27 Mar 2014
Philippines, 27 March 2014 – Travel – it leaves you speechless then turns you into a storyteller.At Contiki (www.contiki.com), we connect young travellers to the time of their lives, and have an insatiable appetite for discovering new things in every nook and cranny of the world. To continue sharing our discoveries with young travellers for decades and centuries to come, we need to respect and protect those places through everything that we do.
As a continuation of the Earth Month initiatives from last year in the Galapagos Islands, Contiki Holidays hasinvited Mikael Daez and a selection of 11 inspiring storytellers from around the world to travel to Costa Rica for their newest Contiki Cares partnership (www.contiki.com/contikicares) with The Sea Turtle Conservancy (STC). 'I am extremely excited for the trip to Costa Rica and to be part of the Contiki Cares program. It's great that I'm able to travel with a great purpose and share the experience with everyone else, most especially the Filipinos. I'm also looking forward to meeting the other Contiki Storytellers along with Céline Cousteau during the Sea Turtle Conservancy project. I'm sure we will all be learning a lot from the trip as well as one another. Let's do this!!! Woohoo!' said Mikael Daez, the 26 year-old heartthrob host of GMA Network's “Midnight Snack”.
From March 29th-April 7th, the group of bloggers, filmmakers, photographers and social media experts will join Contiki's sustainability partner Céline Cousteau on a VIP conservation trip, based on the brand's own Costa Rica Unplugged itinerary. For two nights in Tortuguero, the storytellers will team up with Céline and the STC to track leatherback turtles and protect their nests from poachers in the area. When they're not protecting the majestic endangered turtles, the storytellers will be experiencing all that bio diverse Costa Rica has to offer in true Contiki fashion – zip lining through the rainforest, rafting through the rapids, taking a dip in the hot springs and touring the canals in hopes of spotting some of the beautiful wildlife native to the area.
Aileen C. Clemente, Chairman of Rajah Travel Corporation and Contiki's General Sales Agent in the Philippines said, 'We are pleased to have Mikael and Nicky Daez onboard as Contiki storytellers from the Philippines. Their journey will serve as an inspiration to the Filipino youth and engage them to experience life through travel. Contiki provides young travellers with an opportunity to explore different destinations in the company of other youth from different countries. It is, ultimately, a learning experience to be cherished and revisited long after the trip is over.'
Kevin Khor, Head of Sales & Marketing for Contiki here in Asia, has played a pivotal role in engaging Mikael for this once-in-a-lifetime journey. 'We have chosen 12 incredible storytellers from around the world to join us on our newest Contiki Cares project with the Sea Turtle Conservancy in beautiful Costa Rica this earth month and we are extremely excited to have Mikael Daez on board, representing Asia and, of course, the Philippines! Through Mikael's epic story of conservation, adventure and travelling with absolutely #NOREGRETS – a mantra we live and breathe at Contiki, his storytelling will definitely has the powerful ability to inspire and share his incredible conservation efforts with his many young travelers and followers!' he said.
The Storytellers include:
- Mikael Daez - https://twitter.com/mikaeldaez Actor. Model. TV host. Manila, Philippines.
- Ben Brown https://twitter.com/MrBenBrown Vlogger. Photographer. Kayak World Champion. UK
- Elise Swopes https://twitter.com/Swopes Graphic Designer. Mobile Photographer. Chicago, USA.
- Jamie McDell – https://twitter.com/JamieMcDell Songwriter. Youtuber. Auckland, New Zealand.
- Sarah Duff https://twitter.com/sarahduff Photojournalist. Cape Town, South Africa.
- Seattle Dredge - https://twitter.com/SeattlesTravels Travel Blogger. Photographer. Toronto, Canada.
Also joining this diverse group of storytellers are the three winners from a recent contest hosted by Contiki and Matador Network – entrants were asked to submit a video, photo or written essay to describe where they felt closest to nature in hopes of winning a spot on this epic conservation adventure. The winners – who hail from Canada, USA and the Netherlands – will have a Matador representative and photographer present to help them hone their skills as they document this life-changing experience working with Celine Cousteau and the STC.
Storytelling has the powerful ability to save the planet – follow our incredible conservation story on Instagram and Twitter using the #contikistorytellers hashtag or visit contiki.com/storytellers for the chance to win a trip to Costa Rica.
--ENDS--
About Contiki Holidays
Contiki is the world leader in youth travel experiences, a brand that is all about discovery, epic moments and making every second count. Our journeys unlock the local way of life in each and every destination we visit, and with over 300 trips in more than 50 countries, we're the experts in providing life-changing experiences for 18-35's. Our brand mantra is #NOREGRETS – we treat every day as a new adventure, build friendships that last a lifetime and live every day like it's our last, leaving absolutely nothing behind.
Contiki is a part of a joint initiative with The TreadRight Foundation, a not-for-profit foundation established by The Travel Corporation to encourage sustainable tourism within our own family of brands and in the places we visit. To date, TreadRight has donated more than US$2 million to sustainable tourism projects around the world. To find out more about our work with TreadRight visit: www.treadright.org
MEDIA CONTACT:
Choy Teh
PR Specialist
Contiki Holidays for 18-35's
+65 6922 5974
