

Awards
http://www.planeta.com/ecotravel/tour/awards.html

New Titles
http://www.planeta.com/newtitles.html

Tips for Authors and Publishers
http://www.planeta.com/web/books.html

Mark your calendar! December 11 is International Mountain Day with a focus
on food security in mountains and the motto "high time for action."

YOUR TURN - Your pictures are welcome in the following photography groups on
Flickr

World Mountains
http://www.flickr.com/groups/worldmountains

World Food
http://www.flickr.com/groups/worldfood

Elsewhere on the Web

International Mountain Day
http://www.fao.org/mnts/intl_mountain_day_en.asp

Worlds Mountains Presentation
http://www.slideshare.net/planeta/world-mountains-presentation

Planeta Update - Wish List
December 2009
>> http://www.planeta.com

Planeta.com asks readers ... what's on your wish list for 2009? What trends
do you think will become big in the coming year? Results will be published
online.

Please answer the survey online
http://tinyurl.com/5u46ly

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

ANNOUNCEMENT

Ecotourism Africa --  http://www.flickr.com/groups/ecotourismafrica  -- is a
photography group which features pictures of environmental conservation,
outdoor recreation and ecotourism in Africa.

We'd like to see your pictures of ...

National parks
City parks
Recycling
Environmental education
Signage
Wildlife
Guides
Interpretation

REFERENCES

Eco Travels in Africa
http://www.planeta.com/africa.html

Planeta Update - Indigenous Tourism and Biodiversity Website Award
November 2008
>> http://www.planeta.com

Planeta.com and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity
are collaborating to showcase indigenous tourism websites that promote
sustainable practices and educate visitors. Nominations are being accepted
for until December 12 for Planeta.com's Indigenous Tourism and Biodiversity
Website Award. Details
>> http://planeta.wikispaces.com/itbw

Related

World's Indigenous People and Tourism Forum
http://forum.planeta.com/viewforum.php?f=95

Presentation
http://www.slideshare.net/planeta/itbw-presentation

Planeta Update - Book of the Year
November 2008
http://www.planeta.com

Voting begins for our annual book of the year award. Categories include best
books about the environment, food, guidebooks and tourism.  The prize?
Bragging rights.  Details
http://planeta.wikispaces.com/bookaward

Related

New titles
http://www.planeta.com/newtitles.html

Fair trade in travel writing
http://www.planeta.com/ecotravel/period/fairtrade.html

YOUR TURN - World Tourism Day is September 27 and we invite you to share
photos that celebrate environmental awareness in travel and tourism.
http://www.flickr.com/groups/worldtourismday

We are looking for photos of ...
events around the world
the official 2008 WTD event in Lima, Peru
climate change
crafts and artesania
footprints
low carbon lifestyles
earth

Also graphics from ...
signage from World Tourism Day events
book covers of recommended environmental and ecotourism titles

To share your photos, join Flickr -- -- and request membership in the World
Tourism Day Group
http://www.flickr.com/groups/worldtourismday

Planeta Update - Web Tools Survey
September 2008
>> http://www.planeta.com

Good news, everyone! Planeta.com is conducting the Web Tools Survey --
http://tinyurl.com/5t4kg4 -- to assess how our readers are using web tools.
The objective is to create a snapshot of current practices and to gage which
tools are best suited for specific needs.  So, what's in your online
toolchest? What web tools would you like to learn about?

Preliminary results will be shared in Quito, Ecuador on September 22 as part
of the Web2.0 seminar led by Ron Mader.  Best practices will be featured as
examples and the survey itself will be modified and translated into Spanish
for further application in Ecuador.

The toolbox matrix presented on the Planeta Wikispace will be updated to
spotlight examples and provide explanations of the the growing collection of
web tools.

Take the survey
http://tinyurl.com/5t4kg4

More about Web2.0 and tourism
http://planeta.wikispaces.com/web2

Planeta Update - Ecotourism Groups on Flickr
August 2008
>> http://www.planeta.com

Ecotourism Photography Groups on Flickr

North America
http://www.flickr.com/groups/northamericanecotourism

South America
http://www.flickr.com/groups/southamericanecotourism

Ecotourism Africa
http://www.flickr.com/groups/ecotourismafrica

Ecotourism Asia
http://www.flickr.com/groups/ecotourismasia

Ecotourism Europe
http://www.flickr.com/groups/ecotourismeurope

Ecotourism Oceania
http://www.flickr.com/groups/ecotourismoceania

New Zealand/Australia
http://www.flickr.com/groups/ecotourismchallenges

Also see ...

City Parks
http://www.flickr.com/groups/cityparks

World Parks
http://www.flickr.com/groups/worldparks

World Food
http://www.flickr.com/groups/worldfood

REFERENCE

Poster
http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeta/2748793394

How to fave a photo on Flickr
http://tinyurl.com/yvryeq

The conversation continues!

Ecotourism: Conversation with Hector Ceballos-Lascurain (8,000 views)

Hector's latest comments reveal some of his favorite birdwatching
experiences in the world and what happens (or doesn't happen) when
cotourists avoid long-haul travel. Do you know which town is the 'cradle of
ecotourism?' Read on
http://forum.planeta.com/viewtopic.php?t=1147

More conversations
http://forum.planeta.com/viewforum.php?f=104

Birding
http://forum.planeta.com/viewforum.php?f=24


Planeta.com
>> http://www.planeta.com

Planeta.com News
August 2008
>> http://www.planeta.com

Awards are a great incentive to promote best practice.

ECOTOURISM SPOTLIGHT AWARD - We have plenty of awards for individual
companies, but what about local and national governments? Voting --
http://tinyurl.com/5fuc4g  --  continues through August 30 for the
Ecotourism Spotlight Award. The award creates incentives for communication,
opportunities for conversation and a reward for participation among
government leaders. Please vote now! Details
http://planeta.wikispaces.com/spotlightaward

BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD - Nominations are still being accepted for this
year's Book of the Year Award.  What do you consider the must-reads
published in 2008? This is the third year for our book award and a great way
to learn about what's worth reading. Details
http://planeta.wikispaces.com/bookaward

WHAT'S NEXT - We are developing an award to highlight tourism operations
owned and operated by indigenous people and communities. We will be
accepting nominations soon.