The 2009 Rural Tourism Fair in Oaxaca

The 2009 Rural Tourism Fair takes place January 19-30. Organizers
promise a very big small event. The fair is hosted each year by
Planeta.com and friends. Details
http://planeta.wikispaces.com/ruraltourism2009

"This year's event expands on what we've accomplished the past few
years in Oaxaca, Mexico," explained Planeta.com founder Ron Mader, who
created the fair in 2001 as a way of conducting an inexpensive
grassroots event to bring together locals and visitors. Among the
advances -- many of the local artisans and tour providers have their
own websites and photo galleries on Flickr.

Highlights

The objective of the Rural Tourism Fair is to highlight options
visitors have exploring the rural countryside in a responsible manner
while modeling what makes an authentic grassroots tourism event. The
fair features travel options around the world and encourages those
using Web 2.0 tools including Facebook, Flickr, Twitter and YouTube to
document best practices. Among the highlights -- a walk with the
weavers in the town of Teotitlán del Valle, dining adventures at the
Caldo de Piedra restaurant, local food tastings, a video night and a
hand's on visit to a community garden.

The event -- now in its 9th year -- is held in late January as a way
to kick start the new year and help participants get traction for new
projects.

How to Participate
There are easy ways to participate:
1) Share photos in the Rural Tourism Photography Group --
http://www.flickr.com/groups/ruraltourism/
2) If you are in Oaxaca, join us for one of the events listed in the
program. Bonus points if you can share photos in the Photography Group!
3) If you organize your own event, let us know so we can add it to the
program

If you can help promote the event, please add a link from your website
or forward the news to a friend. 

Details
http://planeta.wikispaces.com/ruraltourism2009