canyontravel

                    formerly columbus

       1-800-843-1060

Press Releases & Articles



Travellady MagazineTM
Read the TravelLady Magazine Article, (Issue 72)




Travel

 Weekly Newsletters Europe
Travel Weekly - The National Newspaper of the Travel Industry Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Subscribe to Travel Weekly  |  Email the Editor  |  TravelWeekly.com

CANYON TRAVEL, the Bulverde, Texas-based operator of train trips in the Copper Canyon, has acquired a 1950s Pullman rail car with a 20-foot open deck that the company plans to market as a private railcar for group charters of 12 to 20 customers. The air-conditioned rail car is attached to the rear of the Chihuahua Pacific train that climbs 8,000 feet into the Western Sierra Madre mountains and skirts the Copper Canyon. Canyon Travel offers a number of train departures this year starting at $999 per person, including accommodations in private lodges. For information or reservations, call (830) 885-2000 or visit www.canyontravel.com/trains.htm.

Copyright © 2006 NORTHSTAR Travel Media, LLC. Material may not be reproduced or redistributed in any form without permission. Travel Weekly's Mexico E-Letter is published every Wednesday.

 

Travel Weekly

Mexico E-Letter Editor:
Jorge Sidron
Phone: (973) 898-0011
Email The Editor



For release January 26, 2002
Contacts: Emilio Kifuri, 830-885-2000
Deborah Levoy, 210-534-0157

A Copper Canyon native Tarahumara community joins with Canyon Travel to woo growing eco-tourism market

Copper Canyon's Tarahumara Indians of San Alonso, who own more than 60,000 acres in the Western Sierra Madre wilderness of Chihuahua, Mexico, are working with Canyon Travel to develop a model for eco-tourism, with community-owned facilities and private enterprise. The partnership provides the only outlet in Copper Canyon for private eco-lodges and naturalist-trained native guides who offer remote, intimate adventures.


This photo shows one of many caves near Canyon Travel's Uno Lodge in Mexico's Western Sierra Madre wilderness. Cooperation between Canyon Travel and Tarahumara Indians of San Alonso offers for private eco-lodges, naturalist-trained native guides, riverboats, mountain bikes, and active and less-active itineraries to explore Copper Canyon.

Working with natives, Canyon Travel also operates eco-lodges near Urique Canyon and overlooking the El Fuerte and Batopilas rivers. For information, see www.canyontravel.com
or call 800-843-1060.

The alliance began with approval from Baja Tarahumara Governor Nicolas Moreno, who recognized de-forestation threats and the need for profitable eco-tourism to protect Mexico's natural wonders. "Mexico is one of the world's most bio-diverse countries," says Canyon Travel President Emilio Kifuri. "Given Mexico's variety of fauna and flora, there is economic potential through eco-tourism that could exceed the logging and mining industries, and the mass-tourism beach resort business."

Previously inaccessible areas held by the community of Tarahumara are now the location of upgraded lodges, "Uno y Dos," owned by these Tarahumara people and operated by Canyon Travel.

Originally built in 1999 with Chihuahua State funding, the structures were meant to develop community involvement in tourism and be a sustainable alternative to logging. Due to lack of tourism expertise and operating capital, the efforts had limited success and needed help.

Enter eco-tourism operator Canyon Travel, for whom working with local communities was not new.

"Canyon Travel's experience in eco-tourism includes our work with the indigenous Porochi community near Urique Canyon, where together we built the small upscale Cerocahui Wilderness Lodge," said Kifuri, "The cooperative project is profitable for both the company and the local Porochi community, who own the rugged pristine land on which that lodge is located. The innovative agreement offers employment, as well as income from the land lease, and provides them with the option to become partners in lodge ownership."

Following renovations made to the Uno y Dos lodges, Kifuri forecasts similar success with the San Alonso collective venture. In the eco-tourism partnership, Canyon Travel works with Copper Canyon's native residents, teaching them English and training them as naturalist guides to provide in-depth experiences for travelers. Naturalist-trained resident guides can describe and lead guests through various habitats, and know where to find rare and endemic birds. They carry spotting scopes on tripods, binoculars and field reference books to share with guests.

Canyon Travel is the only Copper Canyon operator with private eco-lodges, naturalist-trained native guides, active itineraries, riverboats, mountain bikes and vans. Canyon Travel also offers less-active adventures like tranquil river cruises and canyon descents in late-model vans, plus connections to local cultures.

Honored to be part of Mexico's eco-tourism market, Canyon Travel also helps the native residents of Copper Canyon through its community service initiatives. Examples include support for a local children's hospital and area schools; help with medical missions to transport doctors; and assistance with conservation projects. In one case, Canyon Travel was instrumental in airing an environmental alert on more than 50 TV stations, which helped stop the World Bank's project to clear cut forests in the region.

Besides Uno y Dos and the Cerocahui lodges, Canyon Travel operates eco-lodges overlooking the El Fuerte and Batopilas rivers. Canyon Travel has offices in Creel and El Fuerte, and an affiliate in Texas, and offers 24-hour Mexico to US toll-free access. For information, call Canyon Travel at 800-843-1060, or visit www.canyontravel.com

###

Note to Editor: Emilio Kifuri is available for interviews. Additional scenic photography available.
Home

 

Home

Trips

Guides

Lodges

Birding

Map

Railroad

Testimonials

Links

Why Us?
FAQs

Airfares & Gateways

Indigenous Cultures

Natural

History

Educational Travel

General Conditions

Brochure Request

Travel

Agents

Press

Releases

American Society of Travel Agents

America Outdoors

CANYON TRAVEL
900 Ridge Creek 

Bulverde, TX 78163-2872
(830) 885-2000

 (830) 885-2010 - Fax

International Ecotourism Society

Adventure Travel Trade Association

Adventure Travel

Trade Assn.

Speak with a "Copper Canyon Specialist"

1-800-843-1060

Monday through Friday 9 AM till 6 PM CST

BBB Online Reliability member

We accept Visa, Master, American Express, and Discover Cards

Copyright 2006 - All rights Reserved