Dear Rotarians and friends, The 2019 Open World delegation from the Republic of Georgia returned home on June 15 with a wealth of useful business, cultural and educational memories on the subject of rural tourism. The program was intense but targeted to the delegates’ individual interests within the field of rural tourism. Here are some highlights: - We attended twenty professional presentations by individuals and organizations, including a presentation by Colorado State University on their graduate degree program in Rural Tourism, the only one in the United States.
- We visited twelve cities and rural towns within Colorado, investigating rural businesses and activities such as an operational dude ranch; an agri-tourist farm and guest house; six production facilities for wine, peaches, cider and beer; a small rural town during its annual parade and professional rodeo.
- We received an official welcome from elected officials at various levels within Colorado government. A highlight was a visit to the Governor’s Office at the State Capitol. The delegation received letters welcoming them to Colorado from Governor Jared Polis, US Senator Michael Bennet, and US Congressman Ken Buck. (Please click the links to view the letters.) Each official emphasized the value of the Open World program and congratulated the Rotary Club of Parker for our participation. The delegates also met the mayors of Parker and Glenwood Springs.
Everything went without a hitch as we covered many miles in the vast state of Colorado. Parker Rotarians had the opportunity to meet the members of the delegation at two events: - A welcome potluck dinner hosted at the residence of Parker Rotarian Glenn Petty, attended by over forty people with entertainment by Rotarians Jim Muir and Steve Brown.
- A special Open World event by the Rotary Club of Parker, also attended by over 40 people. The delegates each spoke and introduced themselves, their home region within Georgia, and their interests in rural tourism. This event was attended by the Mayor of Parker and by a representative of our US Congressman Ken Buck. Local media was also present.
On behalf of our Rotary Club of Parker, I want to thank the US Congress for sending us a fantastic group of young people, true ambassadors of their beautiful country of Georgia. The delegates were an impressive group of young people. They enthusiastically participated with questions and interest in their own fields of specialization. They were fun and never tired, always punctual. The facilitator from Georgia and the interpreter from Washington D.C. were also tremendously helpful. I want to personally thank all our Rotarians who volunteered and helped make this program a success. Thank you for giving me and the Rotary Club of Parker another wonderful opportunity to serve and to experience international delegations through peace and friendship! Dr. Alvaro Pisoni, D Arch Open World 2019 Chairman and Program Planner Rotary Club of Parker To view a PDF of the complete report on the delegates' visit, click here. To view a slide show with many of the photos included in the report, click here. |
