ECOCLUB Blogs™

Sungai Chilling in the province of Selangor, Malaysia, is a nature reserve consisting of a picturesque waterfall and the Sungai Chilling Fish sanctuary, a project under the Selangor State Fisheries Department. This idyllic nature trove being located roughly at a distance of 75kms from the northern peripheries of Kuala Lumpur that involves about an hour and half drive via the town of Kuala Kubu Bharu, is one of the main eco-travel spots closest to the bustling spaces of Kuala Lumpur. For day-trippers and campers, Sungai Chilling provides a perfect setting for nature-based recreational opportunities within a convenient distance. The central attraction, the Chilling waterfalls, is located at a certain height that makes it necessary for visitors to cross the rapid flowing river 5 times and a trek uphill for almost 4 hours through the bushes and dense vegetation of Malaysian rainforests. The difficulty in negotiating with rapid flowing river are generally moderate especially on a rainless day and is therefore somewhat within the reach of softer ecotravelers. However, during rainy days and thunderstorms, the hike can become challenging and can involve considerable levels of risk as the waterflow in the river increases substantially sometimes taking the form of flash floods. In...

By looking at ecotourism efforts around the world, there is continuous change: some best ecotourism practices fail to keep their status, or are even suspended after a period of time; other ecotourism practices appear, some of them reaching high standards. "Ecotourism in Protected Areas, A literature Review" on the ecoclub.com papers session is a conceptual paper based on our presentations in lectures, workshops and conferences for ecotourism and protected areas, in the last 10 years. The paper offers a better understanding of ecotourism, viewed as a continuously evolving process in the context of the particular environmental, social, cultural, economic, political and technological features of each area, which may change with time. Finding the right, dynamic balance, which can differ from case to case, is the key for proper ecotourism development in protected areas. Read the article here: https://ecoclub.com/library/epapers/38.pdf  

Join us in Crete, Greece, May 16-24, 2016 for Crete's Culinary Sanctuaries Educational Network Study Abroad Program with Utah State University. A distinctive faculty-led experiential learning program designed to provide an overview of the culture, nature and cuisine of Crete. Also open to non-USU students. Earn 3 Credits for this incredible experience. Organized by Nikki Rose, Founder of Crete's Culinary Sanctuaries, an award-winning program for best practices in sustainable travel, and USU Faculty: Tamara Steinitz and Janet Anderson, Professional Practice Professors, Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Sciences. Throughout this study tour, students will meet over 20 resident teachers for presentations, including tours of archaeological sites focusing on agricultural and culinary practices in ancient Crete; organic farms, farmers' markets, and nature reserves hosting wild edible plants used in cuisine and herbal medicine; traditional villages and artisan food producers of olive oil, cheese and other traditional foods; plus cooking classes featuring one of the world’s healthiest cuisines. For more information on student registration:http://globalengagement.usu.edu/studyabroad/htm/programs/find-a-program/program_id=121 For more information on teacher or professional researcher registration. Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Beautiful short film by Andreas Siadimas celebrating local environmental knowledge and genuine hospitality in Crete, Greece.

TrainingAid, an international tourism e-learning company offering online training courses and skills development opportunities for tourism professionals, is hosting a free Live Session on Monday, February 29th, 2016, featuring a presentation by Julia Barrero, head of marketing at Xola. To learn more & to register (registration is free), please see: http://bit.ly/TourismTL1602   Title: Forget Silver Bullet, Think Strategy: Advanced Digital Marketing for Tourism Businesses Description: These days, your customers demand complex, individualized, and relevant marketing. To achieve that, you don’t need a silver bullet (news flash: it doesn’t exist), you need strategy. This Live Session will teach you to ask the right questions to maximize the return on your marketing investment. By setting goals and analyzing your success with qualitative and quantitative feedback, you’ll market your tour more easily and successfully. Join tourism marketing specialist, Julia Barrero of Xola.com, as she guides you through a strategic framework and key Google Analytics reports that will help you market with confidence. Date & Time: Monday, February 29th, 2016 9am PST (San Francisco), 12pm EST (New York), 6pm CET (Berlin)     About TrainingAid Live Sessions TrainingAid’s Live Sessions are short online live training sessions for tourism professionals, focusing on key topic areas such...

The Sarawak Government has provided strong support for appropriate and sustainable development of the Gunung Mulu National Park since its WHS inscription. It has left behind its original ‘modern progress’ model of development – forestry and oil palm plantations, with the former now banned for the past ten years and the latter carefully regulated. Illegal logging still occurs in the most isolated parts of the state along the border with Indonesia’s province of Kalimantan where monitoring is difficult (no roads, only two airstrips for small aircraft) but it is minor. Offshore oil remains a mainstay of the state economy, but terrestrially ecotourism is being pursued as the mainstream path especially for poverty alleviation of local communities. Mulu is evidence that the Government is sincere in implementing ‘genuine’ ecotourism as distinct from ‘eco-lite’ ventures, and flying into Mulu over thousands of hectares of oil palm plantations to the heavily forested ranges of Gunung Mulu provides a graphic illustration of the value of conservation and protection. Indeed, the sinkhole approach through old growth rainforest to one of the caves is aptly named “The Garden of Eden".

It was great discussing responsible travel prospects in Greece, Estonia, Malaysia and the United States in a live hangout hosted by Ron Mader and with the participation of Ecoclub Members Natali Dologlou, Aivar Ruukel, Sudipta Kiran Sarkar and Chris Milnes. The event was part of Planeta.com Responsible Tourism Week 2016    

Greetings, On the air now from Washington DC, a 2-part public TV program with guest chef-instructor and ecotourism director, Nikki Rose from Crete's Culinary Sanctuaries Network. Discussion about Crete's culture, cuisine and Responsible Travel initiatives. Part 1: https://youtu.be/hoP6bTUqBBo Part 2: https://www.14dd5266c70789bdc806364df4586335-gdprlock/watch?v=ff-r5-2pAF4  

  Photo 1. This is Dana Biosphere Reserve and Javier Zapata from Spain, one of my three co-travelers/trip testers/new friends. The MEET project follows a participatory planning approach, where managers of protected areas, local tour operators and service providers work in close synergy to develop ecotourism activities in Mediterranean protected areas. I couldn’t resist writing about my experience from a recent MEET test-trip in Dana Biosphere Reserve in Jordan, called “Rift Valley Mountain Trek”. This package was developed by the managers and the people of the Dana Protected Area, under the coordination of the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN) of Jordan; the tour was conducted by the local tour operator Discovery Circle Tours. Photo 2. Our guide, Aed I feel very lucky I took part in such an authentic and in part also adventurous trip – as our team (of four) was the first to try out this new tour. Local Bedouins, pleasant and friendly, guided us around the Dana Biosphere to Petra. After roughly 100km and five days of hiking (4-7 hours every day) in beautiful mountains and valleys (wadis), we definitely earned our way to the magical site of Petra. The ecotourism character of the trip was...

It was a great pleasure to participate in the IUCN Mediterranean Experience of Ecotourism – MEET test tours in Karpathos, Greece. I wish them all the best on their important initiatives to celebrate and help protect our cultural and natural heritage. http://famtrips.meetnetwork.org/portfolio-items/the-untouched-heart-of-the-greek-islands-2/