Honduras Set to Host Birding Festival

This February, Honduras will host the first annual Mesoamerican Birdwatching Festival, organized by the Mesoamerican Ecotourism Alliance (MEA). Honduras was selected by MEA as the first country to host this event, during the fourth annual Mesoamerican Sustainable Ecotourism Conference in Antigua, Guatemala in December 2007.

The event will feature three program segments: a guide training/certification course (Feb. 13 to 20), a Birdwatching Festival (Feb. 22 to 27), and a post-tour for birdwatching company representatives and nature writers (Feb. 27 to March 5).

The principal objective of this annual festival is to elevate interest in birdwatching in Mesoamerica on a national and international level in an effort to increase sustainable tourism. This will then create employment, and most importantly, help preserve the ecosystems where the birds live and nest. The festival will subsequently be held in a different Central American country each year.

Bird lovers, tour operators, local guides and non-governmental organizations are encouraged to visit http://www.travelwithmea.org/ for more information and to register for the guide training course or festival. Registrations fees for the Birdwatching Festival are $365 per person based on double occupancy, or $460 per single occupancy.

Registration fee includes airport transfers from San Pedro Sula; accommodations for five nights; all meals for five days; a trained guide at each field trip; a copy of the Bird Guide to Lake Yojoa; the opportunity to attend nightly seminars; ground transportation during the festival; and other miscellaneous materials.