Newsletter no 13

HTTP://WWW.TOTEMTOURISMMARKETING.ORG
NEWSLETTER Number 13
15 February 2007
The Totem Tourism newsletter is sent to travel and tourism professionals,
tourism consultants, travel writers, tourism development NGOs and tourism
organisations worldwide.
IN THIS ISSUE: TOTEM SUSTAINABLE TOURISM REPORT 2007 - 10 WAYS TO AVOID GUILT TRIPS FROM TOURISM CONCERN - TOURISM OR MIGRATION PLANETA - TOURISM FOR TOMORROW AWARDS FINALLISTS - TREES FOR LIFE - SHOULD I REALLY GIVE UP CLOTHES?
FIRST AND FOREMOST! THE TOTEM SUSTAINABLE TOURISM REPORT 2007 IS JUST OUT - 39 pages & Powerpoint Presentation & 3 x quarterly updates - just US$99, UK£49 Euro69 - for the lot! Good, eh? As a Totem Newsletter subscriber - you'll get 50% off if you order and pay by end of February - US$49.50, UK£24.50 Euro34.50. Act NOW!
So, here are a few of the predictions:
"The third Totem Sustainable Tourism Report, released today forecasts international tourists to reach 1.05bn by 2010 and sustainable tourism to reach 250m. The report also forecasts that there will be a recognized "Fair Trade in Tourism" label, a tourism "Ecocertification" programme and that Carbon Offsetting of flights may become mandatory."
Make sure that you get the best and the timeliest information - buy now!
http://www.totemtourismmarketing.org and to get your discount put "totem" in the special offer box.

10 WAYS TO AVOID GUILT TRIPS FROM TOURISM CONCERN - AS PROMOTED AT DESTINATIONS TRAVEL SHOW...
Anyone can be a responsible tourist and avoid "Guilt Trips". There are BIG things you can do and SMALL things that you can do, but they ALL make a difference to someone’s life.
Take action and have a BETTER HOLIDAY!
1. Be Aware
Start enjoying your travels before you leave. Think about what sort of clothing is appropriate for both men and women. If the locals are covered up, what sort of messages may you be sending out by exposing acres of flesh?
2. Be Open
Something may seem bizarre or odd to ‘you’, but it may be normal and just the way things are done to ‘them’. Try not to assume that the western way is right or best.
3. Our holidays - their homes
Ask before taking pictures of people, even children, and respect their wishes. Talk to local people. What do they think about our lifestyle, clothes and customs? Find out about theirs.
4. "One school pen"
Giving to children encourages begging. A donation to a project, health centre or school is more constructive.
5. Be fair
Try to put money into local hands. If you haggle for the lowest price, your bargain may be at the selle’s expense. Even if you pay a little over the odds, does it really matter?
6. Be adventurous
Use your guidebook or hotel as a starting point, not the only source of information. Find out what’s going on by talking to locals, then have your own adventures...
7. Ask questions
Write a letter to your tour operator about their responsible tourism policy. We will give a FREE COPY of our Ethical Travel Guide to the sender of the best (or worst) operator reply.
8. Think before you fly
Help repair the damage you do to the environment by flying less. The more and further you fly, the more you contribute to global warming and environmental destruction.
9. Be controversial!
...and enhance your image with one of our ‘Avoid Guilt Trips’ t-shirts. Designs include: Exploitation Hotel and Child Labour Villas.
10 Be happy
By taking any, some, or all of these actions you are personally fighting tourism exploitation. Enjoy your guilt-free trip!
Take action to have a better holiday!

TOURISM OR MIGRATION FROM PLANETA
In the next few months http://www.Planeta.com hosts an online conference
focusing on Tourism and Migration which highlights timely news and
innovative work around the world.
The Tourism and Migration E-Conference is Planeta's 18th formal
e-conference. The most active posting takes place in March and April 2007.
We recommend participants budget an hour per week to participate in the
online event.
Details about the event are found online the e-conference page
http://www.planeta.com/ecotravel/tour/migration.html
REGISTRATION - Registration is open!
http://tinyurl.com/y6d3cy
QUESTIONS
What is the difference between travel and migration?
How effective is tourism in creating jobs and an alternative to migration?
To what degree does tourism development displace local people?
What role do foreign residents play in educating visitors?
BACKGROUND - Tourism enterprises are increasingly considered as as providing
an alternative to migration and a vehicle to alleviate poverty in developing
economies by creating jobs. Likewise, tourists are staying longer in places
-- blurring the distinction between tourism and migration. The Tourism and
Migration E-Conference will allow participants time to prepare
recommendations and announce individual and collaborative endeavors.
REQUIREMENTS - Active participants are asked to have a professional interest
in tourism or migration. An account on the Planeta Forum is needed for
active participation, though the posts can be read by all. As we would like
an intimate but active dialogue, participants will be required to post an
introduction and to post at least two messages per month.
SPONSORS - Sponsorship opportunities are available.
YOUR TURN
CALL FOR PAPERS - Planeta.com is seeking ordinal essays and recommended
links to resources elsewhere on the Web. If you care to contribute an
article or suggest a link, consult our writers' guidelines.
http://www.planeta.com/ecotravel/search/guide.html
CREATE A BUZZ - If you have a website, help us promote our coverage by
adding a link to
http://www.planeta.com/ecotravel/tour/migration.html
A 468x60 banner is available for download
http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeta/336671972
A 150x60 logo is also available
http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeta/339020899
REFERENCES
Conferencing in the Virtual and Natural Worlds
http://www.planeta.com/web/conferences.html
Migration Forum
http://forum.planeta.com/viewforum.php?f=60
Tourism and Migration
http://www.planeta.com/ecotravel/tour/migration.html
TOURISM FOR TOMORROW FINALLISTS:
Destination Award
Great Barrier Reef, Australia www.gbrmpa.gov.au
Greenbox Trading As Responsible Tourism, Ireland www.greenbox.ie
The State of Vermont, USA www.VermontVacation.com
Conservation Award
Aqua-Trek, Fiji Islands and USA www.aquatrek.com
Aspen Skiing Company, USA www.aspensnowmass.com
Caiman Ecological Refuge, Brazil www.caiman.com.br
Investor in People Award
10 Knots Development Corporation / El Nido Resorts, Philippines www.elnidoresorts.com
Nihiwatu Resort, Indonesia www.nihiwatu.com
Sunderbans Jungle Camp, India helptourismkolkata@gmail.com
Global Tourism Business Award
Lindblad Expeditions, USA and Global www.expeditions.com
Six Senses Resorts & Spas, Thailand and Global www.sixsenses.com
Wilderness Safaris, South Africa www.wilderness-safaris.com

TREES FOR LIFE PLANTS OVER 5,000 NEW OLIVE TREES IN PALESTINE
Trees for Life, launched in Summer 2006, has been a huge success. 300
Olive Co-operative supporters have raised over £20,000 to plant more
than 5,000 new olive trees in Palestine. Particularly generous donations
have come from Zacharia Mosque, Bolton, who raised over £10,000, funding
2,500 trees; and the New Statesman, who offered olive tree sponsorship
with magazine subscriptions, attracting sponsorship for 870 trees.
Trees For Life – Planting Peace in Palestine is a partnership with Olive
Co-operative, Palestine Fair Trade Association (PFTA) and Zaytoun, which
offers the public the opportunity to sponsor the planting of olive trees
in Palestine.

Olive Co-operative has recently returned from another successful tour of
Palestine. Tour participants helped to plant new olive trees sponsored
as part of the program, and met the farmers and communities whose
livelihoods are being supported.

The new olive trees help to offset the destruction wrought in
Palestinian olive groves by the Israeli army and settlers. According to
the Applied Research Institute Jerusalem over 500,000 olive trees have
been destroyed since 2000. Each new tree sponsored represents a
long-term source of income for Palestinian families, who have been
harvesting olive oil, fruit and wood for generations.
The trees are grown in a nursery in Jenin and distributed in Palestine
by the PFTA to farmers who follow fair trade guidelines and who will
benefit from future purchases of Palestinian olive oil. Sponsored trees
have been planted in 18 Palestinian villages in the Jenin, Nablus, and
Salfit areas.
Trees for Life program is continuing, with an appeal this month for Tu
Bishvat, the Jewish festival marking the new year for trees, in
partnership with Jews for Justice for Palestinians. Tu Bishvat is a
traditional time to plant new trees.
Further info: http://www.olivecoop.com

AND FINALLY...SHOULD I REALLY GIVE UP CLOTHES?
As fatuous as this might sound, a recent study by the government-funded Carbon Trust, reveals the surprising fact that of the 11 tons of CO2 emitted annually by the average Briton, we emit 1 ton through our clothing, "...from the chemical processes used to manufacture and transport the items, emissions from water heating and wet appliances used in cleaning, drying and pressing clothes..." (Source: The Independent, 9 Jan 06) but only 0.68 tons by flying.
You would be forgiven for pleading ignorance on this point as most of the press coverage points the other way. http://www.responsibletravel.com decided to compare column inches for clothing carbon emissions with those for flying carbon emissions over a 7 day period. And the results?
Whether it is Tony Blair going on holiday, Prince Charles flying to New York or not flying to Switzerland, the public's selfish desire to keep on flying, or new carbon offset schemes aimed at aviation emissions, flying is a hot topic every day of the week.
Clothing, meanwhile, gets but a passing mention on 17 January as a result of Asda's PR machine: calling on people to wash their clothes at 30 degrees rather than 40, while failing to mention the social and environmental impacts of cheap clothing manufacturing in the launch of its £25 suit.
The person on the street reading the paper would therefore be excused for thinking that by giving up flying they can solve the problem of global warming without needing to worry about issues such as turning down the heating or avoiding suspiciously cheap clothes. If consumers are misled by the media into concluding that some forms of emissions are greater than they are it will be at the expense of overall reductions.
Justin Francis, Managing Director of responsibletravel.com, says:
"Let me be perfectly clear, we do believe that we should be flying considerably less and we believe we are the first travel agent to say this; we have been lobbying the government to find more effective ways to curtail the growth in air travel. However, we do need to keep a sense of proportion. We're not asking people to go naked to stop their clothing carbon emissions but to think about the clothes they buy and how they treat them. In the same way, demanding that people stop flying altogether is not the solution to all our problems, especially when many developing countries rely on responsible tourism as a significant source of income to protect and conserve their environment."
responsibletravel.com is calling for clear and readily available information about the relative scale of emissions and what we can do about them. And their top tip? Take the train for your European city break and use your flight where it can really make a difference. Oh, and you can keep your clothes on!
Valere

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