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With more and more people becoming concerned about the environment, as well as
looking for distinctive vacation experiences, ecotourism is the fastest growing
segment within the travel industry. The UN even declared 2002 the
"International Year of Ecotourism."
An ecotourist has a strong environmental conscience and a philosophy of
environmental protection. An ecotourist destination is a property, which often
includes an on-site hotel or resort, with a primarily unspoiled or reclaimed
environment of native flora and fauna. This destination also educates tourists,
often on a sophisticated level, about the local environment, and minimizes the
impact of visitors on the environment with various measures, such as welcoming
only a small number of guests. Finally, the ecotourist site is usually protected
by a local or national government.
Ecotourist destinations vary from wildlife parks and nature preserves like the
Lodge at Chaa Creek Adventure Centre, Rainforest Reserve and Spa in Belize, to
jungle hideaways like Chiminos Island Lodge in Guatemala, guest (dude) ranches
such as Hidden Creek Ranch near Harrison, Idaho, beachfront properties like
Cabanos Copal Hotel Tulum in Mexico, and hotels that celebrate the local culture
like the Tohum Living Earth Center in Turkey. Rates can range from $5.60 to
$10.80 per person per night at the Boat Landing Guest House and Restaurant in
Laos to $400 per person per night at the Araca River Camp in Brazil.
Sounds great. But the mounting popularity of ecotourism has led some
less-than-scrupulous hotel, resort and tour operators to make sham claims about
their "green" offerings to lure inexperienced ecotourists and their
wallets.
How can the environmentally concerned traveler find a true ecotourism
destination? Ask questions, lots of them. The more you know about a destination,
the more you are able to determine if it really meets your environmental
requirements.
- First, the property must limit the number of visitors it receives each
year. No matter how much ecotourists care about the environment, too many of
them in one location can only harm that which they seek to protect and
enjoy. Chiminos Island Lodge in Peten, Guatemala, is a jungle preserve and
Mayan archeological site with five bungalows that together can accommodate
up to 25 people. The Boat Landing Guest House and Restaurant in Luang Namtha
province of Laos limits its tour groups to just six guests to lessen their
impact on the villages and hill tribes they visit.
- Second, look for a property that provides environmental protection,
reclamation and other enhancement, including repatriation or introduction of
native plants and animals on site. The Black Sheep Inn of Cotopaxi, Ecuador,
built on a steeply sloped and deforested site in the high Andes, employs
terracing and swales with native trees to control erosion and reforest the
site. The Banyan Tree Seychelles along Intendance Bay on Mahe, the largest
of the 115 Seychelles islands, preserves and protects Pointe du
Reduit--classified as a "Remarkable Natural Landscape" and a
"Protected Zone"--and two wetlands, as well as the nesting grounds
of the endangered hawksbill turtle.
- Third, the destination should have a property usage plan that sets up a
hierarchy of spaces, such as areas that prohibit tourists, wilderness zones
that allow only pedestrian activity, moderate tourist use locations and
areas for appropriate development. The Lodge at Chaa Creek Adventure Centre,
Rainforest Reserve and Spa outside San Ignacio, Belize, is a 330-acre
private nature reserve with a natural history center, the Blue Morpho
Butterfly Farm (a breeding facility), miles of trails for walking, bird
watching, mountain biking or horseback riding, as well as a conference
center and palm-thatched guest cottages.
- Fourth, make sure that the buildings, walkways, other tourism-related
facilities and humans cause no more than minimal disturbance to the
environment. The owners of 100-plus-acre Birch Pond Lodge outside Willow,
Alaska, for example, hand-dug the foundations for the guest cabins to avoid
undue site disturbance. The buildings on Hidden Creek Ranch near Harrison,
Idaho, were constructed from dead and fallen trees.
In contention for the most jaw-dropping ecotourism destination on the planet
is the 500-acre Green Magic Nature Resort in a tropical rainforest outside
Kerala, India. Guest rooms were constructed as tree houses 86 feet above
ground level.
- Fifth, ask about the destination's water and energy conservation
strategies. Many ecotourist resorts, for example, have solar-heated hot
water in their bathrooms. The Lodge at Chaa Creek's rural telephone and
radio systems are solar powered. India's Green Magic Nature Resort gets its
power and light from a combination of solar energy, gas from cow dung and
kerosene lamps. No diesel generators, which create air and noise pollution.
- Finally, local communities must be involved in, educated about, and
particularly benefit from the ecotourist destination's conservation of
indigenous natural and cultural resources. An ecotourist destination that
uses locally produced foods, for example, supports the native population and
increases guest awareness of the surrounding culture. Environmentally
educated people from local villages generally staff a destination's
ecologically oriented activities like bird watching, river rafting, rock
climbing, guided nature hikes and scuba diving, as well as archeological,
historical and cultural tours.
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Santiago, Chile-based Explora recently purchased and renovated the Puritama
River Hot Springs, a series of six naturally heated pools near San Pedro de
Atacama, Chile. Explora provides the Indian Atacamenos free admission to the
hot springs and gives the local Atacameno Indian Council all of its
earnings.
Where does a new ecotourist start when looking for an ecotourist
destination? More and more books, including guidebooks, are being published
with an ecotourist focus. Amazon.com lists more than 100 books, including
"Ecotours and Nature Getaways: A Guide to Environmental Vacations
Around the World"; "Eco-Journeys: The World Travel Guide to
Ecologically Aware Travel and Adventure"; the Nature Company Guides,
such as "World Travel: A Guide to International Ecojourneys"; and
the EcoTravel Guides, including "Australia: An Ecotraveler's
Guide."
An Internet search using "ecotourism" will bring up hundreds of
sites. Three good ones to start with are Ecotravel.com, EcoClub.com
and Ecotourism.org. Ecotravel.com, for example, has an
"Ecodirectory" where the ecotourist enters his or her desired
region, activities and experiences. Then, the Web site brings up ecotourist
destinations that meet those criteria. These Web sites usually have direct
links to the properties' Web sites, which give details about their
environmental policies.
Don't fall for "green" language and generalizations on wannabe
ecotourist destination Web sites. A property can tout its solar panels, but
provide accommodations for 100 or more people, which would severely stress
the environment. So, look for information about environmental protection or
reclamation, water and energy conservation, the destination's ties to local
communities, and other ecotourist-specific criteria.
IF YOU GO
To learn more about the ecotourist destinations and Web sites mentioned in
this article:
DESTINATIONS
Araca River Camp (Brazil). Some ecotourist destinations, like the Araca
River Camp, are so small that they prefer to work through an on-line
environmentally oriented travel association, rather than enlarge their staff
to handle information requests and book reservations. So, for further
information about this destination, or to book reservations, go on-line to
visit www.ecoclub.com/andetur/lodge.html .
Banyan Tree Seychelles. Visit www.banyantree.com or call 805-499-9101. To
reach the resort directly, call 011-248-383-500.
Birch Pond Lodge (Alaska). P.O. Box 370, Willow, Alaska 99688; 907-495-3000;
www.birchpondlodge.com
deadlink. For further information, visit
www.ecotravel.com .
Black Sheep Inn (Ecuador). P.O. Box
05-01-240, Chugchilan, Cotopaxi, Ecuador, South America; 011-593-3-281-4587;
e-mail info@blacksheepin.com. For further information, or to book
reservations, visit www.ecoclub.com/BlackSheepInn or www.blacksheepinn.com .
Boat Landing Guest House and
Restaurant (Laos). P.O. Box 28, Bankone, Luang Namtha district, Luang Namtha
Province, Lao PDR; 011-856-86-312-398; For further information, or to book
reservations, visit www.ecoclub.com/theboatlanding/
Cabanos Copal Hotel Tulum (Mexico). Although this destination is in Mexico,
and the contact telephone number is for Mexico, the contact address is in
the U.S.: 1 Widmar Court, Clayton, CA 94517; 011-52-987-12481;
www.cabanascopal.com . For further information, or to book reservations,
visit www.ecotravel.com .
Chiminos Island Lodge (Guatemala). Punta de Chimino, Petexbatun Lagoon,
Peten, Guatemala; 011-502-335-3506; www.chiminosisland.com . For further
information, or to book reservations, visit
www.ecotravel.com .
Green Magic Nature Resort (India).
TravelsKerala, Karimpatta Road, Opp. Medical Trust Hospital, Pallimukka,
Cochin--682016, Kerala, India; 011-91-484-364485; For further information,
or to book reservations, visit www.ecoclub.com/tourindia/
.
Hidden Creek Ranch (Idaho). 7600 E. Blue Lake Road, Harrison, Idaho 83833;
800-446-3833 or 208-689-3209; www.hiddencreek.com
(deadlink).
Lodge at Chaa Creek Adventure Centre, Rainforest Reserve and Spa (Belize).
P.O. Box 53, San Ignacio, Cayo District, Belize; 011-501-92-2037;
www.chaacreek.com . For further information, or to book reservations, visit
www.ecotravel.com .
Puritama River Hot Springs (Chile). Explora en Atacama, Americo Vespucio Sur
80, Piso 5, Santiago, Chile; 011-562-206-6060. For further information, or
to book reservations, visit www.explora.com .
Tohum Living Earth Center (Turkey). For further information about this
ecotourist destination, or to book reservations, visit
www.ecoclub.com/tohum/welcome.html
.
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WEB SITES
ECOCLUB.com. This Internet
association of ecotourist destinations has descriptions of and can book
reservations for ecotourist lodges around the world. It also has experts who
can answer any question you may have about ecotourist travel, a newsletter
and a student center. www.ecoclub.com
.
Ecotourism.org. This Web site of the International Ecotourism Society has
links to a variety of ecotourist destinations. It also has environmental
news, several resources for eco-professionals and students, and a bookstore.
P.O. Box 668, Burlington, VT 05402. 802-651-9818;
www.ecotourism.org .
Ecotravel.com. This Internet association of ecotourist destinations has a
directory of ecotourist lodges, trip planning assistance, an on-line
magazine and resources for travel professionals.
www.ecotravel.com .
Copyright © 2003, Chicago
Tribune
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