Ministry of Tourism lauds luxury hotels for drawing travelers and
supporting sustainable, conscious tourism at World Tourism Day event
October 23, 2012 (Quito, Ecuador) – Casa Gangotena in Old Town Quito and Mashpi Lodgeon a 3,212-acre rainforest reserve in the Andes have been recognized for outstanding contributions to the development of tourism by Ecuador’s Ministry of Tourism. The recognitions came at a special World Tourism Day event on September 27 at the San Francisco Convent in Quito hosted by Freddy Ehlers, Minister of Tourism for Ecuador. The properties were further noted for the accolades they have received from top travel magazines as well as for supporting sustainable, conscious tourism.
The recognitions were well received amid the excitement of the World Tourism Day event, which drew an audience of 200 to the historic patio and refectory of the San Francisco Convent and included a performance by the Jacchigua Folklore Ballet. Whatever the occasion, Minister Ehlers is an enthusiastic advocate of the wonders that await travelers in Ecuador, which he has likened to a “laboratory of the world” where one can experience “all of Latin America in seven days in just one country.” Indeed, UNESCO has quantified the four distinct regions of Ecuador – Pacific Coast, Andes Mountains, Amazon rainforest, and the much-beloved Galapagos Islands – as “mega-diverse” due to their incredible variety of birds, mammals and flowers, while Quito and Cuenca have been named UNESCO World Heritage sites.
Opened in 2011 and 2012 respectively, Casa Gangotena and Mashpi Lodge are part of Grupo Futuro, a Quito-based holding company. While Casa Gangotena is independently owned and operated, Mashpi Lodge is managed by Metropolitan Touring Ecuador, which pioneered travel to the Galapagos Islands in the 1960s. In their brief lifespans, both properties have been enthusiastically received, with Mashpi Lodge earning the WallpaperDesign Award 2012 and the 2012 Outside Travel Award for Best Eco-Lodge, and Casa Gangotena included in Condé Nast Traveler’s “Hot List” and Travel + Leisure’s “It List” for 2012.
Rates at Casa Gangotena from $460 including breakfast, Quito-style afternoon coffee snack and taxes. Reservations are being accepted for Casa Gangotena atinfo@casagangotena.com or visit www.casagangotena.com.
For reservations and more information, please contact 800-527-2500 or visit www.mashpilodge.com. To book Mashpi Lodge, the Galápagos, Ecuador or South American journeys, see www.metropolitan-touring.com.
