Ecotourism making a difference

Posted on November 21, 2010 by quest

From Toronto Bruce Poon Tip founder of Gap Adventures and Planeterra announced today the appointment of Megan Epler Wood as Director of Planeterra, a global non-profit dedicated to sustainable community development through travel and voluntourism. Epler Wood will share duties with newly named Associate Director Paula Vlamings. A pioneer in the field of sustainable travel and founder and past-president of the The International Ecotourism Society (TIES), Epler Wood has devoted her life to helping governments, travelers, and businesses throughout the world understand how tourism can be a tool to conserve threatened natural areas and help alleviate poverty. Epler Wood has increasingly focused on the economics of tourism as a tactic to combat poverty, demonstrating how tourist dollars can help countries to ethically and sustainably develop even in the most challenging circumstances.

In making the appointment Bruce Tip Poon said, “I have known Megan for many years and have such deep respect for her and for her commitment and leadership in defining and building on her vision for sustainable travel. She is the best person on Earth to lead Planeterra and expand its programs’ influence,”

Founded by Poon Tip in 2003, Planeterra evolved from adventure travel leader Gap Adventures’ commitment to give back to the people and places its travelers visit. The organization supports projects throughout the world in health, education, and community development and arranges sustainable voluntour travel programs.

SEEK PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

Machu Picchu best Ecotourism destination in South America

Posted on November 8, 2010 by quest

The Inca city of Machu Picchu in Peru has been awarded South America’s Leading Green Destination by the World Travel Awards at the recent 17th Annual World Travel Awards Ceremony in Jamaica. Machu Picchu was chosen over eight nominees, which included Argentina’s Patagonia, Guyana’s Georgetown, Venezuela’s Caracas, and Brazil’s Abrolhos.
Hailed by the Wall Street Journal as the “Travel Industry’s equivalent to the Oscars,” the World Travel Awards are the most comprehensive and prestigious awards program of today’s global travel industry, and involves a voting campaign of about 185,000 travel professionals worldwide. The ancient citadel, one of the Seven Wonders of the World and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is considered to be one of the most extraordinary examples of scenic architecture in the world.”This award shows that Peru’s tourism sector has a great impact on the economic, social and environmental development of the country,” said Promperu’s Tourism director Rocio Merino.

“The Lost City of the Incas,” it is perhaps the most familiar icon of the Inca World.The city of Machu Picchu itself was built at the top of a granite mountain. The Incas, using ingenious engineering techniques, were able to transport heavy stone blocks up the mountain side, and once there, they used their excellent masonry skills to produce amazingly polished stones that fit together perfectly. Machu Picchu “Old Mountain”, is a located 7,970 above sea level. It is situated on a mountain ridge above the Urubamba Valley in Peru which is 50 miles northwest of Cuzco and through which the Urubamba River flows. Experts believe that Machu Picchu was built as an estate for the Inca empero Pachacuti.

Machu Picchu has three primary buildings which are the Intihuatana, the Temple of the Sun, and the Room of the Three Windows. These are located in what is known by archaeologists as the Sacred District of Machu Picchu.

MACHU PICCHU

ECO FASHION

Ecotourism on the Pacific coast of Nicaragua

Posted on November 2, 2010 by quest

On the Nicaragua’s spectacular Pacific Coast comes Guacalito de la Isla, a $250 million, 1,670-acre resort development that embodies the principles of ecotourism. Guacalito de la Isla is the first in a series of Grupo Pellas’ unique Ceiba Collection eco-retreats in Central America, socially and environmentally sustainable communities benefiting not just residents and guests, but employees and locals as well. “This new generation of green destinations will be in some of the world’s most unspoiled locations,” said Don Carlos Pellas, Pellas.

The Pellas family has been a leader in the economic development of Central America for more than a century and has holdings in the sugar, rum, banking, transportation and credit-card businesses. “Each will cater to homeowners and guests who wish to make a difference in their families, their communities and their environment This year alone, Pellas Development has donated computers to the local school and 5,000 forest plants to the communities surrounding Guacalito de la Isla. “This new generation of green destinations will be in some of the world’s most unspoiled locations,” said Pellas.

“We are proud to be at the forefront of Nicaragua’s emergence as a destination for North Americans who seek an idyllic natural and sustainable refuge and an authentic experience,” said Pellas. Guacalito’s amenities will include a boutique luxury hotel; a beach club and restaurant; a marina; water sports from surfing to deep-sea fishing; hiking and biking trails; a championship 18-hole golf course; ecology, cultural and adventure-sports programs; an equestrian center; a world-class spa and family wellness center and a variety of multigenerational activities.
Guacalito de la Isla coincides with recent efforts by the Nicaraguan government to entice North American second-home buyers, investors and retirees with generous tax incentives. It is also in step with new interest in Nicaragua among North Americans seeking an exotic yet affordable destination for eco-tourism and vacation real estate. In the past few years, tourism has surpassed coffee as Nicaragua’s leading source of revenue, and Nicaragua has been deemed the safest country in Central America.

GUACALITO DE LA ISLA

ONLINE GREEN WEBINARS

Deep in Africa Ecotourism is in effect

Posted on October 24, 2010 by quest

Need to recharge and make a difference too? DeepIntoAfrica.com has been awarded sole rights to bring volunteers from North America to assist with the Tuli Conservation Project, a research and monitoring initiative that aims to help preserve the pristine Tuli Block of Southern Africa. Now this is ecotourism in full effect. The Tuli Block consists of a largely uninhabited area traversing the borders of South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe. It is home to large herds of elephants—which will be central to the data collection activities—as well as hyenas, lions, buffalo, leopards, baboons and more. After paying a nominal fee, volunteers are housed, fed and instructed in game tracking, animal and plant identification, GPS mapping, data collection and more. All these skills are applied immediately in the Tuli wilderness as the groups go out to track wildlife and collect data.

“This project is unlike anything else we have been able to offer in the past said” Diederik Van ‘t Hof. “We are tremendously excited about being able to give people the opportunity to experience the breathtaking beauty and excitement that is the Southern African wilderness, in a whole new way.” The participant volunteers come from all parts of the world.

DeepIntoAfrica.com has been offering day tours, safaris, overland adventures, luxury bus tours, scuba safaris, motorcycle adventures and fly-in safaris since 1992 with the belief that eco-tourism will preserve Africa’s biodiversity.

With this adventure trip, people leave civilization behind, clear their minds and enjoy pristine wilderness away from the stresses of civilization and experience an untouched part of Africa that you will remember for the rest of your life. For more information, potential volunteers can visit www.deepintoafrica.com or contact a representative in California at 916-5-SAFARI.

ECOTOURISM

Ecotourism as a political act

Posted on October 23, 2010 by quest

When travel writer Rick Steves talks about “Travel as a Political Act,” the title of his new book; to me what he is essentially talking about is incorporating ecotourism principals into a travel experience. As a writer, and producer of the popular television series Rick Steves’ Europe, and through his travel books, he encourages Americans and readers to discover not only major cities, but also cozy villages away from popular tourist routes. In a recent Sacramento Bee interview he said he felt that in some ways ecotourism was a marketing hook; yet making a difference through responsible travel seems like something everyone can do. While it’s sometimes called sustainable, green or even adventure travel, ecotourism seeks to recognize the environmental, economic and social impact travel can have on the traveler as well as with people and places visited.

With respect to his own travel experience Steves says “I fondly remember the confusion I felt when I first met someone who wouldn’t trade passports with me. I thought, “I’ve got more wealth, more freedom, more opportunity than you’ll ever have—why wouldn’t you want what I’ve got?” I assumed anyone with half a brain would aspire to the American Dream. But the vast majority of non-Americans don’t. They have the Bulgarian Dream, or the Sri Lankan Dream, or the Moroccan Dream. Thanks to travel, this no longer surprises me.

RICK STEVES – TRAVEL AS A POLITICAL ACT

In fact, I celebrate it. I was raised thinking the world is a pyramid with us on top and everybody else trying to get there. Well into my adulthood, I actually believed that if another country didn’t understand that they should want to be like us, we had every right to go in and elect a government for them that did.” Steves believes that Americans who approach travel thoughtfully — as a political act — can have the time of their lives and come home with a better understanding of the interconnectedness of today’s world and just how our nation fits in. His book, “Travel as a Political Act” is now available in stores and online. It was Mark Twain who wrote, “travel is the enemy of bigotry, narrow-mindedness, and prejudice.”

NEW WATER

UNWTO leaders see greener global ecotourism

Posted on October 11, 2010 by quest

Almost 500 tourism ministers, and tourism officials and academics from over 30 countries, who gathered deliberated about the best ways to manage their national tourism industries. The World Tourism Conference, held in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia last week, called for a greener global tourism sector.There was a major focus on ecotourism and environmental protection in all the opening speeches and throughout the course of the two-day event many of the tourism ministers present emphasized their country’s green credentials.

Said Malaysia’s deputy prime minister, Hon. Tan Sri Dato’ Haji Muhyiddin bin Mohd Yassin, in the conference opening speech– “While we want to put tourism at the forefront in terms of generating income for the country, we want to ensure, there is no harm to the environment. That’s why there is a need to establish specific guidelines on how green tourism is to be managed by the government and the various stakeholders,”

The tourism industry is again on a growth path after a bad 2009, due to the global economic crisis. However, attendees heard it is still too soon to count on a return to sustainable, regular increases in tourism arrivals. High unemployment continues to be a major cause of concern and the austerity measures and the rise in taxation implemented in several advanced economies to fight public deficits represent a clear challenge to many leading outbound tourism markets.

Said Taleb Rifai, UNWTO Secretary General: “ We are gratified by the take up of sustainable tourism throughout our membership, it has been a major focus for the UNWTO for some years and holds significant benefits for tourism destinations and tourists alike.”On the opportunities for renewed tourism growth, he commented: “It is extremely troubling that certain governments appear to be looking at taxing outbound tourism as a source of revenue. In particular the United Kingdom and the Federal Republic of Germany have instituted such taxes.”

“For tourism to deliver its enormous advantages – economic, social, cultural and environmental development – to the full, it needs to benefit from enabling environments. Both tourism facilitation policies and enabling legislative environments have been major factors in tourism’s success.”

ECOTOURISM MALAYSIA

Asia tourism has, however, bucked the negative trend and has been seeing regular consistent growth. Asia, currently the second most visited region in the world, has 181 million annual international tourist arrivals (21% of world total) and saw international tourism receipts of US$ 204 billion (24% of world total) in 2009.The conference, the second World Tourism Conference, was held at the Magellan Sutera, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah Mal.