On Monday, March 19, Everglades National Park will host a tourism roundtable discussion at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Miami Florida. The roundtable is part of the park's commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention, the international treaty that seeks to recognize and protect the most significant places around the world for future generations, such as the Pyramids of Egypt, the Taj Mahal in India, the Acropolis in Greece, and Everglades National Park.
Joining the discussion will be Irina Bokova, the Director General of United Nations Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization's (UNESCO), who is visiting Everglades National Park to mark the 40th anniversary. Other participants include former Assistant Secretary of the Interior Nathaniel Reed, and Jack Osterholt, Deputy Mayor, Miami-Dade County, and William Talbert, President and CEO of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau. The roundtable discussion will be moderated by Dan Kimball, Superintendent of Everglades National Park.
As one of only 21 U.N.-designated World Heritage sites in the United States, Everglades National Park welcomes more than a million visitors each year, generates $136 million in economic activity and supports more than 1,956 jobs. Everglades is one of 11 units of the National Park System located in Florida that serve as premier destinations for international tourists to explore our nation's natural and cultural heritage.
WHO: Irina Bokova, General Director, UNESCO
Honorable Nat Reed, former Assistant Secretary of the Interior
William Talbert, President and CEO, Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau
Mario Goderich, Asst. Director for Sustainability, Planning, and Economic Enhancement, Miami-Dade County,
Moderator: Superintendent Dan Kimball
WHAT: Travel & Tourism Roundtable / 40th Anniversary of UNESCO'S World Heritage Convention
WHEN: Monday, March 19, 2012
9:30 am EDT Travel and Tourism Roundtable
11:15 am EDT Media Availability
WHERE: Mandarin Oriental Hotel - Bangkok Room 500 Brickell Key Drive, Miami
RSVP: Media interested in attending must RSVP to e-mail us, or 305-242-7714
BACKGROUND: Irina Bokova Bio - http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/about-us/who-we-are/director-general
White House Tourism Initiative - http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/01/19/we-can-t-wait-president-obama-takes-actions-increase-travel-and-tourism-
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
