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Well-Planned Huatulco by Susan Campbell
Pristine, primal attractions coupled with world class creature comforts prove that nature and luxury can coexist in harmony. I am always up for new adventures, so I was delighted to explore Huatulco even though I had no idea where it was, nor even how to pronounce it properly. (It's pronounced “wah-tool-co” and it's on the Pacific Ocean below the foothills of the Sierra Madre Mountain range located in the Mexican state of Oaxaca-pronounced “wah-ha-ka”.) But as we began our
descent into what looked like the land that time forgot, I wondered for a moment what I'd gotten myself into. It certainly was remote. Directly below there was nothing but vast expanses of emerald green forests flanking craggy cliffs whipped by wild cobalt seas. But just as I wondered where in this wild tangle of nature we'd actually be able to land... a runaway appeared, and we touched down. We were greeted by our guide Alberto Chavez of Amstar Tours from whom we received an entire encyclopedic learning about the region over the next week. His passion for the unique biodiversity of this area was absolutely infectious, and as a former biologist his knowledge was indepth. But the foremost point he wanted to drive home was that the preservation of nature there was no accident.
Today, their success in creating a tourism project with minimum environmental impact resulted in the region receiving the prestigious Green Globe Award and also becoming the first destination in the Americas to receive the coveted EarthCheck Gold Certification. “We learned from making mistakes in other tourism regions- growing too fast without taking the environment into account.” says Chavez. “Here we endeavoured to build around and with nature to preserve the very attractions that draw people here in the first place.” An eye to careful planning was also apparent as we drove through the tiny main town of La Crucecita (little cross) en
A Little Background... In 1985, the Mexican government and FONATUR (Fondo Nacional de Turismo) decided to create their first sustainable tourism region. They chose Huatulco for its eclectic natural offerings. Download our Free CWT App for Android and Apple devices. Visit our website www.canadianworldtraveller.com to access a direct link.