ECOCLUB.com Ecotourism News, Issue 45, February 2003

ECOCLUB^®

ISSN 1108-8931

International Ecotourism Monthly

Year 4, Issue 45, Feb. 2003

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International:

A new ecotourism and sustainable development initiative is put forth by The International Ecotourism Society (TIES). TIES is currently being relocated to Washington DC to become a project under the new Centre on Ecotourism and Sustainable Development (CESD), while acclaimed Academic Martha Honey has been appointed as its new Director. TIES is currently trying to assemble a database of codes of conduct, standards, and certification programs that deal with or discuss local communities and indigenous groups and tourism. These codes can be ones addressing how tourists should behave when interacting with indigenous or local communities, how businesses operating or seeking to operate in indigenous areas or local communities should behave, or the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities vis a vis tourism projects. If you can help contact Darcy Dugan at the Institute for Policy Studies 733 15th Street, NW #1020 Washington, DC 20005

The International Air Transport Association warned that any war in Iraq could add another US$4 billion in losses every quarter to US airlines if fuel costs rise and passenger numbers decline.

An International Network for the Sustainable Development of Coastal Tourism Destinations waslaunched at the International Tourism Trade Fair (FITUR), in Madrid. This is a web-based mechanism aimed at facilitating the transfer of knowledge and the exchange of experiences generated by international, public and private sector organizations, especially local authorities and destination management organizations, in the sustainable development and management of coastal tourism. Details: http://www.world-tourism.org/sustainable/coastalnetwork

The Rainforest Alliance announced it will participate in a panel titled "One Year On: Labeling, Accreditation, Certification - When Will It All Come Together and How?" at the IATOS 2003 Show, in Chicago on Thursday Feb 20th. Ronald Sanabria, Rainforest Alliance's Director of Sustainable Tourism will
be presenting the outcomes of the Sustainable Tourism Stewardship Council feasibility study and he will be joined by Oliver Hillel, UNEP's Sustainable Tourism Program Coordinator; Martha Honey, Executive Director of The International Ecotourism Society; Beatrice Blake, author of "The New Key to Costa Rica", and other keynote speakers.

On January 27 at the Public Eye on Davos, a public conference held in parallel to the World Economic Forum, an alliance of NGOs launched the Collevecchio Declaration on Financial Institutions. Endorsed by 101 NGOs, the document outlines the unique role and responsibility the financial sector has in advancing sustainability. The Declaration sets six principles that financial institutions should embrace: a commitment to sustainability, to "do no harm," to responsibility, to accountability, to transparency and to sustainable markets and governance. An accompanying implementation document outlines immediate steps financial institutions can take, such as adoption of internationally-recognised industry standards for credit, investing and underwriting transactions. Details: www.foe.org/camps/intl/declaration.html

Three tourism agencies were honoured with the first ever World Legacy Awards " for their emphasis on environmental responsibility and respecting cultural heritage". Conservation International and National Geographic Traveler magazine teamed up to launch the awards, which were officially presented by Jordan's Queen Noor. The awards are touted as " the only global tourism award to rely on site verification visits using a team of scientific, anthropological and tourism professionals." The winner of the Nature Travel Award, given to a group making contributions to the conservation of natural areas and biodiversity, is Wilderness Safaris, based in Rivonia, South Africa. Wilderness Safaris manages more than 2.5 million acres of pristine natural habitat in southern Africa, where the company has 36 lodges in six countries. The winner of the Heritage Tourism Award, given to a group making contributions to cultural heritage and diversity, is ATG Oxford. Though it is based in Oxford, England, the group won for its work in Italy. ATG Oxford arranges accommodations in Ferentillo at the Abbey of San Pietro in Valle for travelers on its Unknown Umbria tour. The winner of the Destination Stewardship Award, presented to a group protecting the overall natural and cultural heritage of a destination, is the REST Project, honored for its work on one of Thailand's most beautiful tropical islands, Koh Yao Noi in the Phuket region. REST, the Responsible Ecological Social Tours Project, works with local communities to reduce the negative impact of tourism while promoting conservation and increasing the amount of income for participating families.

Mexico: Zapatista rebels threatened to seize a ranch and guest house owned by U.S. expatriates in Chiapas. and are running tourists out of parts of southern Chiapas state. Wersch and Jones came to Chiapas in 1993 after a two-year stint in the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic inspired them to mix environmentally friendly agriculture with a tourist getaway. They set up cabins where guests could see how coffee is grown and harvested and drink it as well. The rebels stated goal was to force the Americans off the land, and then allow a rebel council to decide what to do with the property. 26-acre Rancho Esmeralda offered environmental walks to a nearby Maya ruin site and guests stayed at rustic cabins where they could see coffee grown and harvested.

A View from Costa Rica
by Ana Victoria Wo Ching, ECOCLUB.com Volunteer

850 species of birds, more than 10 000 identified vascular plants (about 1 500 orchids among them), hundreds of fishes, amphibians, reptiles, thousands of colourful insects... What else could you ask for a 31 100 square kilometres-country? Incredible but true, Costa Rica, this small country located in Central America, holds about the 5% of all the world´s biodiversity. It has more species within square meter than maybe any other country in the whole world. Every year, thousands of ecotourists visit the different Costa Rican habitats: cloud tropical forest, dry tropical forest, wet forest, montane oak forest, subalpine paramo... In one same day, they can have a taste of several kinds of vegetation and climates. Many of these habitats are under the government protection (here there are about 30 national parks).

But not everything is all that good. Costa Rican government does not have enough funds for conservation. There are few people working like forest guards within huge areas. Recently, a horrible consequence of this situation took place in the limit zone between Costa Rica and Nicaragua: it was discovered that hunters killed dozens of crocodiles and gaspar fishes (these fishes are "living fossils"). Nobody knew until some local people saw parts of the dead bodies of the animals, spread all the way. Maybe, if there were more ecotourist activities in that area (for example, more ecolodges), more vigilance would have been assigned there.

Although ecotourism is a fast growing industry in the country, other types of tourism are also becoming popular; for instance, mass tourists that come to visit golf yards and beach resorts. The latter kind of tourism has huge negative impacts for Costa Rica´s biodiversity: if you build a resort or a golf yard in such a small country, you will destroy the habitat of a lot of species. The Government strategy should be to promote ecotourism.

USA: Kemmons Wilson, who founded the Holiday Inn chain of hotels has died at the age of 90. Wilson devised the idea for Holiday Inns during a family vacation to Washington in 1951. He said he wanted a chain of motels where children could stay free. During the Great Depression, Wilson quit high school to work. With a $50 loan from a friend, he bought a popcorn machine and set it up in a movie theatre lobby. Today, there are more than 1,000 Holiday Inns across the United States, and more in other countries.

Ukraine: A Kiev tourist agency offers tours to Chernobyl for people interested in "extreme eco-tourism." The daylong trip costs $193 for an individual, less per person for groups. To visit Chernobyl is to visit silence. Ukraine decided to open the grounds around the station to tourists to teach them about the accident and to disseminate information about the challenges it faces. The consequences for Ukraine of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster will remain for generations. Although only a few dozen exposed people died soon after the accident, tens of thousands of cancer deaths are expected.

A woman from south Wales is recovering in a Spanish hospital after she had her arm torn off by a lioness at the El Arca Safari Park near Alicante. She was invited to put her hand in the lioness's mouth at a tourist show...

India: The National Advisory Council (NAC) on Tourism has proposed formulation of five sub-committees to prepare time-bound action plans on tourism related to heritage and culture, eco-system, adventure, health and pilgrimage. The committee on eco-tourism will include village tourism, hill tourism, nature, back-waters and island tourism. The committee on adventure will look after river sports, mountains and cruises while the health committee will tackle ayurveda and yoga tourism.
Details: http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=27889

India: Kerala is planning two more "eco tourism projects" after the success of the first project attracted 40,000 visitors last year to Themmala. The projects are being implemented at Kottayam and Konni in Pathanamthitta district. With Kerala looking at tourism in a big way to revive its economy, figures released by the World Tourism Council reveal there has been an increase of 11.37 percent in foreign tourist inflow in 2002 compared to the previous year. Tourism Minister K.V. Thomas said there was a minor increase in domestic tourists visiting Kerala from 5.239 million in 2001 to 5.568 million in 2002. Details: http://www.keralanext.com/news/index.asp?id=6962

Jamaica: Conservation and Development Trust (Green Jamaica) launched 'Misty Bliss' an annual fair which takes place at the Holywell recreational park in the Blue Mountains. The park is a part of the reserved forestry area in the Blue and John Crow Mountains. The fair will be held on February 23, and is intended to 2blend cultural entertainment with what nature has to offer". Although a major part of what the fair is aimed at doing is increasing the awareness and sensitivity of Jamaicans about the Blue and John Crow Mountain Park, Misty Bliss is also aimed at generating revenue towards the park's further preservation.

Puerto Rico: As soon as the U.S Navy decided to abandon the island of Vieques as a bombing range, a new controversy appeared in this tiny island: the 156-room Wyndham Martineau Bay Resort & Spa is scheduled to open Feb. 24 - two years after construction was completed. The $60 million resort is planned on 42 acres along virgin beach on the north shore. The island is a nesting ground for sea turtles. It also is home to a bioluminescent bay that is considered to be among the world's most spectacular. The four-star Martineau will more than double the number of rooms now available for visitors.
Details: http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/business/5167769.htm

FORGET THE FRAGILE LANDS - IT'S TIME TO HIT THE CITY!
by Harriet Festing

A popular guidebook on Sri Lanka describes Colombo (the capital) as an 'odorous crush that will either instantly repel or draw you in by its charms'. If you're only on a short trip to Sri Lanka, the book goes on to say, 'you may wish to pass Colombo by'. The message is clear - get out of the city and onto the beaches if you want to enjoy your visit.

Here lies the problem of tourism, and ecotourism in particular, in the developing world. The truth is that the most sustainable forms of tourism are urban. It is the towns and cities that have the systems (transport, retail, accommodation) and the diversity and stability of people to cope with tourist influxes.

Yet the demand for and image of ecotourism is almost exclusively rural: fragile lands, native people, and wilderness. The rural image is one supported by The International Ecotourism Society in the US, who define ecotourism as: 'responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and sustains the well-being of local people'.

For Sri Lanka, the false promises in the name of ecotourism has had worrying consequences. Nirmalan Dhas, leader of the Indian Tamil Network, describes the impact: 'Teams of prospectors equipped with luxurious four-wheel drive vehicles and gear have begun scouring the countryside in search of every last little nook and cranny... some are speedily positioning themselves to purchase the lands and homesteads of peasants who have lived for years along the borders of the rainforests.' The claim, so often made, seems justified: ecotourism has the potential to distort and pollute the very cultures it purports to be concerned about.

But does it have to be that way? Why aren't the tourists flocking to Colombo city? What makes it less of an attraction than New York, London, or Paris. Just as importantly, why doesn't the ecotourism movement embrace urbanism?

Last month, the New York based non-profit organisation, Project for Public Spaces (PPS), hosted a high-level delegation of Armenians for a ten-day training course in New York City on placemaking. The delegation came from a beautiful, historic, but devastated area of the country. They were dealing with the large-scale rehousing of earthquake victims, the rebuilding of their towns and cities, and the problems in attracting tourists to their country.

Placemaking is the current buzz-word in the world of urban renewal, planning, and real estate. The buzz is created by people's realisation that if you want to attract investment in your towns and cities, you need to create places where people want to be - places that people want to visit, live, and work in; places that are walkable, lively, and diverse, where life spills out onto the streets, parks, plazas, and markets.

Colombo, for example, would rate well in terms of 'access and linkages' - its street life is overflowing and public transport superb. But it would rate poorly in terms of 'comfort and image' and 'uses and activities'. The car-dominated roads eliminate any desire to linger, and there's little in the way of benches, cafés, or civic squares. It's not a bad city to visit; it's just not great.

On the other side of the world, New York City couldn't be a better example of a great place, and it's also one of the premier tourist destinations in the world. As one travel guide so aptly explains: 'When it comes to throngs, controlled chaos and in-your-face audacity, the Big Apple ranks right up there with Hong Kong and Mexico City. When it comes to opportunity and adventure, this apple is uncontested.' Central Park, Union Square, and Coney Island - the city gives its places over to the people. The city is a perfect setting for a course on place-making.

New York is also one of the most sustainable tourist attractions in the world. With the lowest level of car ownership in the US, one of the highest housing densities, and a rich diversity of culture, it's an unlikely but worthy case of genuine ecotourism.

So what can Sri Lanka learn from New York and its place-making advocates? The peace settlement in Sri Lanka opens the doors for increasing tourism in the country. Most significantly, it won't be long before investors head up to the previously closed, but highly desirable landscapes of the northern region. The temptation for the government to ease the way for this investment, encroaching on more land to make way for tourists, will be enormous. The end product could be that of a giant theme park based on ancient rural traditions in which the travellers enter, stare shyly at the native people, and pay the bills.

The alternative for Sri Lanka and its growing ecotourism sector is to embrace urbanism, and help towns and cities to create places where people want to be - to create a city that has the ownership of the local people, and a tourism sector based on that sense of ownership. When future guidebooks say 'Stay in Colombo, drink tea in the cafés, cruise the markets and amble along the waterfront', we'll know that we're just about there.

Harriet Festing is Assistant Vice President of Project for Public Spaces. She runs Sri Lanka Insider Tours, with her husband Kumar with the aim of supporting sustainable development in Sri Lanka. Contact Ms Festing at kumar@srilanka-insider-tours.com