The PAN Parks Foundation and the Bulgarian State Agency for Tourism are offering a unique opportunity for journalists and travel writers to visit one of the �Green Jewels� in Europe�s crown alongside with the chance to get an inside view into the work of the PAN Parks Foundation. This jointly supported trip will take place between the 8th and 12th October in Rila National Park, Bulgaria. This will run alongside the annual Europe�s Widerness Days 2007 conference.

PAN Parks is an innovative initiative to create a network of Europe�s best wilderness areas from the Arctic to the Mediterranean. Combining nature conservation with sustainable tourism it helps promote a real future for European protected areas. It provides exciting opportunities to discover real wilderness whilst benefiting nature. At the heart of the PAN Parks concept is a quality standard. Each of the certified parks undergoes a rigorous independent audit of their environmental quality, habitat and visitor management along with sustainable tourism development.

Rila National Park is one of the largest national parks in Europe. The highest mountain in the Balkan Range it is an important area for the stimulation of eco-tourism and increased management effectiveness. In recent years it has come under increasing pressure for the development of �super� ski resorts inside of the National Park. The PAN Parks process has become an important tool for the park management to use in fighting this and to look at providing alternatives for local communities.

Please find attached a pdf copy of a guide to PAN Parks ,an introduction to Rila National Park and the network. For more information you can also visit www.panparks.org

The trip will combine the opportunity to both take part in a variety of visits to some of the key attractions and eco-tourism products in the area surrounding Rila National Park, including the world famous UNESCO world heritage site Rila Monastery, and to be able to take part in sessions of a major eco-tourism conference that is attended by representatives from across Europe. Journalists attending the trip will be able to choose which options they want take part in. A short tour of Sofia will also be provided.

The conference theme will be strongly linked to the themes of local and regional distinctiveness. As well as participants from protected areas and sustainable tourism across Europe, we will have a strong presence and focus this year on Slow Food and its importance for preserving local tradition and biodiversity.

The venue for the event is the Hotel Katerino on the very edge of Rila � a high quality spa hotel. Your travel, accommodation and food costs will be covered by the PAN Parks Foundation and the Bulgarian State Agency for Tourism. Places for international Journalists on this trip are limited to 5 participants � so please could you respond as soon as possible to express your confirmed interest. Please detail the publication opportunities you have to enable us to make the best decision in allocating places on this trip.

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To confirm your interest and for more details please contact:

Gavin Bell, Communications Manager, PAN Parks Foundation Tel: +36 70 326 5926 Email: gbell@panparks.org