The International Council of Appalachian Trails has been asked to send a representative to the Fourth Annual Binational Tourism Summit, “Embracing Our Borders:~ The Competitive Advantages of Cross-Border Tourism Destinations” is being held April 30 through May 1 in St. Catherines, Ontario. A non-profit, membership-based tourism trade organization incorporated in the United States and Canada, the Binational Tourism Alliance is mandated to eliminate the barriers to cross-border tourism development.
The plenary panel to which the Trails Council has been invited will discuss innovative Canadian / United States tourism development, marketing and cross-border relationships, along with current challenges in northern cross-border regions. Will Richard, a board member for 14 years, will represent the Trails Council. He is a regular traveler to Atlantic Canada and the North American Arctic. In 2008, his Greenland photography was exhibited at the Embassy of Denmark in Washington. In March of this year, he was a presenter at the Climate Change Congress in Copenhagen. His PhD is in Geography with the Faculty of Environmental Studies, University of Waterloo, Canada, with dissertation on cross-border planning.
Other invited panelists for this session include representatives from 1000 Islands and the Niagara River Corridor in Ontario, Vancouver/Seattle, and Detroit/Windsor.~ Panelists will share information and techniques that will challenge Summit delegates to begin to think in terms of what other tourism destinations are doing and how cross-border regions can take advantage of global opportunities.
The Summit will be co-hosted by Canadian Consul General Steve Brereton and U.S. Consul General John Nay. From across Canada and the United States, 300 delegates from tourism, business, political, cultural and academic sectors will be in attendance. Previous Binational Summits have resulted in new initiatives, programs, and business relationships.~~Most importantly, the Summit has helped to raise the profile of cross-border regions, the tourism industry, and the importance of both to the North American economy.
For further information, contact:
Arlene White, Executive Director
Binational Tourism Alliance
5400 Robinson St., 2nd Floor
Niagara Falls, Ontario L2G 2A6
Toll-free 888.849.5834
Cell 905.401.4450
Will Richard, Maine Chapter Board member
to represent the Trails Council.
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