Hotel staff in Riviera Nayarit attend environmental workshop

A workshop titled “Creating an Environmental Culture” was conducted by the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (Conanp), the Bahía de Banderas Hotel and Motel Association (AHMBB), and the Riviera Nayarit Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) on August 28th and 29th to train the staff of the Riviera Nayarit’s associated hotels in environmental education. The main goal of the workshop was to produce environmental instructors who would then have the appropriate tools to teach the rest of the staff. A total of 50 people participated in the workshop. These were mainly quality control managers, although there were also members of the activities staff present, as some hotels include activities with local schools and communities as part of their social responsibility programs. “What we want to do with this workshop is raise awareness among the hotel staff, so we can benefit the destination. We also want to provide the staff with the tools they need to engage the tourists in fun activities that also respect and care for the environment,” said Mariela Dueñas, responsible for the Environmental and Sustainability Programs in the AHMBB and the Riviera Nayarit CVB. The workshop was held by trainer Marissa Anzueto with the support of Conanp personnel specifically from the Islas Marietas National Park—an important part of their curriculum is environmental education. This is the type of activity that creates collaborators that can reach out to more people. The role of the AHMBB and the CVB was to ensure the workshop was carried out successfully. Participating hotels included: Palladium, The St. Regis, W Punta de Mita, Cactus Inn, Rancho Banderas, Royal Decameron Complex, Iberostar Playa Mita, Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit, Hard Rock Nuevo Vallarta, Villa Varadero, Marival, Riu, Paradise Village, Occidental Nuevo Vallarta, Samba Vallarta, and Las Palomas de Nuevo Vallarta, as well as El Tigre Golf Club and the Bahía Unida Association.