ECOCLUB Blogs™

Live Session on Tourism Financial Accountability and Economic Growth With the aim of helping turn the Panama Papers scandal into a useful "teachable moment" for the tourism industry, TrainingAid is hosting a free and open live session on Thursday, April 14th featuring a presentation by Dr. Linda Ambrosie, the author of "Sun & Sea Tourism: Fantasy and Finance of the All-Inclusive Industry". Dr. Ambrosie will share key insights into the impact of exploitative tax practices, combined with local corruption, throughout the global tourism value chain, and offer recommendations for tourism industry stakeholders - including multinational enterprises, tourism managers, destination organizations and policy-makers - on how to advocate for solutions and positive change. Register for free to join the live session and to receive access to the video replay.   Tourism Finance: Why Accountability Matters to All As the Panama Papers scandal has brought the world’s attention to the scope and implications of global corruption and tax evasion, we’re reminded of the importance of host destinations’ ability to collect and effectively - and ethically - manage tax revenues from multinational tourism businesses in order to ensure the health of the industry. According to new studies, however, only an estimated 20% of the...

Community-Based Tourism (CBT) can be a great way to empower communities and support sustainable local development by providing alternative livelihoods, expanding economic opportunities, creating a sense of pride, and supporting development needs in a way that is in line with long-term priorities. So why do so many CBT projects fail? In the upcoming TrainingAid Live Session, Kelly Galaski (Program & Operations Manager for Americas & Europe, Planeterra Foundation) will discuss key challenges with CBT initiatives, and share practical insights on how to develop market-ready and financially viable community tourism products. TrainingAid Live Session, March 31st, 2016 Title: Key Factors in Successful Community Tourism Product DevelopmentPresenter: Kelly Galaski, Program & Operations Manager (Americas & Europe) for Planeterra FoundationDate & Time: Thursday, March 31st, 2016 - 10am EST (New York), 4pm CET (Berlin), 10pm ICT (Bangkok)Registration: Sign up for free here   About the Planeterra Foundation Planeterra Foundation is a non-profit organization established by global travel company G Adventures. Planeterra's projects around the world support social enterprise development to connect underserved communities to the tourism value chain.    

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