Book and pay by end June for 40% "Earlybird" Discount
Top speakers have been booked for VISION’S 1 day “Intensive Masterclass on Sustainable Tourism Marketing” at the Royal Geographical Society in Kensington, London on 17 September.
The speakers list so far includes James Whittingham: Group Environment Manager TUI plc, Dr Murray Simpson: Oxford University Centre for the Environment, Jonathan Mitchell, Head of Tourism at the Overseas Development Institute, Valere Tjolle: Editor, VISION on Sustainable Tourism Others TBA
Participants in the full day masterclass, will hear, and participate in presentations from international experts in marketing and sustainable tourism.
The masterclass is directed at senior executives in the travel and tourism industry, ministers, top level government officials and advisors from tourist ministries, hotels, spas, resorts, tour operators, visitor attractions and destination management and marketing organisations.
Participants will expect to take away a broad understanding of the unique marketing opportunities that sustainability brings including the “Quadruple Bottom Line”.
Masterclass modules will include:
- Quadruple Bottom Line Opportunities, Sustainable Tourism’s Role
- Tour Operators & Airlines Agenda for Change
- Carbon Neutral Destinations
- Climate Change Adaptation & Mitigation – the Future
- Alternative Marketing for Sustainable Tourism
The cost for the whole day, including lunch, supper and specially-prepared dossiers, will be UK£500 per person. The masterclass is limited to 25 participants and consideration will be given to providing full or part bursaries to MA and MSc Tourism and CSR students.
Said Valere Tjolle “Sustainable Tourism is a rapidly developing and crucial element of the modern global tourism industry. In this era of climate change and MDG’s it is also totally necessary. The purpose of this masterclass is to enable industry leaders to understand, operate and gain the substantial benefits from the unique marketing opportunities that sustainable tourism presents.”
VISION on Sustainable Tourism subscribers can benefit from an exclusive 40% discount if booked and paid by 30 June.
Further information from: valere@travelmole.com
Monday, June 16, 2008
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Tourism Titles
It was the ProPoor Tourism conundrum that got me thinking about energy, sustainable tourism, what it’s all about and the meaning of life generally.
Like the irresistible force v the immovable object, the ProPoor tourism problem seems to be irreconcilable with real life. It goes like this – beautiful third world countries have frequently got wrecked economies and lots of poor, starving, sick, jobless people.
Solution 1 (operated up until quite recently, and in specific situations even now) “Give ‘em a string of beads and they’ll be happy. We’ll fly in thousands of high paying tourists to enjoy their paradise for a couple of weeks. And we’ll make a lot of dosh. (The tour operator in my genes recognises that one!)
Solution 2 (from the now reconstructed goody-goody politicians/global tourism industry) “Let’s fly in a team of consultants to help the locals draw up and operate a TMP (Tourism Master Plan). Then they can get the benefits of tourism directly. This will provide equal opportunities for women and minorities, democracy and institution building, stronger and more honest government and poverty eradication. Plus we get to zap some of those pesky Millennium Development Goals in time for world opinion.
Here’s where the force/object situation comes in:
Immovable object = destination (a long way away from the 1st world)
Irresistible force = airplane taking the tourists there (spewing out all kinds of noxious Green House Gases all the way).
So, what to do? Stop air tourism? Carry on and mess up the environment? Stick our heads in the sand and deny its happening? Or toss the paradigm away and start on another one?
There is another way of looking at it all - the energy way. The fact is, it all boils down to ENERGY, our stewardship of it, that is, and its misuse.
Currently, our primary concern is the burning of fossil fuels to create energy. This is a double whammy, we use up our limited resources, and we spew Green House Gases (CO2, Methane, Hydrocarbons, Flourocarbons etc) into the atmosphere, making the Earth a nice chemical overcoat so as to create global warming. We really don’t want to change our lifestyles, so we carry on doing it – we like being warm and comfortable eh?. We burn petrol to drive ourselves around, oil/gas/coal to heat ourselves up/cool ourselves down and kerosene to fly ourselves around. And we eat so much meat to energise our bodies that vast amounts of methane are farted into the atmosphere by our food-animals. By these standards, the 3% or so of total emissions delivered by the airlines fade a little into insignificance.
The truth is that we’re just profligate (those few of us who have enough to be profligate with). We are simply feckless in our use of energy. We have respect for very few forms of the energy we over consume.
We over indulge. We consume energy like it’s going out of fashion. We over eat. We over use our electrical appliances, we over use our cars, we over heat and over cool ourselves, we over travel. Why? Because it’s all (relatively) cheap. Cheap food, cheap travel, cheap heat, light and entertainment. Cheap, that is, if you live in the first world. Expensive if you live on a dollar a day. And, partly because energy is cheap and plentiful, we have little respect for it. We waste it.
All that process of waste, of course, applies to money too. “Thought we were talking about energy!” What is money, after all, but energy-tokens? Think about it! And look at the global financial disaster we’re now facing due to our over expenditure of energy tokens.
So the real problem is everywhere - it isn’t the individual activity – it’s our overall attitude. A holistic problem.
It always seems simple to address individual activities so we can find scapegoats to attack. The energy industry is littered with them. Coal mines, nuclear fission, oil magnates – they’re all holding us to ransom. Now, it’s the energy users, in particular the airline industry, that are being targeted.
But our overweaning desire to consume is the real culprit. And the problem that’s facing us is the effect that the over consumption of energy (in all its forms) is imminently creating.
Given that the fairest method of curtailing our energy use (personal carbon rationing) is politically unacceptable. To avoid disaster (or to put it off till we forget that it’s around) we are going to have to change our attitudes to consumption – not, necessarily what we consume.
In the very same way that an organisation needs efficiency, so do we. Simply, we need to consume less, waste less and respect more – in every department of our lives. We need to take a holistic approach.
So, think about it. The next time you’re sitting in your hothouse house tucking in to the usual daily meat feast, with the telly, the fan, and the audio centre on full blast, the computer and the rest of the TV’s on standby – think about it. By becoming more efficient, you could be saving up your carbon for a really worthwhile experience. Which, because you’ve had to think about it and save for it, you’ll treat with a little respect.
How does this effect all the different types of tourism that are generally going in this direction - ProPoor Tourism? Sustainable Tourism? Responsible Tourism? EcoTourism? Etc etc.
A holistic problem needs to be dealt with holistically to provide a holistic opportunity.
Holistic tourism? Don’t think so.
Like the irresistible force v the immovable object, the ProPoor tourism problem seems to be irreconcilable with real life. It goes like this – beautiful third world countries have frequently got wrecked economies and lots of poor, starving, sick, jobless people.
Solution 1 (operated up until quite recently, and in specific situations even now) “Give ‘em a string of beads and they’ll be happy. We’ll fly in thousands of high paying tourists to enjoy their paradise for a couple of weeks. And we’ll make a lot of dosh. (The tour operator in my genes recognises that one!)
Solution 2 (from the now reconstructed goody-goody politicians/global tourism industry) “Let’s fly in a team of consultants to help the locals draw up and operate a TMP (Tourism Master Plan). Then they can get the benefits of tourism directly. This will provide equal opportunities for women and minorities, democracy and institution building, stronger and more honest government and poverty eradication. Plus we get to zap some of those pesky Millennium Development Goals in time for world opinion.
Here’s where the force/object situation comes in:
Immovable object = destination (a long way away from the 1st world)
Irresistible force = airplane taking the tourists there (spewing out all kinds of noxious Green House Gases all the way).
So, what to do? Stop air tourism? Carry on and mess up the environment? Stick our heads in the sand and deny its happening? Or toss the paradigm away and start on another one?
There is another way of looking at it all - the energy way. The fact is, it all boils down to ENERGY, our stewardship of it, that is, and its misuse.
Currently, our primary concern is the burning of fossil fuels to create energy. This is a double whammy, we use up our limited resources, and we spew Green House Gases (CO2, Methane, Hydrocarbons, Flourocarbons etc) into the atmosphere, making the Earth a nice chemical overcoat so as to create global warming. We really don’t want to change our lifestyles, so we carry on doing it – we like being warm and comfortable eh?. We burn petrol to drive ourselves around, oil/gas/coal to heat ourselves up/cool ourselves down and kerosene to fly ourselves around. And we eat so much meat to energise our bodies that vast amounts of methane are farted into the atmosphere by our food-animals. By these standards, the 3% or so of total emissions delivered by the airlines fade a little into insignificance.
The truth is that we’re just profligate (those few of us who have enough to be profligate with). We are simply feckless in our use of energy. We have respect for very few forms of the energy we over consume.
We over indulge. We consume energy like it’s going out of fashion. We over eat. We over use our electrical appliances, we over use our cars, we over heat and over cool ourselves, we over travel. Why? Because it’s all (relatively) cheap. Cheap food, cheap travel, cheap heat, light and entertainment. Cheap, that is, if you live in the first world. Expensive if you live on a dollar a day. And, partly because energy is cheap and plentiful, we have little respect for it. We waste it.
All that process of waste, of course, applies to money too. “Thought we were talking about energy!” What is money, after all, but energy-tokens? Think about it! And look at the global financial disaster we’re now facing due to our over expenditure of energy tokens.
So the real problem is everywhere - it isn’t the individual activity – it’s our overall attitude. A holistic problem.
It always seems simple to address individual activities so we can find scapegoats to attack. The energy industry is littered with them. Coal mines, nuclear fission, oil magnates – they’re all holding us to ransom. Now, it’s the energy users, in particular the airline industry, that are being targeted.
But our overweaning desire to consume is the real culprit. And the problem that’s facing us is the effect that the over consumption of energy (in all its forms) is imminently creating.
Given that the fairest method of curtailing our energy use (personal carbon rationing) is politically unacceptable. To avoid disaster (or to put it off till we forget that it’s around) we are going to have to change our attitudes to consumption – not, necessarily what we consume.
In the very same way that an organisation needs efficiency, so do we. Simply, we need to consume less, waste less and respect more – in every department of our lives. We need to take a holistic approach.
So, think about it. The next time you’re sitting in your hothouse house tucking in to the usual daily meat feast, with the telly, the fan, and the audio centre on full blast, the computer and the rest of the TV’s on standby – think about it. By becoming more efficient, you could be saving up your carbon for a really worthwhile experience. Which, because you’ve had to think about it and save for it, you’ll treat with a little respect.
How does this effect all the different types of tourism that are generally going in this direction - ProPoor Tourism? Sustainable Tourism? Responsible Tourism? EcoTourism? Etc etc.
A holistic problem needs to be dealt with holistically to provide a holistic opportunity.
Holistic tourism? Don’t think so.
Monday, February 19, 2007
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
Totem Tourism Marketing
A CATALYST FOR CHANGE
PUBLISHERS OF SUSTAINABLE TOURISM REPORT 2003 & 2006
The Business Centre
Combe Royal Lodge
Bath BA2 6EQ UK
t: +44 7710 173005/+44 1225 332166
f: +44 1225 471647
e: info@totemtourismmarketing.org
w: http://www.totemtourismmarketing.org
b: http://www.totemtourism.blogspot.com
TRAVEL WRITING, SUSTAINABLE TOURISM CREATION & DEVELOPMENT,
GLOBAL MARKETING, TRAINING :-)
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
Totem Tourism Marketing
A CATALYST FOR CHANGE
PUBLISHERS OF SUSTAINABLE TOURISM REPORT 2003 & 2006
The Business Centre
Combe Royal Lodge
Bath BA2 6EQ UK
t: +44 7710 173005/+44 1225 332166
f: +44 1225 471647
e: info@totemtourismmarketing.org
w: http://www.totemtourismmarketing.org
b: http://www.totemtourism.blogspot.com
TRAVEL WRITING, SUSTAINABLE TOURISM CREATION & DEVELOPMENT,
GLOBAL MARKETING, TRAINING :-)
Newsletter no 12
HTTP://WWW.TOTEMTOURISMMARKETING.ORG
NEWSLETTER Number 12
3 January 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: BRAZIL MAJOR CONSERVATION ANNOUNCEMENT - 22 GREAT NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS - OAXACA TOURISM FAIR - STI GREEN GIFT AND GEAR GUIDE - PLANETA AUSTRALIA – RAINFOREST RESPONSIBLE TOURISM TOOL – RESPONSIBLE TOURISM & THE MEDIA - GREENING THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY - OLIVE COOP TOURS - TOURISM CONCERN'S ETHICAL TOUR OPERATORS - GREEN TRAVEL WRITING COLLOQUIUM - EU AIR CARBON OFFSETTING DIRECTIVE - $20m COSTA RICA GREEN TOURISM LOAN - UGANDA TOURISM PEACE CONFERENCE - PLEASE NOTE SEVERAL OF THESE FEATURES ARE OPEN FOR COMMENTS AT TRAVELMOLE.COM - RELEVANT LINKS ARE SHOWN WITH THE ARTICLES PLEASE JOIN IN THE DISCUSSION...
AND A HAPPY, PROSPEROUS, PEACEFUL, GENEROUS NEW YEAR TO ALL OUR READERS...
PHEW, thank God we've got out of 2006, maybe 2007 will be better for the tourism business. Let's look around and see where we are...
Those dinosaurs of the tourism industry - the tour operators - are already realising that it's going to be a tough year - so what do they do? Slash prices, therefore ensuring that it's going to be even horribly, suicidally, tougher. A few have realised that the inclusive tour is dead, the rest are tearing at its manky, rank, putrifying carcass. We all know that in the world of "Responsible", "Sustainable", "Ethical", "Green", "Conscious", "Eco", and all the other $10 words - "CHEAP" trumps the lot.
Denial about carbon outputs puts the airlines, and the whole industry, into a lather. We know in our hearts that Carbon Offsetting can't work. Where will we live when the world and its oceans is one big forest? How will we stop the trees dying and belching out their carbon? One answer is LESS TRAVEL folks. Let's hope we implement it before it implements us.
There is hope. Look at Responsible Travel's 22 New Year Resolutions below to see how we can all treat our travel arrangements with the respect they deserve.
Plus, this is a new breed, if I'm not mistaken. Take a look at http://www.sustravel.co.uk why not register, log on and get their brochure?
And... please pay attention to LOCAL events wherever they occur. One good example occurs in Oaxaca, Mexico each January that brings together community representatives, tourism leaders and travelers. The Rural Tourism Fair generates attention and good will. For those unable to attend the event in person, Planeta.com reminds visitors that rural tourism options exist somewhere every day of the year.
I finished the year well. A stimulating visit to gale-blasted warm and windy Port Isaac (Cornwall UK) put me in the mood to engage with 2007:
http://www.bed-and-breakfast-port-isaac.co.uk / and
http://www.portisaac-online.co.uk
We do hope you find our newsletter thought-provoking and useful. Please let us know if you hate it or love it or simply don't give a damn! Feel free to forward this email. Please accept our apologies for cross-posting.
ps - Hard at work on my latest effort - "SUSTAINABLE TOURISM MEANS PROFITABLE TOURISM - Buzz and Viral Marketing, how to Make Them Work for Your Sustainable Tourism Enterprise" - Publication Date 14 February 2007, price US$500, 400Euros, UK£280. There is a Pre-publication reduction of 50% if you Buy NOW! buzzoffer@totemtourismmarketing.org
1. SEVEN NEW PROTECTED AREAS CREATED IN BRAZIL
The governor of the Brazilian state of Para recently announced seven new protected areas in Amazonia. The announcement is a major step in Brazil's efforts to protect Earth's remaining tropical rain forests. Stretching from the border of Guyana and Suriname in the north to areas south of the Amazon River, these new protected areas encompass an unprecedented 37 million acres. "I cannot remember any single announcement like this," says Jose Maria Cardoso da Silva, vice president of science for Conservation International (CI)-Brazil. "This is one of the major conservation announcements of the last decades."
Two of the seven new areas are designated as strictly protected areas, one of which is the world's largest strictly protected area ever created in a tropical forest. According to CI's Amazonia program manager Enrico Bernard, these two areas alone could be home to as many as 54 percent of all animal and plant species found in Amazonia.
With the addition of the protected areas named today, the region now boasts a mosaic of connected protected areas, which create a biodiversity conservation corridor that allows species to roam vast landscapes. Connecting various populations of species allows these groups to intermingle, strengthen their gene pool, and thereby increase their chances for long-term survival.
The people living in Amazonia also benefit from the contiguous protected ecosystem. For example, local people can be assured of their water supply by maintaining the health of these areas because almost 20 percent of the world's water runs through the region. The protected areas sit atop the Guayana Shield, a massive underlying rock formation containing the most significant freshwater reserves in the American tropics. Five of the newly protected areas also allow for sustainable use and limited production.
On a larger scale, healthy ecosystems will also contribute to efforts to stabilize the world's climate. Since 1970, an area of Amazon rain forest larger than France has been destroyed. As forests are cut, the carbon they store naturally is released as CO2, further contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. By protecting these forests from continued destruction, additional emissions are avoided.
Destructive human activities, including logging, mining, and development, threaten tropical forests around the world. Brazil's efforts to protect its forests place it at the forefront of worldwide efforts to preserve these critical landscapes.
http://www.conservationinternational.org
2. 22 NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS FROM RESPONSIBLE TRAVEL
(GET YOUR PASSENGERS TO BEHAVE!)
Before you book a holiday:
1. Make some changes at home that will save your emissions on your holiday.
2.Take fewer flights per year.
3. Minimise flying time and stopovers.
4. Ask to see the tour operator's policy for responsible tourism.
5. Ask your hotel/accommodation 10 simple questions to see if they really are eco!
- Have they have a written policy regarding the environment and local people?
- Ask them to describe the single contribution to conservation or local people that they are most proud of.
- Ask them how they measure their contribution to conservation and local communities.
- Ask the lodge owner how many local people they employ, what % this is of the total, and whether any are in management positions.
- Ask them what they have specifically done to help protect the environment and support conservation, and which local charities they work with.
- Ask them what % of produce and services are sourced from within 25km of the lodge.
- Ask them how they treat waste water and how they heat their building
- Ask them what information and advice is provided to tourists on local cultures and customs.
- Ask them if they employ guides from the local community (local guides not only provide unmatched insights into local cultures, but are also aware of areas/behaviour that might cause offence among local people.
- Ask them for ideas on how you might get involved with local people and conservation in a worthwhile and rewarding way for you and the destination.
Before you travel
6. Read up on local cultures and learn a few words of the local language.
7. Remove all excess packaging from items in your luggage.
8. Ask your tour operator for specific tips for responsible travel in your destination.
9. Ask your tour operator/hotel if there are useful gifts that you could pack for your hosts, local people or schools.
10. Ask your tour operator whether there are local conservation or social projects that you could visit on your trip, and if/how you could help support them.
11. Switch off your central heating, fridges and all electrical appliances.
While you are on holiday:
12. Buy local produce in preference to imported goods.
13. Hire a local guide.
14. Do not buy products made from endangered species, hard woods or ancient artefacts.
15. Respect local cultures, traditions and holy places - if in doubt ask advice or don't visit.
16. Use public transport, hire a bike or walk when convenient.
17. Use water sparingly.
18. Cultivate the habit of asking questions.
19. Check that your operator or hotel is living up to their promise for responsible tourism.
When you get back:
20. Write to your tour operator or hotel with any comments or feedback about your holiday, with suggestions on reducing environmental impacts and increasing benefits to local communities.
21. If you've promised to send pictures or gifts to local people remember to do so, many are promised and not all arrive!
22. Enjoy the memories, reflect on your experience and start planning your next trip.
http://www.Responsibletravel.com
3. OAXACA TOURISM FAIR
Described as a small festival among friends, the 2007 Rural Tourism Fair is the seventh annual event co-created by Planeta.com in Oaxaca City. The event takes place Saturday, January 27 at Instituto Amigos del Sol, located at Libres #109.
The fair highlights rural tourism and brings together local travel providers, community leaders, media, government officials and inspired travelers for a few magical hours. The event showcases options and responsibilities travelers have exploring the rural countryside.
Exhibitors are on hand to share information about specific tours and community visits. The fair also features roundtable discussions. The agenda will be announced the day of the event.
PROPOSED TOPICS
- Walk with the weavers - Teotitlan's community museum organizes weaver-led tours
- Mushroom Tourism - Review of the Wild Mushroom Fair
- Forest Ecotourism - Tourism as a non-timber product
- Mezcal Tourism - Visits to mezcal factories
- Volunteer Tourism - What should locals and visitors expect?
- Coffee Tourism - Visits to fincas and rural hikes
Details
http://www.planeta.com/ecotravel/mexico/oaxaca/feriarural2007.html
Answers to frequently asked questions:
http://www.planeta.com/planeta/07/0701fair.html
Pictures from previous fairs
http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeta/sets/72057594055645680
Well done Ron!
4. GREEN GEAR AND GIFT GUIDE
Conscientious consumers who are looking for the perfect gift need to look no further. Sustainable Travel International (STI) has released its 2nd Annual Green Gear & Gift Guide.
Outdoor equipment and clothing is enormously popular. According to the Outdoor Industry Association, 161.6 million Americans aged 16 and up participated in at least one outdoor activity in 2005, an increase of 20.6 million over 2004. Awareness of fair trade in the consumer marketplace has also increased. According to the Fair Trade Labeling Organization (FLO), the 2005 global sales of fair trade products increased 37% over 2004 sales.
"The problem is that most outdoor equipment and clothing that's on the market and many souvenirs you see during your travels are produced through intensive energy and resource use, under oppressive labor conditions or with harmful toxic materials," explains STI President Brian T. Mullis. "The good news is that more and more companies are incorporating sustainable practices into their operations, producing products in a more responsible manner, investing in environmental conservation, and supporting artisans and entrepreneurs, helping them to improve their own lives, the lives of their families, and the communities in which they live."
The year's 20-page Green Gear & Gift Guide profiles individual companies such as Aid to Artisans, Arbor, Mary Jane's Farm, PrAna, Simple Shoes, Sun Ovens, Timberland, and many others. The user-friendly guide also highlights industry best practices as well individual products - all of which must meet one or more of the following criteria:
- Be produced using resource efficient, recycled, renewable, and or recyclable materials;
- Be offered by distributors that gain fair prices for the local producers of their goods; and or
- Allow consumers to enjoy the world outside in a more eco-friendly manner.
http://www.sustainabletravel.com
http://www.travelmole.com/stories/1114696
5. PLANETA AUSTRALIA
Planeta.com's Ron Mader has been invited by Aboriginal Tourism Australia to participate in the annual Business Development Symposium for Indigenous Tourism Operators February 6-8. Ron will also attend the 2007 Corroboree Indigenous Tourism Expo at the Sydney Opera House on February 9.
Starting in December 2006 Planeta.com is conducting the Australia Travel Survey to assess what travelers want from a trip. Australians and visitors alike are asked about their interests in travel. Questions survey Australian icons and ask for reader input in creating Australia-specific online dialogues.
Among the Planeta.com features to be updated in early 2007 is a travelers' guide to Aboriginal Australia. Also, in connection with their focus on urban ecotourism, Planeta.com will be launching city guides to Adelaide, Brisbane, Byron Bay, Cairns, Canberra, Darwin, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.
SCHEDULED PRESENTATIONS, SYDNEY 2007
Taking Your Product to the World -- The Web is the first calling card for travelers seeking responsible travel across the world. Operators are learning the marketing advantages of being web-savvy and pitching services to a global market.
Oaxaca Options: Linking Locals and Travelers in Mexico -- Oaxaca is one of the most ethnically and biologically diverse parts of Mexico. Planeta.com founder Ron Mader will share some lessons learned collaborating with indigenous artisans marketing their crafts and local tours. Ron will report on the 2007 Rural Tourism Fair and and compare capacity building efforts and marketing in Mexico with that in Australia.
http://www.planeta.com
6. RAINFOREST ONLINE TOURISM TOOL
How can eco-savvy travelers make choices they know will be environmentally and socially responsible?
A free online tool developed by the Rainforest Alliance can help. The Eco-Index of Sustainable Tourism offers users a database of sustainable tourism businesses -- including hotels, inns, lodges and more -- that conserve biodiversity and help local communities. This lets responsible travelers choose destinations that are not only beautiful but also beneficial to the areas they visit.
The Eco-Index of Sustainable Tourism is the only Web site with a searchable database of exclusively sustainable tourism alternatives. Listings are in both English and Spanish, allowing small- and medium-sized businesses that may not have Web sites in English or resources to advertise internationally a way to connect with environmentally conscious travelers who want to support sustainable practices.
The database was launched earlier this year with 15 businesses and has grown to include more than 100 listings in 12 countries, mainly in Central America. To be included, an establishment must either be certified by an ecotourism certification program or recommended by a reputable conservation organization that verifies its use of sustainable practices. These practices include, for example, more efficient water and energy use, wildlife conservation and waste management.
The Eco-Index of Sustainable Tourism was supported by a grant from the Multilateral Investment Fund of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Global Environment Facility - Small Grants Programme of Costa Rica.
The Rainforest Alliance helped create the Sustainable Tourism Network of the Americas, which includes organizations from 23 countries in Latin America. We work with scores of tourism organizations in the region, helping business owners and tour operators use more sustainable practices to protect the environment and benefit communities.
http://www.rainforest-alliance.org
http://eco-indextourism.org
7. RESPONSIBLE TOURISM AND THE MEDIA - REPORT
New research has been published into the relationship between responsible tourism and the media to see whether newspapers are aware of the principles of responsible tourism. Are the newspaper travel supplements discussing the real issues of the impacts of tourism on the world, and not just promoting "eco" holidays because they are fashionable? Questions the report.
"As the tourism industry starts to show real signs of taking a more responsible approach to tourism, in terms of understanding the economic, environmental, cultural and social impacts of tourism in any destination, it is questionable whether the travel media is prepared to follow suit.
Many argue that travel articles are a marketing tool to sell holidays and, consequently, writers and editors hold back on any negative issues relating to tourism. Post Tsunami, however, there was a sudden change in the journalistic style attached to travel features, raising socio-economic and environmental issues related to travel which had been overlooked by the glossy travel journalism available before this tragic event."
"The report's main motivation was to explore this potential and discuss the influence of the media on tourism and, consequently, the importance of its educative role in informing readers about changing their consumer patterns when buying a holiday. The media has the power to discuss any issues it chooses, and if the travellers of today and tomorrow are well-informed and educated by the travel press they choose to read, this will make a huge contribution to achieving a more responsible form of tourism throughout the world." Said author Catherine Mack
Copies of the report are available.
Email: mackmediareport@totemtourismmarketing.org
8. GREEN CONFERENCES
The "Greening the Hospitality Industry Conference" scheduled for February 6-8, 2007, at the Doubletree Hotel & Executive Meeting Center Portland~Lloyd Center, in Portland, Oregon has announced this year's program. The conference will offer educational tracks for meeting planners and industry venues and vendors. A partial list of sessions include:
"Sustainable trends in food and beverage"
"How having sustainable exhibits can make an impact"
"Best practices – tools and tips to green a meeting"
"What's it like to be certified?"
"Global climate change, travel and tourism"
"Green destinations"
"Hotel chains modeling sustainability"
The conference will also feature exhibits showcasing green products for the industry and roundtable discussions with topics ranging from "Choosing Green Accommodations" to "Communications and Marketing Ideas."
For a complete conference program and registration information, visit the Green Meeting Industry Council website at http://www.greenmeetings.info
9. OLIVE COOP 2007
Olive Co-op, one of the new breed of "Solidarity Tourism" organisations has announced the dates for two of its 2007 tours. The "Trees for Life Tour" (Saturday 6 January - Saturday 13 January 2007 ) offers guests the opportunity to visit the nurseries near Jenin where the Palestine Trade Association grows young olive trees which are then offered to fair trade programme families to replace trees destroyed by the Israeli army, Separation Wall and settlements. Guests will also have the chance to join in with planting new trees and see where those trees sponsored through the scheme are situated, meeting the farmers and communities whose livelihoods are being supported.
Olive Co-operative has raised over £15,000 on 2006 for this particular scheme, including nearly £10,000 from Zakariyya mosque in Bolton UK and a generous sum from the UK New Statesman's offer of olive trees with magazine subscriptions.
A second tour - Olive Co-op's "Easter tour" (Wednesday 4 to Wednesday 11 April) offers guests the chance to visit the Palestinian cities of Bethlehem, Hebron and Ramallah or Jericho, and to attend the Easter celebrations in Jerusalem. It will run concurrently with a special tour organised in conjunction with Teachers Friends of Palestine. Participants will meet teaching colleagues in a range of Palestinian and Israeli schools, visit sites of historical, religious and cultural interest and meet key organisations working towards peace with justice. While the tour is designed with teachers in mind, it is open to anyone who would like to take part. Teachers Friends of Palestine is a recently established group of London based teachers whose aim is to raise awareness and garner support for teachers in Palestine through a variety of activities, and founder members of the group will be guiding the tour.
http://www.Olivecoop.com
10 TOURISM CONCERN ETHICAL TOUR OPERATORS
Fourteen UK tour operators have joined Tourism Concern to form a new group dedicated to addressing the critical challenges of operating responsible businesses supporting communities in tourist destinations.
The group, comprised of small and medium UK operators, was established in response to requests from businesses, some of which were already involved in Tourism Concern's campaigning work. The aim of the group is to progress the agenda of socially responsible tourism by providing pointers for success.
Regular meetings will discuss ethical issues which operators face and, with Tourism Concern's support, explore, and hopefully put into practice, potential solutions.
Assessing the social impact of tourism ventures, monitoring and evaluation, the Fair Trade label in tourism and global warming are all on next year's agenda.
Current members of "ETOG" are IntoAfrica, Rainbow Tours, Baobab Travel, Adventure Alternative, Nepal Trekking. Tribes Travel, Gane and Marshall, Simply Tanzania, Explore Worldwide, Expert Africa, Cazenove+Loyd, Hands Up Holidays, Different Travel and Dragoman Overland.
Tourism Concern campaigns include their "Sun, Sand, Sea and Sweatshops" campaign exposing the appalling conditions of tourism workers around the world. Recently, Tourism Concern has renewed its call for a boycott of tourism to Burma and have engaged in a headline-hitting fight against Hilton Hotels "Greenwashing". The organisation recently published the "Ethical Travel Guide" and is behind the campaign to certify "Fair Trade Tourism".
http://www.tourismconcern.org.uk
11. GREEN TRAVEL COLLOQUIUM
Writing Journeys and Places colloquium is inviting papers that consider the theme of green travel from any disciplinary angle. Questions that might be addressed include:
- Who are the travel writers who do most to promote environmental consciousness?
- Is it possible to perceive different traditions of green travel writing, either across different cultures and time periods or within a culture and/or period?
- By what means do writers construct themselves rhetorically as green travellers, and what are the characteristic tropes and topoi of environmentally-minded travel writing?
Participants coming from sociological and anthropological backgrounds might also like to consider:
- the practices by which the figure of the green traveller is constructed and defined;
- the relationship of such practices to other forms of travel and tourism;
- and the extent to which notions of green travel have either genuinely changed the larger tourist industry, or else been co-opted by it.
For more information, or to offer a paper, contact Carl.Thompson@ntu.ac.uk .
The deadline for paper proposals is 5th January 2007.
The colloquium takes place 23rd-24th March, 2007 St John's College, Oxford Costs: £15
12 EU CARBON-OFFSET AIRLINE DIRECTIVE
A proposed new EU directive will cover emissions from flights within the EU from 2011 and all flights to and from EU airports from 2012. Both EU and foreign aircraft operators would be covered. Like the industrial companies already covered by the EU ETS, airlines will be able to sell surplus allowances if they reduce their emissions and will need to buy additional allowances if their emissions grow. "Any increase in ticket costs resulting from the scheme is expected to be limited, and significantly lower than rises due to oil price changes in recent years" says the EU.
The proposal for a directive follows up on a September 2005 Communication which concluded that bringing aviation into the EU ETS was the best approach, from an economic and environmental point of view, to tackling the sector's emissions. This was subsequently supported by the Council and European Parliament.
It is estimated that by 2020 CO2 savings of as much as 46%,or 183 million tonnes, could be achieved each year– equivalent for example to twice Austria's annual greenhouse gas emissions from all sources – compared with business as usual.
The EU forecasts that - "Assuming airlines fully pass on any extra costs to customers, by 2020 the price of a typical return flight within the EU could rise by between €1.8 and €9. Long-haul trips could increase by somewhat more depending on the exact journey length, due to their higher environmental impact. Nevertheless, ticket price increases are in any case expected to be significantly lower than the extra costs passed on to consumers due to world oil price increases in recent years."
Further information is available at
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/climat/aviation_en.htm
http://www.travelmole.com/stories/1114896.php
13. IADB $20m TOURISM LOAN TO COSTA RICA
A $20 million loan from the Inter-American Development Bank will support a program to promote sustainable tourism in protected wilderness areas in Costa Rica, the IADB announced. The program seeks to boost revenues for the National Conservation Areas System (SINAC), the state agency responsible for Costa Rica's 157 protected wilderness areas.
The program's strategy consists of raising the quality of tourism in protected areas by investing in infrastructure and improving the information and services provided to visitors. At the same time it will promote local development in the micro regions around the protected areas and improve inter-agency coordination, particularly between SINAC and the Costa Rican Institute of Tourism.
One of the program's goals is to promote sustainable tourism in a larger number of protected areas in order to reduce the burden on the six areas that draw a vast majority of visitors.
The loan will help finance investments in infrastructure and environmental conservation in 10 protected areas: Manuel Antonio, Corcovado, Braulio Carrillo, Volc·n Po·s, Cahuita, Volc·n Arenal, Iraz·, Tortuguero, RincÛn de la Vieja and CaÒo Negro. Seven of these areas are in regions where poverty levels exceed the national average.
A total of 28 municipalities around these protected areas may obtain financing for projects such as improving access roads, hillside stabilization and drainage. The program also aims to involve the private sector in developing local tourism.
Additionally, the program will help strengthen SINAC's administrative and financial management as well as provide resources for training its staff in tourism.
The loan is for 20 years, with a five-year grace period and a variable interest rate.
14. TOURISM PEACE CONFERENCE IN UGANDA
The 4th IIPT African Conference will be held in Kampala, Uganda from 20 to 25 May 2007. The Conference, being organized in partnership with the Africa Travel Association (ATA), is in support of the UN Decade of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World and the UN Millennium Development Goals.
The theme of the conference is:
- Building Strategic Alliances for Sustainable Tourism Development, Peace and Reconciliation on the African Continent.
The Conference Goals are to:
- Further Public and Government awareness of the central role of tourism in sustainable wealth creation, cultural enrichment, and preservation of biodiversity on the African Continent.
- Enhance international public appreciation of Africa_s positive attributes including its rich mosaic of peoples, cultures, and biodiversity.
- Identify and develop strategies for expanding market opportunities in Asia, Europe, North America, and domestic markets.
- Encourage and facilitate collaborative public private sector donor NGO and civil society strategies for new product development.
-Foster initiatives that contribute to reconciliation, peace and sustainable wealth creation in regions that have experienced conflict.
Further information: http://www.iipt.org
Why not let us have your views, comments, market areas that you∂d like us to cover? valere@totemtourismmarketing.org .
We'll very much look forward to hearing from you.
Entire contents © 2006 Totem Tourism Marketing.
All rights reserved. The information contained in this publication has been obtained from sources Totem believes to be reliable. Totem does not warrant the completeness or accuracy of such information. Totem shall have no liability for errors, omissions or inadequacies of the information contained in this publication or for any interpretations of that information. Any opinions expressed herein are subject to change without notice.
plus...
"SUSTAINABLE TOURISM MEANS PROFITABLE TOURISM - Buzz and Viral Marketing,
how to Make Them Work for Your Sustainable Tourism Enterprise" - Publication
Date 14 February 2007, price US$500, 400Euros, UK£280. There is a
Pre-publication reduction of 50% if you Buy NOW!
buzzoffer@totemtourismmarketing.org
Valere
Totem Tourism Marketing
A CATALYST FOR CHANGE
PUBLISHERS OF SUSTAINABLE TOURISM REPORT 2003 & 2006
The Business Centre
Combe Royal Lodge
Bath BA2 6EQ UK
t: +44 7710 173005/+44 1225 332166
f: +44 1225 471647
e: info@totemtourismmarketing.org
w: http://www.totemtourismmarketing.org
b: http://www.totemtourism.blogspot.com
TRAVEL WRITING, SUSTAINABLE TOURISM CREATION & DEVELOPMENT,
GLOBAL MARKETING, TRAINING :-)
NEWSLETTER Number 12
3 January 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: BRAZIL MAJOR CONSERVATION ANNOUNCEMENT - 22 GREAT NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS - OAXACA TOURISM FAIR - STI GREEN GIFT AND GEAR GUIDE - PLANETA AUSTRALIA – RAINFOREST RESPONSIBLE TOURISM TOOL – RESPONSIBLE TOURISM & THE MEDIA - GREENING THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY - OLIVE COOP TOURS - TOURISM CONCERN'S ETHICAL TOUR OPERATORS - GREEN TRAVEL WRITING COLLOQUIUM - EU AIR CARBON OFFSETTING DIRECTIVE - $20m COSTA RICA GREEN TOURISM LOAN - UGANDA TOURISM PEACE CONFERENCE - PLEASE NOTE SEVERAL OF THESE FEATURES ARE OPEN FOR COMMENTS AT TRAVELMOLE.COM - RELEVANT LINKS ARE SHOWN WITH THE ARTICLES PLEASE JOIN IN THE DISCUSSION...
AND A HAPPY, PROSPEROUS, PEACEFUL, GENEROUS NEW YEAR TO ALL OUR READERS...
PHEW, thank God we've got out of 2006, maybe 2007 will be better for the tourism business. Let's look around and see where we are...
Those dinosaurs of the tourism industry - the tour operators - are already realising that it's going to be a tough year - so what do they do? Slash prices, therefore ensuring that it's going to be even horribly, suicidally, tougher. A few have realised that the inclusive tour is dead, the rest are tearing at its manky, rank, putrifying carcass. We all know that in the world of "Responsible", "Sustainable", "Ethical", "Green", "Conscious", "Eco", and all the other $10 words - "CHEAP" trumps the lot.
Denial about carbon outputs puts the airlines, and the whole industry, into a lather. We know in our hearts that Carbon Offsetting can't work. Where will we live when the world and its oceans is one big forest? How will we stop the trees dying and belching out their carbon? One answer is LESS TRAVEL folks. Let's hope we implement it before it implements us.
There is hope. Look at Responsible Travel's 22 New Year Resolutions below to see how we can all treat our travel arrangements with the respect they deserve.
Plus, this is a new breed, if I'm not mistaken. Take a look at http://www.sustravel.co.uk why not register, log on and get their brochure?
And... please pay attention to LOCAL events wherever they occur. One good example occurs in Oaxaca, Mexico each January that brings together community representatives, tourism leaders and travelers. The Rural Tourism Fair generates attention and good will. For those unable to attend the event in person, Planeta.com reminds visitors that rural tourism options exist somewhere every day of the year.
I finished the year well. A stimulating visit to gale-blasted warm and windy Port Isaac (Cornwall UK) put me in the mood to engage with 2007:
http://www.bed-and-breakfast-port-isaac.co.uk / and
http://www.portisaac-online.co.uk
We do hope you find our newsletter thought-provoking and useful. Please let us know if you hate it or love it or simply don't give a damn! Feel free to forward this email. Please accept our apologies for cross-posting.
ps - Hard at work on my latest effort - "SUSTAINABLE TOURISM MEANS PROFITABLE TOURISM - Buzz and Viral Marketing, how to Make Them Work for Your Sustainable Tourism Enterprise" - Publication Date 14 February 2007, price US$500, 400Euros, UK£280. There is a Pre-publication reduction of 50% if you Buy NOW! buzzoffer@totemtourismmarketing.org
1. SEVEN NEW PROTECTED AREAS CREATED IN BRAZIL
The governor of the Brazilian state of Para recently announced seven new protected areas in Amazonia. The announcement is a major step in Brazil's efforts to protect Earth's remaining tropical rain forests. Stretching from the border of Guyana and Suriname in the north to areas south of the Amazon River, these new protected areas encompass an unprecedented 37 million acres. "I cannot remember any single announcement like this," says Jose Maria Cardoso da Silva, vice president of science for Conservation International (CI)-Brazil. "This is one of the major conservation announcements of the last decades."
Two of the seven new areas are designated as strictly protected areas, one of which is the world's largest strictly protected area ever created in a tropical forest. According to CI's Amazonia program manager Enrico Bernard, these two areas alone could be home to as many as 54 percent of all animal and plant species found in Amazonia.
With the addition of the protected areas named today, the region now boasts a mosaic of connected protected areas, which create a biodiversity conservation corridor that allows species to roam vast landscapes. Connecting various populations of species allows these groups to intermingle, strengthen their gene pool, and thereby increase their chances for long-term survival.
The people living in Amazonia also benefit from the contiguous protected ecosystem. For example, local people can be assured of their water supply by maintaining the health of these areas because almost 20 percent of the world's water runs through the region. The protected areas sit atop the Guayana Shield, a massive underlying rock formation containing the most significant freshwater reserves in the American tropics. Five of the newly protected areas also allow for sustainable use and limited production.
On a larger scale, healthy ecosystems will also contribute to efforts to stabilize the world's climate. Since 1970, an area of Amazon rain forest larger than France has been destroyed. As forests are cut, the carbon they store naturally is released as CO2, further contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. By protecting these forests from continued destruction, additional emissions are avoided.
Destructive human activities, including logging, mining, and development, threaten tropical forests around the world. Brazil's efforts to protect its forests place it at the forefront of worldwide efforts to preserve these critical landscapes.
http://www.conservationinternational.org
2. 22 NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS FROM RESPONSIBLE TRAVEL
(GET YOUR PASSENGERS TO BEHAVE!)
Before you book a holiday:
1. Make some changes at home that will save your emissions on your holiday.
2.Take fewer flights per year.
3. Minimise flying time and stopovers.
4. Ask to see the tour operator's policy for responsible tourism.
5. Ask your hotel/accommodation 10 simple questions to see if they really are eco!
- Have they have a written policy regarding the environment and local people?
- Ask them to describe the single contribution to conservation or local people that they are most proud of.
- Ask them how they measure their contribution to conservation and local communities.
- Ask the lodge owner how many local people they employ, what % this is of the total, and whether any are in management positions.
- Ask them what they have specifically done to help protect the environment and support conservation, and which local charities they work with.
- Ask them what % of produce and services are sourced from within 25km of the lodge.
- Ask them how they treat waste water and how they heat their building
- Ask them what information and advice is provided to tourists on local cultures and customs.
- Ask them if they employ guides from the local community (local guides not only provide unmatched insights into local cultures, but are also aware of areas/behaviour that might cause offence among local people.
- Ask them for ideas on how you might get involved with local people and conservation in a worthwhile and rewarding way for you and the destination.
Before you travel
6. Read up on local cultures and learn a few words of the local language.
7. Remove all excess packaging from items in your luggage.
8. Ask your tour operator for specific tips for responsible travel in your destination.
9. Ask your tour operator/hotel if there are useful gifts that you could pack for your hosts, local people or schools.
10. Ask your tour operator whether there are local conservation or social projects that you could visit on your trip, and if/how you could help support them.
11. Switch off your central heating, fridges and all electrical appliances.
While you are on holiday:
12. Buy local produce in preference to imported goods.
13. Hire a local guide.
14. Do not buy products made from endangered species, hard woods or ancient artefacts.
15. Respect local cultures, traditions and holy places - if in doubt ask advice or don't visit.
16. Use public transport, hire a bike or walk when convenient.
17. Use water sparingly.
18. Cultivate the habit of asking questions.
19. Check that your operator or hotel is living up to their promise for responsible tourism.
When you get back:
20. Write to your tour operator or hotel with any comments or feedback about your holiday, with suggestions on reducing environmental impacts and increasing benefits to local communities.
21. If you've promised to send pictures or gifts to local people remember to do so, many are promised and not all arrive!
22. Enjoy the memories, reflect on your experience and start planning your next trip.
http://www.Responsibletravel.com
3. OAXACA TOURISM FAIR
Described as a small festival among friends, the 2007 Rural Tourism Fair is the seventh annual event co-created by Planeta.com in Oaxaca City. The event takes place Saturday, January 27 at Instituto Amigos del Sol, located at Libres #109.
The fair highlights rural tourism and brings together local travel providers, community leaders, media, government officials and inspired travelers for a few magical hours. The event showcases options and responsibilities travelers have exploring the rural countryside.
Exhibitors are on hand to share information about specific tours and community visits. The fair also features roundtable discussions. The agenda will be announced the day of the event.
PROPOSED TOPICS
- Walk with the weavers - Teotitlan's community museum organizes weaver-led tours
- Mushroom Tourism - Review of the Wild Mushroom Fair
- Forest Ecotourism - Tourism as a non-timber product
- Mezcal Tourism - Visits to mezcal factories
- Volunteer Tourism - What should locals and visitors expect?
- Coffee Tourism - Visits to fincas and rural hikes
Details
http://www.planeta.com/ecotravel/mexico/oaxaca/feriarural2007.html
Answers to frequently asked questions:
http://www.planeta.com/planeta/07/0701fair.html
Pictures from previous fairs
http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeta/sets/72057594055645680
Well done Ron!
4. GREEN GEAR AND GIFT GUIDE
Conscientious consumers who are looking for the perfect gift need to look no further. Sustainable Travel International (STI) has released its 2nd Annual Green Gear & Gift Guide.
Outdoor equipment and clothing is enormously popular. According to the Outdoor Industry Association, 161.6 million Americans aged 16 and up participated in at least one outdoor activity in 2005, an increase of 20.6 million over 2004. Awareness of fair trade in the consumer marketplace has also increased. According to the Fair Trade Labeling Organization (FLO), the 2005 global sales of fair trade products increased 37% over 2004 sales.
"The problem is that most outdoor equipment and clothing that's on the market and many souvenirs you see during your travels are produced through intensive energy and resource use, under oppressive labor conditions or with harmful toxic materials," explains STI President Brian T. Mullis. "The good news is that more and more companies are incorporating sustainable practices into their operations, producing products in a more responsible manner, investing in environmental conservation, and supporting artisans and entrepreneurs, helping them to improve their own lives, the lives of their families, and the communities in which they live."
The year's 20-page Green Gear & Gift Guide profiles individual companies such as Aid to Artisans, Arbor, Mary Jane's Farm, PrAna, Simple Shoes, Sun Ovens, Timberland, and many others. The user-friendly guide also highlights industry best practices as well individual products - all of which must meet one or more of the following criteria:
- Be produced using resource efficient, recycled, renewable, and or recyclable materials;
- Be offered by distributors that gain fair prices for the local producers of their goods; and or
- Allow consumers to enjoy the world outside in a more eco-friendly manner.
http://www.sustainabletravel.com
http://www.travelmole.com/stories/1114696
5. PLANETA AUSTRALIA
Planeta.com's Ron Mader has been invited by Aboriginal Tourism Australia to participate in the annual Business Development Symposium for Indigenous Tourism Operators February 6-8. Ron will also attend the 2007 Corroboree Indigenous Tourism Expo at the Sydney Opera House on February 9.
Starting in December 2006 Planeta.com is conducting the Australia Travel Survey to assess what travelers want from a trip. Australians and visitors alike are asked about their interests in travel. Questions survey Australian icons and ask for reader input in creating Australia-specific online dialogues.
Among the Planeta.com features to be updated in early 2007 is a travelers' guide to Aboriginal Australia. Also, in connection with their focus on urban ecotourism, Planeta.com will be launching city guides to Adelaide, Brisbane, Byron Bay, Cairns, Canberra, Darwin, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.
SCHEDULED PRESENTATIONS, SYDNEY 2007
Taking Your Product to the World -- The Web is the first calling card for travelers seeking responsible travel across the world. Operators are learning the marketing advantages of being web-savvy and pitching services to a global market.
Oaxaca Options: Linking Locals and Travelers in Mexico -- Oaxaca is one of the most ethnically and biologically diverse parts of Mexico. Planeta.com founder Ron Mader will share some lessons learned collaborating with indigenous artisans marketing their crafts and local tours. Ron will report on the 2007 Rural Tourism Fair and and compare capacity building efforts and marketing in Mexico with that in Australia.
http://www.planeta.com
6. RAINFOREST ONLINE TOURISM TOOL
How can eco-savvy travelers make choices they know will be environmentally and socially responsible?
A free online tool developed by the Rainforest Alliance can help. The Eco-Index of Sustainable Tourism offers users a database of sustainable tourism businesses -- including hotels, inns, lodges and more -- that conserve biodiversity and help local communities. This lets responsible travelers choose destinations that are not only beautiful but also beneficial to the areas they visit.
The Eco-Index of Sustainable Tourism is the only Web site with a searchable database of exclusively sustainable tourism alternatives. Listings are in both English and Spanish, allowing small- and medium-sized businesses that may not have Web sites in English or resources to advertise internationally a way to connect with environmentally conscious travelers who want to support sustainable practices.
The database was launched earlier this year with 15 businesses and has grown to include more than 100 listings in 12 countries, mainly in Central America. To be included, an establishment must either be certified by an ecotourism certification program or recommended by a reputable conservation organization that verifies its use of sustainable practices. These practices include, for example, more efficient water and energy use, wildlife conservation and waste management.
The Eco-Index of Sustainable Tourism was supported by a grant from the Multilateral Investment Fund of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Global Environment Facility - Small Grants Programme of Costa Rica.
The Rainforest Alliance helped create the Sustainable Tourism Network of the Americas, which includes organizations from 23 countries in Latin America. We work with scores of tourism organizations in the region, helping business owners and tour operators use more sustainable practices to protect the environment and benefit communities.
http://www.rainforest-alliance.org
http://eco-indextourism.org
7. RESPONSIBLE TOURISM AND THE MEDIA - REPORT
New research has been published into the relationship between responsible tourism and the media to see whether newspapers are aware of the principles of responsible tourism. Are the newspaper travel supplements discussing the real issues of the impacts of tourism on the world, and not just promoting "eco" holidays because they are fashionable? Questions the report.
"As the tourism industry starts to show real signs of taking a more responsible approach to tourism, in terms of understanding the economic, environmental, cultural and social impacts of tourism in any destination, it is questionable whether the travel media is prepared to follow suit.
Many argue that travel articles are a marketing tool to sell holidays and, consequently, writers and editors hold back on any negative issues relating to tourism. Post Tsunami, however, there was a sudden change in the journalistic style attached to travel features, raising socio-economic and environmental issues related to travel which had been overlooked by the glossy travel journalism available before this tragic event."
"The report's main motivation was to explore this potential and discuss the influence of the media on tourism and, consequently, the importance of its educative role in informing readers about changing their consumer patterns when buying a holiday. The media has the power to discuss any issues it chooses, and if the travellers of today and tomorrow are well-informed and educated by the travel press they choose to read, this will make a huge contribution to achieving a more responsible form of tourism throughout the world." Said author Catherine Mack
Copies of the report are available.
Email: mackmediareport@totemtourismmarketing.org
8. GREEN CONFERENCES
The "Greening the Hospitality Industry Conference" scheduled for February 6-8, 2007, at the Doubletree Hotel & Executive Meeting Center Portland~Lloyd Center, in Portland, Oregon has announced this year's program. The conference will offer educational tracks for meeting planners and industry venues and vendors. A partial list of sessions include:
"Sustainable trends in food and beverage"
"How having sustainable exhibits can make an impact"
"Best practices – tools and tips to green a meeting"
"What's it like to be certified?"
"Global climate change, travel and tourism"
"Green destinations"
"Hotel chains modeling sustainability"
The conference will also feature exhibits showcasing green products for the industry and roundtable discussions with topics ranging from "Choosing Green Accommodations" to "Communications and Marketing Ideas."
For a complete conference program and registration information, visit the Green Meeting Industry Council website at http://www.greenmeetings.info
9. OLIVE COOP 2007
Olive Co-op, one of the new breed of "Solidarity Tourism" organisations has announced the dates for two of its 2007 tours. The "Trees for Life Tour" (Saturday 6 January - Saturday 13 January 2007 ) offers guests the opportunity to visit the nurseries near Jenin where the Palestine Trade Association grows young olive trees which are then offered to fair trade programme families to replace trees destroyed by the Israeli army, Separation Wall and settlements. Guests will also have the chance to join in with planting new trees and see where those trees sponsored through the scheme are situated, meeting the farmers and communities whose livelihoods are being supported.
Olive Co-operative has raised over £15,000 on 2006 for this particular scheme, including nearly £10,000 from Zakariyya mosque in Bolton UK and a generous sum from the UK New Statesman's offer of olive trees with magazine subscriptions.
A second tour - Olive Co-op's "Easter tour" (Wednesday 4 to Wednesday 11 April) offers guests the chance to visit the Palestinian cities of Bethlehem, Hebron and Ramallah or Jericho, and to attend the Easter celebrations in Jerusalem. It will run concurrently with a special tour organised in conjunction with Teachers Friends of Palestine. Participants will meet teaching colleagues in a range of Palestinian and Israeli schools, visit sites of historical, religious and cultural interest and meet key organisations working towards peace with justice. While the tour is designed with teachers in mind, it is open to anyone who would like to take part. Teachers Friends of Palestine is a recently established group of London based teachers whose aim is to raise awareness and garner support for teachers in Palestine through a variety of activities, and founder members of the group will be guiding the tour.
http://www.Olivecoop.com
10 TOURISM CONCERN ETHICAL TOUR OPERATORS
Fourteen UK tour operators have joined Tourism Concern to form a new group dedicated to addressing the critical challenges of operating responsible businesses supporting communities in tourist destinations.
The group, comprised of small and medium UK operators, was established in response to requests from businesses, some of which were already involved in Tourism Concern's campaigning work. The aim of the group is to progress the agenda of socially responsible tourism by providing pointers for success.
Regular meetings will discuss ethical issues which operators face and, with Tourism Concern's support, explore, and hopefully put into practice, potential solutions.
Assessing the social impact of tourism ventures, monitoring and evaluation, the Fair Trade label in tourism and global warming are all on next year's agenda.
Current members of "ETOG" are IntoAfrica, Rainbow Tours, Baobab Travel, Adventure Alternative, Nepal Trekking. Tribes Travel, Gane and Marshall, Simply Tanzania, Explore Worldwide, Expert Africa, Cazenove+Loyd, Hands Up Holidays, Different Travel and Dragoman Overland.
Tourism Concern campaigns include their "Sun, Sand, Sea and Sweatshops" campaign exposing the appalling conditions of tourism workers around the world. Recently, Tourism Concern has renewed its call for a boycott of tourism to Burma and have engaged in a headline-hitting fight against Hilton Hotels "Greenwashing". The organisation recently published the "Ethical Travel Guide" and is behind the campaign to certify "Fair Trade Tourism".
http://www.tourismconcern.org.uk
11. GREEN TRAVEL COLLOQUIUM
Writing Journeys and Places colloquium is inviting papers that consider the theme of green travel from any disciplinary angle. Questions that might be addressed include:
- Who are the travel writers who do most to promote environmental consciousness?
- Is it possible to perceive different traditions of green travel writing, either across different cultures and time periods or within a culture and/or period?
- By what means do writers construct themselves rhetorically as green travellers, and what are the characteristic tropes and topoi of environmentally-minded travel writing?
Participants coming from sociological and anthropological backgrounds might also like to consider:
- the practices by which the figure of the green traveller is constructed and defined;
- the relationship of such practices to other forms of travel and tourism;
- and the extent to which notions of green travel have either genuinely changed the larger tourist industry, or else been co-opted by it.
For more information, or to offer a paper, contact Carl.Thompson@ntu.ac.uk .
The deadline for paper proposals is 5th January 2007.
The colloquium takes place 23rd-24th March, 2007 St John's College, Oxford Costs: £15
12 EU CARBON-OFFSET AIRLINE DIRECTIVE
A proposed new EU directive will cover emissions from flights within the EU from 2011 and all flights to and from EU airports from 2012. Both EU and foreign aircraft operators would be covered. Like the industrial companies already covered by the EU ETS, airlines will be able to sell surplus allowances if they reduce their emissions and will need to buy additional allowances if their emissions grow. "Any increase in ticket costs resulting from the scheme is expected to be limited, and significantly lower than rises due to oil price changes in recent years" says the EU.
The proposal for a directive follows up on a September 2005 Communication which concluded that bringing aviation into the EU ETS was the best approach, from an economic and environmental point of view, to tackling the sector's emissions. This was subsequently supported by the Council and European Parliament.
It is estimated that by 2020 CO2 savings of as much as 46%,or 183 million tonnes, could be achieved each year– equivalent for example to twice Austria's annual greenhouse gas emissions from all sources – compared with business as usual.
The EU forecasts that - "Assuming airlines fully pass on any extra costs to customers, by 2020 the price of a typical return flight within the EU could rise by between €1.8 and €9. Long-haul trips could increase by somewhat more depending on the exact journey length, due to their higher environmental impact. Nevertheless, ticket price increases are in any case expected to be significantly lower than the extra costs passed on to consumers due to world oil price increases in recent years."
Further information is available at
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/climat/aviation_en.htm
http://www.travelmole.com/stories/1114896.php
13. IADB $20m TOURISM LOAN TO COSTA RICA
A $20 million loan from the Inter-American Development Bank will support a program to promote sustainable tourism in protected wilderness areas in Costa Rica, the IADB announced. The program seeks to boost revenues for the National Conservation Areas System (SINAC), the state agency responsible for Costa Rica's 157 protected wilderness areas.
The program's strategy consists of raising the quality of tourism in protected areas by investing in infrastructure and improving the information and services provided to visitors. At the same time it will promote local development in the micro regions around the protected areas and improve inter-agency coordination, particularly between SINAC and the Costa Rican Institute of Tourism.
One of the program's goals is to promote sustainable tourism in a larger number of protected areas in order to reduce the burden on the six areas that draw a vast majority of visitors.
The loan will help finance investments in infrastructure and environmental conservation in 10 protected areas: Manuel Antonio, Corcovado, Braulio Carrillo, Volc·n Po·s, Cahuita, Volc·n Arenal, Iraz·, Tortuguero, RincÛn de la Vieja and CaÒo Negro. Seven of these areas are in regions where poverty levels exceed the national average.
A total of 28 municipalities around these protected areas may obtain financing for projects such as improving access roads, hillside stabilization and drainage. The program also aims to involve the private sector in developing local tourism.
Additionally, the program will help strengthen SINAC's administrative and financial management as well as provide resources for training its staff in tourism.
The loan is for 20 years, with a five-year grace period and a variable interest rate.
14. TOURISM PEACE CONFERENCE IN UGANDA
The 4th IIPT African Conference will be held in Kampala, Uganda from 20 to 25 May 2007. The Conference, being organized in partnership with the Africa Travel Association (ATA), is in support of the UN Decade of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World and the UN Millennium Development Goals.
The theme of the conference is:
- Building Strategic Alliances for Sustainable Tourism Development, Peace and Reconciliation on the African Continent.
The Conference Goals are to:
- Further Public and Government awareness of the central role of tourism in sustainable wealth creation, cultural enrichment, and preservation of biodiversity on the African Continent.
- Enhance international public appreciation of Africa_s positive attributes including its rich mosaic of peoples, cultures, and biodiversity.
- Identify and develop strategies for expanding market opportunities in Asia, Europe, North America, and domestic markets.
- Encourage and facilitate collaborative public private sector donor NGO and civil society strategies for new product development.
-Foster initiatives that contribute to reconciliation, peace and sustainable wealth creation in regions that have experienced conflict.
Further information: http://www.iipt.org
Why not let us have your views, comments, market areas that you∂d like us to cover? valere@totemtourismmarketing.org .
We'll very much look forward to hearing from you.
Entire contents © 2006 Totem Tourism Marketing.
All rights reserved. The information contained in this publication has been obtained from sources Totem believes to be reliable. Totem does not warrant the completeness or accuracy of such information. Totem shall have no liability for errors, omissions or inadequacies of the information contained in this publication or for any interpretations of that information. Any opinions expressed herein are subject to change without notice.
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Monday, October 30, 2006
The history of mass tourism - in a blog!
So. The long awaited blog has arrived - my personal history of mass tourism. visit:
http://youluckyholidaypeople.blogspot.com to get a little personal history!
http://youluckyholidaypeople.blogspot.com to get a little personal history!
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Speechless
I haven't made a post for a while because honestly, I've been speechless.
First it was Lebanon, and now it's the UK. Not satisfied with wrecking the Middle East tourism industry, we've now hit the millions that exit the UK and USA every day to spend their money and their time somewhere else.
When will the general public get it? To travel is dangerous. Yes, it's exciting. Yes it's illuminating. Yes, it's character-forming. Yes, it's a wonderful spiritual experience. But, yes, travel is dangerous - you may killed by a terrorist attack, you may get killed by a natural disaster - more likely you'll be so frightened by reading the press and watching the TV that you'll get killed by a heart-attack at the airport or on your holiday - outside their comfort-zone. Yes - statistically, that's actually more likely to happen.
Have we bred a generation of WIMPS? Frightened of eating real food in case they get a tummy upset, afraid of travelling unless they get killed, fearful of experience unless it's been health-checked.
They thought that the holiday was the easy experience, like the telly and the booze, just another escape. But it's not - travel is a real experience, and like that other real experience, life, it's dangerous too.
First it was Lebanon, and now it's the UK. Not satisfied with wrecking the Middle East tourism industry, we've now hit the millions that exit the UK and USA every day to spend their money and their time somewhere else.
When will the general public get it? To travel is dangerous. Yes, it's exciting. Yes it's illuminating. Yes, it's character-forming. Yes, it's a wonderful spiritual experience. But, yes, travel is dangerous - you may killed by a terrorist attack, you may get killed by a natural disaster - more likely you'll be so frightened by reading the press and watching the TV that you'll get killed by a heart-attack at the airport or on your holiday - outside their comfort-zone. Yes - statistically, that's actually more likely to happen.
Have we bred a generation of WIMPS? Frightened of eating real food in case they get a tummy upset, afraid of travelling unless they get killed, fearful of experience unless it's been health-checked.
They thought that the holiday was the easy experience, like the telly and the booze, just another escape. But it's not - travel is a real experience, and like that other real experience, life, it's dangerous too.
Friday, July 21, 2006
culture shock
My wife and I arrived in Bath in 1969. Beautiful, sleepy, historic, cheap, kindly. We rented a flat in the centre of the city, just by the river at its most-photographed, and with lovely views. We had a sitting room, kitchen, two bedrooms and a bathroom. I was earning about £1,000 a year and we paid some £250 a year rent.
The children came along, so we had to get something a little bigger and in 1975 we managed to buy a rather battered Georgian house - four bedrooms, kitchen, sitting room and dining room and a long garden, spectacular views over the city. By now, I was earning nearly £4,000 a year. The house cost a stately £12,000 and we got a mortgage from the local council, payments were about £1,000 a year.
The wonderful thing about our situation was that we had nice neighbours, interesting,friendly, educated, polite, relatively hard up. Some had lived there all their lives, some had recently moved in, we had a bookmaker, a writer, a builder, a clerical officer and a teacher amongst the others - classless, you may say.
I saw that same house in an estate agents window today priced at £875,000. The mortgage to purchase this house would cost in the region of £50,000 a year. On the same scale as me, 30 years ago, you'd have to earn at least £200,000 to finance that reasonably.
What is the moral that we must draw from this - you need to be very rich to enjoy the style of life your parents had, and if you're not OUT!
Out far enough to roam the streets on Saturday nights, drunk, dejected, arrogant, abusive.
Housing is important, it's not just the roof over your head, housing dictates the mix of society and has an effect over how we think and act. Where you live and with whom is the primary effect of society on you and your family day after day.
What kind of society do we live in when a socialist government depends on the support of right wing newspapers? What kind of society do we live in when a socialist government sells off supported housing? What kind of society do we live in when our kids have no hope of expecting the same lifestyle as their parents.What kind of society do we live in when greed is rewarded and open-heartedness laughed at? What kind of society do we live in when a socialist government fosters xenophobia in its wish to support its agressive actions.
A dysfunctional society. That's what.
It's all wrong. But most wrong is the physical segregation of the working classes.
The children came along, so we had to get something a little bigger and in 1975 we managed to buy a rather battered Georgian house - four bedrooms, kitchen, sitting room and dining room and a long garden, spectacular views over the city. By now, I was earning nearly £4,000 a year. The house cost a stately £12,000 and we got a mortgage from the local council, payments were about £1,000 a year.
The wonderful thing about our situation was that we had nice neighbours, interesting,friendly, educated, polite, relatively hard up. Some had lived there all their lives, some had recently moved in, we had a bookmaker, a writer, a builder, a clerical officer and a teacher amongst the others - classless, you may say.
I saw that same house in an estate agents window today priced at £875,000. The mortgage to purchase this house would cost in the region of £50,000 a year. On the same scale as me, 30 years ago, you'd have to earn at least £200,000 to finance that reasonably.
What is the moral that we must draw from this - you need to be very rich to enjoy the style of life your parents had, and if you're not OUT!
Out far enough to roam the streets on Saturday nights, drunk, dejected, arrogant, abusive.
Housing is important, it's not just the roof over your head, housing dictates the mix of society and has an effect over how we think and act. Where you live and with whom is the primary effect of society on you and your family day after day.
What kind of society do we live in when a socialist government depends on the support of right wing newspapers? What kind of society do we live in when a socialist government sells off supported housing? What kind of society do we live in when our kids have no hope of expecting the same lifestyle as their parents.What kind of society do we live in when greed is rewarded and open-heartedness laughed at? What kind of society do we live in when a socialist government fosters xenophobia in its wish to support its agressive actions.
A dysfunctional society. That's what.
It's all wrong. But most wrong is the physical segregation of the working classes.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
where have all the coaches gone?
How do you lose a train coach? "Incompetence" said the pretty German lady opposite. Yes, you're right, I'm back on a South West train from Salisbury to London Waterloo, more people standing again.
The rest of the day could have been good except that London was basking in what felt like 50 degrees c (actually 37 - that's about 100f). Nice walk across the new bridge over the Thames - looking at all the fabulous buildings and the majestic river always gives me a a feeling of great pride and wonder. Off to see Tourism Concern, my fave people in the business. Why? Cos their heart's big and it's in the right place - see what I mean at:
http://www.tourismconcern.uk.org
At the moment they'e campaigning about tourism sweatshops and Burma (Myanmar) again, plus, they're set to get a Fair Trade in Tourism label. Tricia who runs it wasn't ready for me - computer'd gone down so she stuffed a bunch of papers in my hand and sent me off to read them. The bunch included the Ethical Travel Guide, their new publication - fabulous. Then meeting.
Coffee and tiramisu in Soho, at Bar Italia outside opposite Ronnie Scott's, then an inspirational walk across the Thames again to Waterloo.
Looking for a nice air-conditioned seat in a pleasant train? Forget it! South West trains had lost another coach. Plus the train was late plus the air conditioning was broke. Outside temperature at Waterloo maybe 40, inside the train maybe 50+. So we all sat (stood) gently wilting there for another half an hour. I'm surprised that we weren't charged for a Turkish Bath - in the event they gave us a little bottle of water each - great.
Got back to Bath to give Pam some little marzipan animals to eat. She doesn't like marzipan any more. Back home to join in the e-conference - look at it -Ethical Travel Forum at
http://www.planeta.com
The last one, that's if you want a behind-the-scenes glance at sustainable tourism was at the World Bank -
http://www.devcomm.org
Let's hope for a thunder storm.
The rest of the day could have been good except that London was basking in what felt like 50 degrees c (actually 37 - that's about 100f). Nice walk across the new bridge over the Thames - looking at all the fabulous buildings and the majestic river always gives me a a feeling of great pride and wonder. Off to see Tourism Concern, my fave people in the business. Why? Cos their heart's big and it's in the right place - see what I mean at:
http://www.tourismconcern.uk.org
At the moment they'e campaigning about tourism sweatshops and Burma (Myanmar) again, plus, they're set to get a Fair Trade in Tourism label. Tricia who runs it wasn't ready for me - computer'd gone down so she stuffed a bunch of papers in my hand and sent me off to read them. The bunch included the Ethical Travel Guide, their new publication - fabulous. Then meeting.
Coffee and tiramisu in Soho, at Bar Italia outside opposite Ronnie Scott's, then an inspirational walk across the Thames again to Waterloo.
Looking for a nice air-conditioned seat in a pleasant train? Forget it! South West trains had lost another coach. Plus the train was late plus the air conditioning was broke. Outside temperature at Waterloo maybe 40, inside the train maybe 50+. So we all sat (stood) gently wilting there for another half an hour. I'm surprised that we weren't charged for a Turkish Bath - in the event they gave us a little bottle of water each - great.
Got back to Bath to give Pam some little marzipan animals to eat. She doesn't like marzipan any more. Back home to join in the e-conference - look at it -Ethical Travel Forum at
http://www.planeta.com
The last one, that's if you want a behind-the-scenes glance at sustainable tourism was at the World Bank -
http://www.devcomm.org
Let's hope for a thunder storm.
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