| Note: I have borrowed some
quotes from Travel World News in instances
where I did not personally witness the statements made
by those involved. Otherwise, these accounts are
from first hand knowledge.
B.I.T.E. 2002 was a rousing
success! Held in Cuenca Ecuador, January 25-27,
this year's B.I.T.E. travel and tourism show was
attended by more than 100 travel wholesalers,
representatives of hotels and airlines, and local
producers of hats, ceramics, and art, from the U.S., Canada,
England, France, Belgium, as well as from many Latin
American countries. There was a sizable contingent
of journalist in attendance. (I was interviewed by
at least two, myself.)
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| The highlight of
the conference was, undoubtedly, guest speaker
Jack Hanna's presentation on Sunday.
At left: Jack Hanna was a
featured speaker. |
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Jack began his presentation by showing some clips from
his shows that were filmed in Ecuador, which let those
unfamiliar with him know what he does. He showed
segments shot in the Galapagos Islands, Cotacachi, and
Quito. After showing the videos, he spoke
about his enthusiasm for Ecuador, saying that Ecuador
was one of his "three favorite destinations in the
world." He talked about the problem of the
Galapagos Islands, which everyone knows about,
distracting attention away from mainland Ecuador, which
most people know little or nothing about. Jack was
especially enthusiastic with his praise for the new
Historical Park in Quayaquil (Parque Hitorico Quayaquil),
where the area has been restored to its colonial state,
and historical reenactments are performed. This
was Jack's fifth visit to Ecuador.
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After his presentation, Jack posed for
photographs with everyone who wanted him
to. I've included a few of those
photos in these pages.
At right: Judy Martin,
Catana Bologna, and Jack Hanna. |
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For those who are unfamiliar with U.S. television,
"Jungle" Jack Hanna is the producer and host
of Jack Hanna's Animal Adventures, a show based
at Bush Gardens in Tampa, Florida, shot in locations
around the world, and seen by millions of viewers almost
every day. His presentation made a great impression on
even those who were not familiar with him and his T.V.
show.
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| Besides the
featured speakers, there was much of interest to
experience. There was live entertainment,
demonstrations of making hand crafted items,
lots of fascinating things to see, and nice
people to meet.
At left: Band of
Colorado Indians entertaining with a musical
performance. |
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| Ecuador has also initiated talks with Peru to make B.I.T.E. a dual-nation effort, harking back to ancient times when Ecuador and peru were both part of the famed "Route of the Inca," and "Chasquis" (runners) carried messages along the
trail.*
Sra. Gladys Eljuri de Alvarez,
President of B.I.T.E., had the following to say
about the show's importance: "It is imperative that we continue these negotiations and repeat this event every year so the world will want to come see our beautiful country."*
At right: Gladys
Eljuri De Alvarez (President of B.I.T.E.)
joining in with the dancing
during a musical performance. |
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At left: Judy Martin
(B.I.T.E. promoter and President of LARC) and
Les Jersey conferring. Judy was
responsible for inviting Jack Hanna to B.I.T.E.
2002 and handled his travel
arrangements. |
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Everyone I talked to about B.I.T.E., during the
conference and during the post conference tours, agreed
that B.I.T.E. should be an annual event. The
reasoning being that all the good lessons learned from
the 2002 show could be lost if more than a year passes
before the next one. |
| (Continued
on the next page)
* Travel World News, March 2002
P.34 B.I.T.E. 2002: Ecuador's Premier Show
Ecuador glows from the success of its international trade show
By Joan Gonzalez
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