'Friends of World Heritage' Photo Contest Winners Announced
Travelers' photos capture a moment to help preserve World Heritage sites for a lifetime - grand prize winner awarded $10,000-value trip for two to Mexico's World Heritage sites.
Washington, D.C. (Vocus/PRWEB ) May 21, 2007 -- Friends of World Heritage, a grassroots initiative of the United Nations Foundation, Expedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE) and the UNESCO World Heritage Centre to raise awareness about the importance of protecting the world's natural and cultural treasures, announced today the winners of the first-ever Friends of World Heritage Photo Contest. Three prizes--trips to visit World Heritage sites in Mexico--were awarded to contest entrants whose photos best captured the beauty and uniqueness of World Heritage sites, many of which are fragile and irreplaceable.
A panel of judges, including representatives of National Geographic Traveler, the United Nations Foundation, and Expedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE) named Sam Walker grand prize winner for his photograph of the Old Bridge Area of the Old City of Mostar, in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Walker will receive an all-inclusive trip for two from one of many locations in the United States to Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, home to five World Heritage sites--a grand prize package worth over $10,000.
A photograph of Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam, captured by Kristupa Saragih, earned the second place prize of two round-trip tickets from the United States to Merida, Mexico--gateway to all five World Heritage sites in the Yucatan Peninsula. John Deaton received third place for his photograph of the Saint Catherine Area in Egypt. John will receive one flight from the one of many locations in the United States to the Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. All prizes are courtesy of the Mexico Tourism Board and Mayaland Resorts Group.
"It is not surprising that UNESCO World Heritage sites, recognized by an international convention for their outstanding universal value, are often popular tourism destinations. As a result, these sites can be vulnerable to over visitation or mismanagement associated with tourism," said Erika Harms, director of the sustainable development program at the United Nations Foundation. "The Friends of World Heritage Photo Contest is designed to raise awareness about these crown jewels of our shared heritage while spreading the word that by practicing responsible travel, individuals can play an active role in the preservation of World Heritage sites," she said.
"As a member of the travel industry interested in promoting sustainable tourism, supporting a campaign like the Friends of World Heritage Photo Contest is good business practice," said Mr. Fernando E. Barbachano, president and owner of Mayaland Resorts. "We are delighted that the grand prize winner will be able to experience the cultural offerings of the Yucatan Peninsula's diverse World Heritage sites, as well as in our resorts where we have made a commitment to support local cultures, environments, and communities," he said. Mayaland Resorts' luxury hotels are located in the heart of the archeological sites of the ancient Mayan cities of Chichen Itza and Uxmal, both of which are designated World Heritage sites.
"Home to 26 World Heritage sites, Mexico understands the value of promoting tourism that embodies Mexico's cultural and natural heritage," said Francisco Lopez Mena, CEO of the Mexico Tourism Board. "To preserve these sites, and ensure that economic livelihood of the surrounding communities, we rely on our partners in the travel industry and on individual travelers to embrace sustainable tourism practices," Lopez Mena said.
The Friends of World Heritage Photo Contest opened in November 2006. To enter the contest, applicants were required to submit a photo taken in or around a World Heritage site, along with a personal message about the importance of traveling responsibly. The panel of judges for this inaugural Friends of World Heritage Photo Contest included: Stefan Caiafa, National Geographic Traveler photographer; Martin Gray, anthropologist, photographer, founder of SacredSites.com; and Chris Seek, sustainable tourism expert and president of Solimar International. Expedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE), UNESCO World Heritage Centre, the Mexico Tourism Board, and the UN Foundation also provided judges for the contest.
World Heritage sites have been internationally recognized for their outstanding value and are protected by the 1972 UNESCO World Heritage Convention, signed by 183 countries. There are currently 830 designated World Heritage sites that span 138 countries and offer an extraordinary range of travel experiences. Amateur photographers from around the world captured nearly 600 photographs from World Heritage sites in over 70 countries for this first-ever Friends of World Heritage Photo Contest.
Note to the Editor: Royalty-free images of the winning photo entries, and the contact information for spokespersons at the United Nations Foundation, Expedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE), Mexico Tourism Board, Mayaland Resorts Group, and UNESCO World Heritage Centre are available by contacting Adele Waugaman at (+1) 202-887-9040.
About Friends of World Heritage
Friends of World Heritage is a grassroots initiative dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of protecting World Heritage, promoting sustainable development, offering ways to explore these sites through sustainable travel, and raising funds to support projects in communities that depend on World Heritage sites. Friends of World Heritage was created by the United Nations Foundation and its partners are: Expedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE) and UNESCO's World Heritage Centre. www.FriendsofWorldHeritage.org.
About World Heritage
World Heritage sites are places around the world that have been internationally recognized for their outstanding value as natural and cultural treasures. All World Heritage sites are protected by the 1972 UNESCO World Heritage Convention, signed to date by 183 countries and administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). There are currently 830 World Heritage sites (644 cultural, 162 natural and 24 mixed properties) in 138 countries. For a complete list of sites, visit http://whc.unesco.org/.
About the United Nations Foundation
The UN Foundation was created in 1998 with entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner's historic $1 billion gift to support UN causes and activities. The UN Foundation builds and implements public-private partnerships to address the world's most pressing problems and also works to broaden support for the UN through advocacy and public outreach. The UN Foundation is a public charity. www.unfoundation.org.
About the Mexico Tourism Board
The Mexico Tourism Board (MTB) brings together the resources of federal and state governments, municipalities and private companies to promote Mexico's tourism attractions and destinations internationally. Created in 1999, the MTB is Mexico's tourism promotion agency, and its participants include members of both the private and public sectors. The MTB has offices throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America. For more information on Mexico's many destinations, call 1-800-44-MEXICO or visit www.visitmexico.com. For media inquiries, call 1-800-929-4555 or send an e-mail. To access an online warehouse of free, downloadable B-roll, visit www.thenewsmarket.com/visitmexicopress. The media section of the Web site -- www.visitmexicopress.com -- offers thousands of archived photos to accompany stories.
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