ISLA MUJERES, MEXICO, Feb 02, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) --
Celebrating the beauty and culture of Isla Mujeres, Mexico, and
championing the need to preserve a fragile marine ecosystem,
ecotourism travel agency Ceviche Tours and the Isla Mujeres
Department of Tourism announce the Fifth Annual Whale Shark Festival,
a community extravaganza that showcases the achievements, traditions
and environmental splendor of Isla Mujeres.
The Festival will be held June 15-17, 2012 in Isla Mujeres, Quintana
Roo, Mexico.
Last year thousands flocked to the family-friendly Whale Shark
Festival, which offers guests an opportunity to participate in
ecotourism adventures such as swimming with whale sharks, the largest
fish in the ocean and an endangered species; swimming with sailfish;
join in traditional dancing performed by local troupes; exploring
ancient Mayan ruins and much more.
Proceeds from the Whale Shark Festival will be donated to Amigos de
Isla Contoy, a 501c3 non-profit organization that is involved in the
education of the local population on sustainable marine conservation
and ecotourism.
Sustainable Ecotourism
The Whale Shark Festival is an effort to
raise awareness for the need to preserve the area's marine ecosystem.
Isla Mujeres is part of the second largest barrier reef on the
planet, and serves as the nursery of the Caribbean and the migratory
path of whale sharks, sea turtles, water fowl and game fishes.
"Sustainable ecotourism engages guests in the effort to preserve the
culture of Isla Mujeres, their way of life and the marine
environment," said John Vater, who co-founded Ceviche Tours with his
wife, Adriana, and longtime friend and Isla Mujeres native Luis
"Cuco" Refugio and his family.
Swim with 200+ Whale Sharks
Kicking off the Festival will be the
whale shark bloom, when hundreds of these gentle giants come together
to swim in a group near the coast of Isla Mujeres. As many as 1,400
whale sharks may make their way through the waters north of Isla
Mujeres every summer according to Dr. Robert Hueter, Director of the
Center for Shark Research, Mote Marine Laboratory and scheduled
speaker at the 2012 Whale Shark Festival.
The Isla Mujeres Tourism Department Director, Eyder Jahil Hoth Perez,
stated, "Through this event tourism awareness about the whale shark
has increased over the last several years, especially regarding the
need to protect all our species and natural resources.
Ecotourism-related activities have also been creating a new culture
of respect and care for our natural resources in the new generations
of islanders. In this, children have been playing a very important
role toward changing behaviors that were unsustainable in the long
term."
Exciting Activities for the Whole Family
Guests of the Festival can
participate in a wide array of activities:
Swimming with Whale Sharks -- Guests can swim with whale sharks and
join a conservation effort spearheaded by ECOCEAN, a non-profit
organization that maintains the global Whale Shark
Photo-Identification Library, a visual database of the unique
markings, or spots, that can identify individual whale sharks and
track them. Guests can add their underwater photos of the whale
sharks to ECOCEAN's global database.
Fun for Families -- The Festival will feature many educational
children's activities about environmental conservation.
Academic Seminars and Film Showcase
Scientists from around the world
will attend to present a series of Academic Seminars on marine
biology, sustainable ecotourism and Mayan architecture. Renowned
marine biologist Rafael de la Parra, who discussed his groundbreaking
research, "An Unprecedented Aggregation of Whale Sharks, Rhincodon
typus, in Mexican Coastal Waters of the Caribbean Sea" at last year's
Whale Shark Festival, will again be speaking and also organizing the
2012 panel of distinguished speakers.
