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Good afternoon Governor Sabines, Under-Secretary Hughes, distinguished representatives and friends.
Having visited Chiapas, I know how difficult it is to express what I personally feel in the face of such extraordinary beauty. I remember hiking through the Lacandon forest and visiting with the Lacandon and Chol communities. I remember marveling at the Bonampak and Yazchilán architectural sites. In fact, I still have a picture on my desk in the Embassy of my youngest niece and I standing by a waterfall in the Montes Azules biosphere reserve, just the two of us in awe of our surroundings.
So I can attest to the opportunities for tourism here in this great state. Eco-tourism is one of the few economic options that allow indigenous communities to preserve their culture and natural resources. With the creation of Senda Sur, 16 communities and 4 tour operators have come together to develop tour packages, promote the region and improve their overall services. This collaboration creates a solid base for local interests to work together. Under the leadership of Gov. Sabines, the state of Chiapas has provided considerable support to the program and we thank you for your efforts.
As I look out in the audience, I am also very proud to see some of our Peace Corp volunteers. Our Peace Corp plans to provide a volunteer with extensive tourism experience to work with Senda Sur for two years. This volunteer will help develop marketing campaigns and new products while working with individual communities.
In addition to its work with Senda Sur, our Mission has been contributing to sustainable ecotourism development in Chiapas for many years through Conservation International (CI) and Na Bloom. Whether teaching English courses, exchanging experiences of best practices, or promoting programs with indigenous artisans, we hope to increase and diversify ecotourism alternatives in this unique and beautiful region.
There are so many people here today responsible for making this project a success, but I’d like to recognize one in particular.
I would like to present this award to Senda Sur’s President Victor Hernández, “For creating a visionary model that fosters collaboration between indigenous communities, tour operators and other partners to improve the tourism industry of Chiapas.”
In closing, I would like to thank our institutional partners for being at lunch today and most of all, all the artisans traveled here to be with us.
Thank you again and May God Bless Mexico and the United States.
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