MMIP 2013 - (Page 38)
VOLUNTOURISM
Companies find that giving back to Mexico isn’t only rewarding, it’s enlightening and fun.
Mexico has been a leader in corporate social responsibility even before a Mexican architect coined the term “ecotourism” back in 1983. Whatever your attendees prefer to do – community service, donations, selecting sites that implement eco and cultural sustainability programs – Mexico has it. And it’s easy. From Cancun and the Riviera Maya, Baja California and Mexico’s Pacific Coast to the Yucatan Peninsula and elsewhere – resorts, CVBs, DMCs and tour operators are at the ready with opportunities for your clients to benefit the local community and the environment. At the Ritz-Carlton Cancun, “The Mayan Acquaintance Experience” (in partnership with non-profit Kanche) gives guests the opportunity to experience the Mayan culture by helping out in a rural village. Participants work on projects from painting and gardening to simple carpentry, repairing furniture or helping to build a playground and other school improvements. In addition, Ritz-Carlton attendees can collaborate in implementing recycling programs to raise environmental awareness in the community. “A lot of companies make the decision on where they will meet based on a property’s CRP and sustainable practices,” said Susan Hanlon, vice president of meetings and incentive group sales at Palace Resorts. Because of this, Hanlon incorporates CRPs into her planner fam trips to showcase the give-back opportunities at the Moon Palace Cancun and the six other Palace resorts in the Mexican Caribbean. “We planted trees at a school for special needs children in Cancun, and then made piñatas with the kids. The planners were very moved,” she recalled. In 2003, Palace Resorts established the Palace Foundation to further its community work. The Fairmont Mayakoba is at the forefront of CRP and offers multiple give-back opportunities. When the ILTM
The Mexican Caribbean
“Cancun made it easy for us to organize a give-back outreach during the 2011 CMP Conclave,” said Amelia Q. Ballenger, meeting manager of the Convention Industry Council, who staged the event. “The Cancun CVB put us in touch with a local charity which connected us with a Maya community rural school and the CMPs made direct donations. It was efficient and rewarding.” Resorts are also major social responsibility boosters, many with in-house programs designed for guests and groups to aid local communities.
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of MMIP 2013
Here and There
Centers of Attention
Meeting Resources
Spotlight on Congresses
What They Say About Mexico
Strategic Alliances
What to Do
Voluntourism
Baja California
North
Central
Gulf/Isthmus
Mundo Maya
Mexican Caribbean
Pacific Coast
Mexico Meetings Hotels
MMIP 2013
https://www.nxtbook.com/worth/mexico/mmip2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/worth/mexico/mmip2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/worth/mexico/mmip2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/worth/mexico/mmip2016
https://www.nxtbook.com/worth/mexico/mmip2015
https://www.nxtbook.com/worth/mexico/2014
https://www.nxtbook.com/worth/mexico/2013
https://www.nxtbook.com/worth/mexico/2012
https://www.nxtbook.com/worth/mexico/mmip2011
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com