NM Geotourism project seeks world status

The Trail of the Ancients Scenic Byway has partnered with the National Geographic Society to capture the history and heritage of the Four Corners area through a new program designed to celebrate the region. The Four Corners Geotourism Project is working to increase the quantity and quality of international tourism to the area, making it part of an elite group of less than 15 regions marketed to the international community as world-class destinations. Geotourism is defined as tourism that sustains or enhances the geographical character of a place, including its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage and the well being of its residents. Geotourism also incorporates the concept of sustainable tourism, which is the idea that destinations should remain unspoiled for future generations, and the idea that tourism revenue should help to promote conservation and the economic health of the region. According to National Geographic’s Center for Sustainable Destinations, geotourism works to protect the world’s distinctive places through wisely managed tourism and enlightened destination stewardship. Through this project, history buffs, backpackers and hikers, birders and sightseers will be able to discover what the Four Corners area has to offer. But this project needs the input of those who know the area best—local residents. The collaborators of the Four Corners Geotourism Project want to know what makes this area unique and noteworthy...more