Geotourism Summit Coming Next Week

The second annual Geotourism Summit

will take place at National Geographic headquarters next Tuesday, Feb.

2, as travel leaders, whose businesses range from eco-tours in rural

villages to top-line resorts in major cities, gather to share how to

best cultivate destination stewardship and sustainable development. 

The Summit will showcase the three winners and seven runners-up of the 2009 Geotourism Challenge,

a global competition of tourism-related projects that promote natural

and cultural heritage while improving the well-being of the local

people. In the video above, Lucky Chhetri of 3 Sisters Adventure Trekking, one of the 2008 Geotourism Challenge winners, talks about empowering Nepali women through tourism. Stay tuned for dispatches from next week’s summit.

Video: Susanne Hackett