Mr. Speaker, I am very proud of the fact that on October 18, 2007, Montreal became the first urban centre to sign the National Geographic Society's geotourism charter.
By inviting Montreal to be the first urban centre in the world to sign the charter, the National Geographic Society has granted an exceptional degree of recognition to the city.
The society chose Montreal because of the city's accomplishments in destination stewardship and because of active collaboration among greater Montreal's tourism and cultural sectors.
Since the National Geographic Society first introduced geotourism charters, the concept has evolved. The first urban geotourism charter demonstrates the Society's desire to adapt the geotourism charter to urban centres.
I want to emphasize that many Montreal stakeholders worked in concert to apply for the National Geographic Society charter, including co-applicants Héritage Montréal and the World Centre of Excellence for Destinations.