Press release. World Tourism Day: Launch of the “Ambassador Challenge – My Favourite Village”

Québec, September 27, 2017 – To celebrate World Tourism Day on September 27, 2017, with the theme “Sustainable Tourism – a Tool for Development,” Village Monde, the Air Canada Foundation, LOJIQ and CECI are launching a public challenge: the Ambassador Challenge – My Favourite Village! Become the ambassador of a Favourite Village, mobilize your community, and you may be off to discover your Village.

This public challenge aims to share and promote sustainable tourism initiatives that have positive impacts in remote regions and therefore contribute to changing the world, one trip at a time. 

This action is the last part of a big Exploring a World of Sustainable Destinations campaign for 2017 that has already allowed six bloggers and more than a dozen young adventurers to go explore the world to discover sustainable tourism initiatives, a source of life and sustainable development, in Laos, India, Nepal, Senegal,
Guatemala, Ecuador, Morocco, Mexico, Panama, Togo, Nicaragua and Thailand.

Dream, vote and set out! – Ten ambassadors will be named by a public vote and will each become the representative of a Village designated among the 2017 Sustainable Destinations Explorer Favourite Villages. To win the challenge, they will have to use all of their creativity to get as many votes as possible for their village.
The winner will travel to their Favourite Village with the person of their choice.

The winner of the Challenge will be announced in November during a memorable closing ceremony.

International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development – Travel. Enjoy. Respect

As part of the United Nations’ 2017 International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, Village Monde and its partners have launched their Exploring a World of Sustainable Destinations campaign. The International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development highlights the importance of sustainable tourism as a lever for promoting economic development, exchange and understanding between peoples, thereby contributing to strengthening world peace.

To follow the Ambassador Challenge – My Favourite Village and get all the details on how to become a Sustainable Destinations Ambassador, visit www.villagemonde.com/explorationsolidaire/en/.

Village Monde is very grateful to its partners who made this campaign possible: the Air Canada Foundation, LOJIQ, CECI, Caisse populaire Desjardins de Charlesbourg, the Rotary Club of Québec-Charlesbourg (Canada), ATES and ATD (France).

Village Monde
Village Monde is a Quebec-based philanthropic organization for social innovation founded by Charles Mony, a successful entrepreneur. Village Monde promotes the development of a sustainable tourism network that is a source of life, produces wealth and contributes to improving living conditions in remote and marginalized
communities. Through its activities and its online platform, Village Monde connects communities located in remote areas with a large market of travellers, offers a quality label and supports the creation and the enhancement of responsible and sustainable tourism initiatives. Village Monde offers the opportunity to go beyond traditional travel, offering adventures off the beaten path for the benefit of the communities and to the delight of the travellers.

Air Canada Foundation
The Air Canada Foundation, a not-for-profit organization focused on the health and well-being of children and youth, launched in 2012. It offers financial and in-kind support, through travel assistance, to Canadian registered charities. Core programs include the Hospital Transportation Program, which donates Aeroplan Miles to pediatric hospitals across Canada, enabling children to access medical care unavailable locally. For more information about the Air Canada Foundation, visit www.aircanada.com/foundation or view the 2015 Corporate Sustainability Report: Citizens of the World online at https://www.aircanada.com/content/dam/aircanada/portal/documents/PDF/agents/en/documents/csr_2015_report_en.pdf
 

LOJIQ
LOJIQ is a group of four offices that annually assist and support over 4,000 Quebec youth between the ages of 18 and 35 who seek personal and professional development through rewarding and educational international mobility experiences. LOJIQ is also involved in welcoming nearly 3,000 young adults from abroad to Quebec. LOJIQ reports to the Minister of International Relations and La Francophonie. lojiq.org

CECI
CECI is a Quebec international cooperation organization that carries out sustainable development projects to support communities in Africa, Asia and the Americas in the fight against poverty and exclusion. Since it was founded in 1958, CECI has trained more than 10,000 volunteers in Canada and 30 other countries, assisted more than 5,000 local organizations and improved the lives of 25 million disadvantaged people. www.ceci.ca

Media relations:

Village Monde : François Fauteux
E-mail: media@villagemonde.com Tel.: +1 514-515-6565

Air Canada Foundation: Isabelle Arthur
E-mail: isabelle.arthur@aircanada.ca Tel.: +1 514-422-5788