On Thursday, October 2, the Puerto Vallarta Botanical Garden was awarded the prestigious Enterprise Award by the Jardins Sans Limites de Metz organization in France. The award was to honor the great success in the design and construction of the new Orchid Conservatory.
The Conservatory of Mexican Orchids is a space that houses more than 200 species of orchids found in Mexico and has a laboratory dedicated to the reproduction of the flowers. The official inauguration celebrations will take place from December 6 through the 13th.
“We extend our sincere thanks to the conference committee of Jardins Sans Limites for this recognition, and we are thrilled to share this award with all of Puerto Vallarta and our friends. We invite local businesses to include this recognition in their marketing of tourism, not only for the garden, but for the entire region. Tourism focused on gardening is one of the most important strategic niche markets in worldwide tourism and the Botanical Gardens are promoted by their communities as ‘gateways to the region.’ Asserted Bob Price, curator and founder of the Vallarta Botanical Garden.
According to Alexander Reford, Director of Jardins de Métis in Quebec, Canada, “tourism is the number one industry in the world; garden tourism is a significant part of that industry. Dr. Richard Benfield, author of ‘Garden Tourism’, estimated that 120 million tourists every year visit gardens worldwide. If events and tours are included, the number could reach more than 300 million.”
* Story update, the Orchid Conservatory at the Puerto Vallarta Botanical Gardens received its ribbon cutting on December 6, 2014.
