Riviera Nayarit celebrates the magic of birding
- The International Migratory Bird Festival in San Blas will take place between January 29 and February 5, 2012
- One year after her first visit, journalist Rebecca Philps is recounting her story for Western Living
In Riviera Nayaritluxury means nature, and it’s this nature what year after year attract thousands of migratory birds to fill our landscape with magic. For eight consecutive year, the International Migratory Bird Festival will take place in our destination, between January 29 and February 5.
Every year, bird-watchers and ornithologists assemble at the historic Port to try to catch a glimpse of the largest amount of species possible, from the more than 500 already catalogued species that live in our region.
The International Migratory Bird Festival will also offer different routes for the observation of wildlife, and a cultural activity program that will allow visitors to enjoy a more complete and interesting experience.
Furthermore, the Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) of Riviera Nayarit, a private non-profit association dedicated to the promotion of tourism, is getting ready to welcome Mexican and international journalists, who year after year cover this event and then invite people to come and experience this amazing destination in the Mexican Pacific through their published articles.
An example of this was the recent publication of Flight of Fancy, written by journalist Rebecca Philps for the Western Living, which is distributed by WestJet Airlines, in which she tells the story of a trip she made in 2011, where she discovered a place that is much more than a beach destination.
Philps shares her true feelings of how she was hesitant when she was first introduced to what seemed a quirky adventure. She went from sharing thoughts like: “Bird watching? In Mexico? Hilarious, sign me up”, and “The bird nerds, trill excitedly, comparing notes and jealously poring over each other’s stats. The rest of us head out for a day of what I can only assume will be mind-numbing bird watching”, to changing her mind and concluding: “Two days ago I couldn’t say boobie without stifling a giggle; now I’m tracking my personal bird count. In the middle of this lagoon I’m beginning to grasp the appeal of birding, what it is that gets the keeners so jazzed.”
The Convention and Visitors Bureau of Riviera Nayarit promotes festivals like this one, as they attract the attention of specialists and of the media, which contribute to promote the distinctive appeal of our destination, increasing the number of visitors.
In 2011 only, a total of seven journalists, representing 10 different publications, wrote articles on this festival – just like the one recently introduced by Philps – with an estimated circulation of 737,000 copies.
THEY SAID
“San Blas is a truly privileged place; I can’t understand why some ornithologists have stopped coming. This is the best place in the world to do bird watching and the conditions in this place are still top-notch – there’s nothing that can spoil the experience”.
Steve Howell
Specialist in maritime birds and expedition leader for 30 years
“We have the jungle, the estuary, the coffee plantations and the mountain, which offer adequate conditions for different species. You’ll surely find a large amount of birds in any season”
Mark Stackhouse
Ornithologist and guide at San Blas
Find more information on the Festival at:
http://avessanblas.uan.mx/
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