Ecotourism Blogs

Croatia, where I live, is the well known Mediterranean tourist destination. According to the latest data from our Ministry of Tourism there where 17 Million Tourists Flock to Croatia in 2017. Istria was the most visited region, followed by Split-Dalmatia County, Kvarner, Zadar County and Dubrovnik-Neretva County. To distance itself as a mass tourism destination the Croatian tourism industry must seek new ways of furthering its development, which will enable it to gain the sustainable competitive advantages that it obviously needs. Clearly, one of the possible ways of achieving this is through ecotourism. Croatia even though is well known Mediterranean tourist destination has more to offer to tourists than just beautiful beaches. In Croatia, we are blessed with 8 National parks, 2 strict reserves and 11 Nature parks each offering something magical and beautiful. With a solid foundation of eco-conscious organizations, local experiences, and dedication to socio-cultural and environmental sustainability,...

May 14, 2018 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                  For the third consecutive year, the Adventure Angels , in partnership with the Adventure Travel Trade Association , are offering our “Abundance” scholarship to support a woman-owned business owner from an emerging destination. The scholarship enables the business owner to attend the Adventure Travel World Summit, the ATTA’s annual B2B professional development and networking event. The Adventure Angels are a group of 10 women who met and bonded at ATTA professional events.  We are a fun and adventurous group of women who are passionate travel professionals and entrepreneurs. The Adventure Angels include female travel agents, tour operators, media and consultants. We aim to cultivate meaningful relationships and mindful connections. Our mission is: “Leap. Discover. Inspire.” The scholarship was inspired by ATTA’s mission of empowering the global community to do good through travel.  “We created the scholarship in 2016 as a response...

If  Ecotourism  Australia  were a state, it would have come second in Friday night’s 2017 Qantas Australian Tourism Awards tally in Perth, proving that ecotourism is more than just a niche industry in Australia. Read more  https://bit.ly/2IXyGhL

For the third year, the www.AdventureAngels.org are sponsoring a woman-owned business from an emerging tourism destination to attend the Adventure Travel World Summit. This year it will be held in Tuscany. Please join us in giving a hand up to a deserving woman. Every dollar counts!  https://www.gofundme.com/2018-adventure-angels-scholarship

My hotel – the Inn at Laurel Point – had dead people helping manage it. I’d heard Victoria was a great place for the newly wed and nearly dead. But I hadn’t heard read more 

The choice is yours. And it is an urgent one too: The World Health Organisation today announced  an urgent review  into microplastics in drinking water, following a new study by  Orb Media  and State University of New York - Fredonia, which found plastic contamination in 242 out of 259 bottles sampled from 11 brands in nine countries, at twice the level of the supposedly inferior, humble tap water. The multinational brands involved, some of whom are keen on privatisation of public water utilities (so that they can sell it back to us at bottled prices?), were, as expected, quick to dispute the accuracy of the results, but what even the most gullible consumers will start realising soon is that microplastics are potentially a threat as serious to human health and the environment as Climate Change, and related to it in various ways.    The micro-plastic mega-threat is one extra but very serious reason...

Did you know a five-star hotel uses 1,800 liters of water per day per visitor? That’s compared to 350 for a three-star or 326 for your average Canadian family. Does this mean you should stay home if you want to help the environment? Attendees at IMPACT: Sustainability Tourism and Travel 2018 in Victoria, British Columbia January 21 – 24 asked plenty of tough questions. With some of the world’s sustainability experts in attendance there were was plenty of lively discussion. More than a conference this event brought together 170 people from across Canada to discuss how tourism can grow in harmony with host communities and the environment. “We did this event because no one was doing a deep dive into this topic,” explained Paul Nursey, President and CEO of Tourism Victoria. Victoria with more carbon-neutral businesses per capita than any other community in Canada is a great location for a...

Sabaidee! We are a few months into 2018 but New Year celebrations continue in ethnic villages across Laos! The research team of the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre (TAEC) has been here, there, and just about everywhere capturing the sights, sounds, and instruments of Oma, Hmong, Kmhmu, Lahu, and Yao Mien New Year. Much of their research will be showcased in our upcoming special music exhibition opening September 2018! Read on to learn more. The new year is also a time for the team to gather, reflect, and discuss new initiatives, projects, and artisan programmes for the upcoming season. The core mission of our work continues to be handicraft preservation and development for rural ethnic minority artisans. We are excited to launch our Instagram page to celebrate these incredible artisans, their culture, and crafts with you! Please follow us @TAECLaos ! Happy new year from everyone here at TAEC -...

Book Review: "The Story of Ecotourism Sri Lanka" by Palitha Gurusinghe, President, Sri Lanka Ecotourism Foundation ‘The first ever book published in Sri Lanka to record the important landmarks of Sri Lanka Ecotourism for the benefit of those who are interested, inquisitive and looking forward to widening their horizons in Ecotourism" Reviewed by; Iraj Ratnayake, PhD, Dean, Faculty of Graduate Studies, Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka (SUSL) The story of Ecotourism Sri Lanka is a detailed account of Sri Lanka's effort in adapting, developing, and promoting ecotourism during last two decades. It is a memoir of sorts, a higher autobiography, an echo back to Sri Lanka's pioneering ecotourism activist─ Palitha Gurusinghe, President, Sri Lanka Ecotourism Foundation (SLEF) The author emphasizes Sri Lanka's potential for local value addition in the process of ecotourism development where he compiles a rich account on astonishing resource base of the island nation. Especially the author...

When people discover I’m a travel writer they often ask for my favorite travel destination. I cringe knowing what’s coming next. I say “Canada” and they look disappointed, like someone with a mass of frequent flyer points should long for a Caribbean island or a distant Himalayan kingdom. But the more I travel, the more I love this country. So it was a special day last month when I was made a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society (RCGS), an honor bestowed for my contributions to geography and making Canada better known to Canadians and the world. The RCGS has been around since 1929.   Banting - the inventor of insulin - was one of the first fellows, former Alberta premier Peter Lougheed was a fellow, and Alex Trebek of Jeopardy fame is a fellow (and honorary president). Pat Morrow, the second Canadian to climb Everest and his wife Baiba...