Planning a Green Holiday continue…
Sep
04
When in Rome .. .
Whether you are on holiday in a big bustling city like Rome or in a tiny village in Patagonia make sure that your money is supporting local businesses andcommunities. Before you book find out whether the hotel, lodge, or hostel works with the local community and provides employment opportunities to locals. When you get there do your bit by:
- Using local guides.
- Buying locally made crafts and products. Avoid large tourist shops that make cheap copies or are imported from elsewhere. Try local marketplaces instead.
- Learning some of the local language so you can communicate and learn about the local community.
- Respecting the local culture by dressing appropriately. A good guidebook should give you advice.
- Finding out about the local environmental issues — you may have to conserve water and energy, particularly in many remote developing parts of the world.
The best way to get to know a place is to try to do what the locals do:
- Buy food from local markets and shops to cook in your self-catering apartment. If you see a queue of local people, join it!
- Walk everywhere! The only people you mix with on tour buses are other tourists.
- Visit the local cafés and bars rather than stay in the hotels or tourist areas.
- Buy the local newspaper and tune in to some local radio and TV. Even if you don’t understand a word the pictures and sounds give you a surprisingly good idea of local life.
Discovering Ecotourism
There’s a lot of confusion, even in the travel industry itself, as to what ecotourism is. Every company that offers a tour, accommodations, or service in unspoiled natural locations like national parks, wildlife areas, beaches, lakes, and even remote islands, claims to be an ecotour company.
The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) says that ecotourism is `Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and sustains the wellbeing of the local people‘.
The European Travel Commission at www. etc-corporate.org says that for a trip to be considered ecotourism:
- The destination is usually an unpolluted natural area.
- Its attractions are the flora and fauna and its entire biodiversity.
- Ecotourism should support the local economy and its indigenous atmosphere.
- It should contribute to the preservation of the environment, and promote the importance of conserving nature.
- Eco-trips often include a learning experience.
The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) at www. ecotourism.org says that ecotourism should:
- Minimise impact
- Build cultural and environmental awareness and respect
- Provide positive experiences for both visitors and hosts V Provide direct financial benefits for conservation
- Provide financial benefits and empowerment for local people
- Raise sensitivity to a host country’s political, environmental, and social climate
- Support international human rights and labour agreements.
As you can imagine, it’s not easy to achieve all these objectives, and if you’re trying to book a much-needed quick break at the last minute you’re not likely to find the eco-holiday the cheapest and more accessible option. But demand for eco-holidays is on the increase as travellers become more aware of their impact on local environments and actively look for green holiday options. Local communities see ecotourism as a way to bring in travellers who will pay a bit extra which can go towards saving endangered species or conserve their natural ecosystems.
Ecotourism is a long way from the type of holiday where everything is paid for before leaving the UK and very little of the money spent ever reaches the local communities. The problem is that not everyone involved in providing eco-holidays, or the people who opt for them, agrees on how all these criteria should be measured. Ecotourism is being increasingly audited and there are now several accreditation systems in place to help you choose the right ecotour service.
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