(Business Wire) – The first 100 children who arrive at the Georgia Aquarium Saturday, March 21 will be treated to complimentary aquarium passes to celebrate the arrival of GEICO’s traveling gecko exhibit to the famed aquarium, and the Gecko exhibit’s one year-anniversary .

The Georgia Aquarium, the world’s largest aquarium, marks the second stop on the ongoing GEICO and Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) nationwide conservation campaign and tour. Each stop features the giant day geckos, one of the largest of all geckos, which are native to Madagascar and the Indian Ocean islands. The GEICO Gecko costume character will also appear at the aquarium each weekend through May 30.
In honor of this weekend’s opening and GEICO’s charitable work within the community, Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin also presented GEICO Vice Presidents Rynthia Rost and Shawn Burklin and AZA Vice President of Marketing Jill Nicoll with the city’s Phoenix Award in a ceremony held on Wednesday night.

“The City of Atlanta is very excited to welcome the GEICO Gecko exhibit and their popular Gecko spokescreature to our city,” said Mayor Franklin. “We are delighted that our aquarium can help GEICO provide continued education about wildlife conservation to our community.”

The three-year partnership between GEICO and AZA will continue to take the traveling GEICO Gecko exhibit to AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums nationwide throughout 2009. The 2009 tour kicked off in January at the Miami Metrozoo, and will stop at the Philadelphia Zoo in June. Through GEICO’s AZA advertisements, which have helped boost zoo attendance, GEICO has provided a commitment to the AZA and wildlife conservation.

“The goal of the traveling Gecko exhibit is to highlight the importance of wildlife conservation, and we are thrilled that we can share our mission and knowledge with the residents of Georgia at the world’s largest aquarium,” said GEICO Vice President Rynthia Rost. “We are also extremely excited to be able to provide free tickets to children so they can experience the great wildlife education that zoos and aquariums provide.”

GEICO (Government Employees Insurance Company) is the third-largest private passenger auto insurer in the United States based on the latest 12 months written premium. It provides auto insurance coverage for 9 million policyholders and insures some 15 million vehicles.