It is with great sadness that we learned of the sudden passing of Professor Trevor Sofield. An internationally respected figure in tourism academia and consultancy, he was a profound inspiration to us at ECOCLUB. A former high-ranking Australian diplomat, he enjoyed a second, equally successful career in tourism. We will always cherish his unique point of view, his meticulous attention to...It is with great sadness that we learned of the sudden passing of Professor Trevor Sofield. An internationally respected figure in tourism academia and consultancy, he was a profound inspiration to us at ECOCLUB. A former high-ranking Australian diplomat, he enjoyed a second, equally successful career in tourism. We will always cherish his unique point of view, his meticulous attention to detail, his humor, and his incredible breadth of knowledge. Our conversations and correspondence over the years—along with his numerous articles on our portal—were a highlight, and we only wish there had been many more. Twenty years ago we interviewed Professor Sofield, and given the current state of the world, his insights seem more relevant than ever. It was an honor for the ECOCLUB Team to have known him.. ecoclub.com/news/078/interview.html Show more

“Ecology's implications for capitalism are too momentous for the capitalist to contemplate. [The plutocrats] are more wedded to their wealth than to the Earth upon which they live, more concerned with the fate of their fortunes than with the fate of humanity. The present ecological crisis has been created by the few at the expense of the many. In other words, the struggle over environmentalism...“Ecology's implications for capitalism are too momentous for the capitalist to contemplate. [The plutocrats] are more wedded to their wealth than to the Earth upon which they live, more concerned with the fate of their fortunes than with the fate of humanity. The present ecological crisis has been created by the few at the expense of the many. In other words, the struggle over environmentalism is part of the class struggle itself, a fact that seems to have escaped many environmentalists but is well understood by the plutocrats---which is why they are unsparing in their derision and denunciations of the 'eco-terrorists' and 'tree huggers.”
Rest in Power, Michael Parenti (1933–2026) www.michael-parenti.org/ Show more

The Michael Parenti Political Archive

Michael Parenti is an internationally known award-winning author and lecturer. He is one of the nation’s leading progressive political analysts. His highly informative and entertaining…

Jobs are becoming precarious. Journalist jobs are no different, in fact, some fear that they have become almost exclusive to those with the means to endure years of poor pay. www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/journalism-a-bourgeois…

Journalism, a Bourgeois Profession?

Widespread precarity and poor pay mean that journalists require significant resources, heightening the risk of class bias.

Migration is inextricably linked with Humanity and human civilization. Long before we created passports, Visas, scary border police, and coined terms like “diaspora”, people were already moving searching a better life. Three millenia ago In the Mediterranean, Phoenicians and Greeks created a network of homelands where citizens identities, loyalties and memories mixed and overlapped. That layered...Migration is inextricably linked with Humanity and human civilization. Long before we created passports, Visas, scary border police, and coined terms like “diaspora”, people were already moving searching a better life. Three millenia ago In the Mediterranean, Phoenicians and Greeks created a network of homelands where citizens identities, loyalties and memories mixed and overlapped. That layered sense of belonging is not so far from those who today feel equally “from” Melbourne and Messinia, Toronto and Tinos or Lagos and Athens (like the famous Antetokounmpo family). Migrants and their descendants preserve memories in the form of smells, recipes, lullabies, family jokes and old photographs. Today, academics use the term “Roots Tourism” (and synonyms such as Ancestral, Genealogy, Heritage, Diaspora, Nostalgia, Homecoming, Legacy, Ethnic and Sentimental Tourism) tourism to describe trips taken to places linked to one’s own or one’s family’s past, usually for emotional reasons rather than pure sightseeing. People may travel to find the house a grandparent left behind, the church where someone married, or the port where a distant relative boarded a ship for America or Australia. In doing so, they try to reconnect threads that were cut, by war, poverty, politics or simply by time. The visit can quietly change both sides: the visitor who finally sees where their story started, and the community that sees itself through the eyes of someone who belongs and does not belong at the same time. Italy and other European countries are now moving to formalize, better organize and support Roots Tourism also for the benefit of remote rural communities. The ECOCLUB Team is happy and honoured to participate as a Partner in a project co-funded by the European Union, called "Foster Competencies on Roots Tourism in VET Schools to Promote Sustainable Tourism and Destinations in Europe" and we will be regularly sharing progress updates of this exciting and - we believe - meaningful endeavour. Show more

ROOTS Tourism

ECOCLUB® is a green community covering travel, jobs, living and politics established in 1999.

To encourage international visitors, Visit Brasil has launched a new portal showcasing seven National Park itineraries. However the design is a bit old-fashioned/underwhelming while only two itineraries are currently active. parquesnaturais.visitbrasil.com/en/

In solidarity with all those standing up against the brutality of immigrant detention, Haymarket Books are offering free ebooks about migrant justice and border abolition. www.haymarketbooks.org/blogs/525-free-ebooks-aboli…

Free Ebooks: Abolish ICE, Abolish the Border | HaymarketBooks.org

Haymarket Books: books for changing the world.

AI is like a Pandora's Box which also thinks and is about to start acting for itself? This is more or less what Yuval Harari said at Davos (check out the video below)

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What happens when aid to local ecotourism operators in an impoverished area suddenly stops? theworld.org/stories/2026/01/23/cut-to-usaid-fundi…

Cut to USAID funding affects rural regions of Colombia - The World from PRX

Funding for the US Agency for International Development was one of the first things cut by the Trump Administration, with the President mocking some of…

Karnataka (India): A ban on tiger safaris, following protests by villagers www.newindianexpress.com/xplore/2026/Jan/23/tiger-…

Tiger tourism at crossroads, Karnataka govt must act decisively

Villagers were extremely angry and complained that tigers were being pushed to the fringes due to safari-related issues and demanded an immediate halt, forest m

You don't have to be a prince to install a microplastic filter to your washing machine, there are affordable microplastic filters (at around 80 Euros) that can be retrofitted to older or low-range washing machines, or you can use a washing bag! Even better, try to avoid buying clothes made from synthetic fibres. The law should force manufacturers to have these filters as standard...You don't have to be a prince to install a microplastic filter to your washing machine, there are affordable microplastic filters (at around 80 Euros) that can be retrofitted to older or low-range washing machines, or you can use a washing bag! Even better, try to avoid buying clothes made from synthetic fibres. The law should force manufacturers to have these filters as standard. www.independent.co.uk/bulletin/news/prince-william… Show more

Visit Greenland's concise visitor guidelines for media apply to many destinations and not just media! traveltrade.visitgreenland.com/wp-content/uploads/…

Ethiopia: PM inaugurates Denbi Eco Lodge in south west Ethiopia, under "Dine for Generations" initiative. The initiative aims to ensure tourism-driven growth benefits communities through environmentally conscious development. www.gcs.gov.et/en/2026/01/18/denbi-eco-lodge-opens…

Denbi Eco Lodge Opens – Ethiopia’s Generational Tourism Vision – Government Communication Service

A Global Ecocide! A new international investigation reveals that oil and gas licenses overlap with 7,000 protected areas worldwide, covering an area larger than France. Essential biodiversity sanctuaries, such as the Great Barrier Reef and the Maya Biosphere Reserve, are peppered with fossil fuel infrastructure. Exploration licenses alone cover 387,000 km² of protected areas (more than the size...A Global Ecocide! A new international investigation reveals that oil and gas licenses overlap with 7,000 protected areas worldwide, covering an area larger than France. Essential biodiversity sanctuaries, such as the Great Barrier Reef and the Maya Biosphere Reserve, are peppered with fossil fuel infrastructure. Exploration licenses alone cover 387,000 km² of protected areas (more than the size of Germany). Weak enforcement mechanisms, leading to "paper parks," allow activities to continue despite recommendations from IUCN and UNESCO to ban hydrocarbon extraction in protected sites. ecocide.reportersunited.gr/ Show more

Spain: Head of Prado Museum weary of visitor growth www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/15/prado-direct…

Prado cannot be like ‘the Metro at rush hour’, says Madrid museum’s chief | Spain | The Guardian

Record 3.5 million visited in 2025 and plans are afoot to ensure gallery does not become overburdened like Louvre

The desk job market is getting looser by the day with AI already devouring many jobs - up to 40% are threatened by AI & automation. On the bright side, there are field jobs in tourism and conservation, close to nature, that appeal to current and aspiring ecologic travel professionals. So the phrase "get a real job" has assumed both a new meaning and urgency.

Fodor's "NO LIST" for 2026 seems all over the place. I (and everyone else) can easily think of other 'worse' destinations than the 8 the travel guide recommends avoiding. In the end, is this annual list more about generating self-publicity for the not-so-relevant-any-more travel guides sector? www.fodors.com/news/photos/no-list-2026

Fodor's No List 2026 – 8 Destinations to Reconsider in 2026

Fodor's No List 2026 highlight 8 destinations that visitors should reconsider traveling to. Highlighting overtourism, overcrowding, upset locals, and massive issues with waste management and…

Peru: A new master plan for Machu Picchu aims to regulate visitor flows and diversify visitor circuits. andina.pe/ingles/noticia-peru-machu-picchu-master-…

Peru: Machu Picchu Master Plan aims to consolidate sanctuary as global benchmark | News | ANDINA - Peru News Agency

The 2026–2030 Master Plan of the Machu Picchu Historic Sanctuary – The Machu Picchu National Archaeological Park envisions that the site will be firmly established…