ECOCLUB^®

ISSN 1108-8931

International Ecotourism Monthly

Year 4, Issue 44, Jan. 2003

Editorial

Ecotourism in the Time of War.

A movement is a group of people with a common ideology who try together to achieve certain general goals. ECOCLUB believes Ecotourism is indeed a Movement to change tourism and not a mere tourism segment or a niche, or a gimmick to receive funds, or a way to tame restless communities. Unfortunately not everyone that appears to be active within our movement are idealists. Some are in it rather for profit and self-promotion or with secret agendas. Still, the ecotourism movement should not antagonise these types, they have a role to play too - they are the predators in our ecosystem. The various factions of the ecotourism and the greater ecology & progress movement, should also avoid competing between themselves and picking up endless definitional and territorial fights - 

 "straining a gnat only to swallow a camel". This is hardly the time: the world and tourism of course, is changing to the worse. We may be going back to the middle ages when hordes would clash endlessly for years. And beyond major atrocities - we have already seen carnage in resorts among other places, you see regular mindless violence in sports grounds, inner cities, and sadly soon as it seems, live again on CNN. In this moment, a genuine ecotourism, part of the greater ecological movement, which constitutes a vehicle for true interpersonal and intercultural understanding and true respect for human rights is needed more than ever. Genuine ecotourism, be it "romantic" or "utopian" in  today's neobarbaric order of affairs is also one of the few glimmers of hope.
-Antonis B. Petropoulos, Editor

What do YOU think?

Club News

ECOCLUB.com appointed Co-Sponsor of IATOS 2003  - World Congress Business Marketing and Global Strategies Conference Tracks !

IATOS informs ECOCLUB readers as follows:
If you're involved in the adventure, eco and nature tourism industries, then you need to attend the IATOS 2003 World Congress and Expo http://www.iatos.com in Chicago USA. Scheduled for 19-23 February 2003, IATOS provides international networking opportunities through its World Congress, featuring Business Marketing and Sustainable Tourism Strategies. The world's experts in eco and nature tourism will detail the state of the industry and forecast where we're heading. You also can exhibit to 20,000 adventure enthusiasts, many whom make purchasing decisions at the show.

Find out what your competitors did to reach new clients, and share your own thoughts on how the nature tourism industry can achieve greater success. Learn about up-and-coming destinations, as well as the current shift in traveler focus. Come hear what international experts say about certification and stewardship, and why sustainable tourism ventures make sense economically.

Registration for the World Congress is just $300 for a 5-day Pass that includes: access to 3 days of World Congress programs; lunches; exclusive receptions; conference proceedings; and 3 days of Expo access, including exclusive trade-only hours. Special group discounts are available.

For More Information on the IATOS 2003 World Congress and Expo, visit http://www.iatos.com, or email Courtney Pierce at cpierce@msemgmt.com.

ECOCLUB.com in the News !

The Chicago Tribune (a major newspaper) in its January 12, Sunday edition, extensively reviews ECOCLUB.com and four Ecolodge Members ! Read the article here. Thank you to Black Sheep Inn for spotting !

Ecolodge Members Renew Support

We sincerely thank The Cottages at Spring House Farm in North Carolina, USA and Eco Hotel Uxlabil Atitlan in Guatemala for renewing their Ecolodge Membership and support of ECOCLUB.com.

New Ecolodge Members

This month, we warmly welcome two genuine Ecolodges into the club, in the order of joining:

Daintree Eco Lodge & Spa, Queensland, Australia
http://ecoclub.com/daintree
A multi award-winning ecolodge renowned globally, in a lush tropical 30 acre valley surrounded by the World's oldest living rainforest.

Domitila Private Wildlife Reserve, Nicaragua
http://ecoclub.com/domitila
Nicaragua's first private reserve, dedicated to conserving the wildlife and flora of one of the last remaining remnants of dry tropical forest on the Pacific coast of Central America.

New Expert Members

Two Ecotourism Experts have joined our Expert Member team:

* Mr Stephen Mak, based in Oxford, UK
http://ecoclub.com/experts/mak.html

* Mr. Debjit Dutta, based in Kolkata, India
http://ecoclub.com/experts/dutta.html

ECOCLUB.com Library: New on-line Publications

Two new quality reports are available free of charge at the ECOCLUB.com Library:

Indigenous Stakeholder Conflicts as a Barrier to Potential Ecotourism Development 
by Godfrey Anyumba, ECOCLUB.com Expert Member.

and

Ecotourism Plan for American Samoa
by Sooaemalelagi F, Brown, S. and Wasco, J.

New ECOCLUB.com Volunteer Associate
Ms Melissa Morse of Seattle, USA, has joined ECOCLUB.com as a new Volunteer Associate.

We welcome more volunteers in the fields of web design, news reporting, translations and promotion - for details email: a@ecoclub.com

Live Chat Centre

The ECOCLUB.com Live Chat Centre is at the disposal of all Members to organise presentations and debates. A weekly chat takes place usually on Thursdays, at 15:00 GMT. For more details check http://ecoclub.com/chat/
Contact us to arrange a chat / presentation.

CVM GRANO SALIS*
"I would like to invite volunteers to explore the wealth of the Virgin Forest of ..... A
property of 7000 acres was acquired and will only be developed with only 1000 bungalow lots to be sold. The remains will be reserved.''
(Actual email sent to ECOCLUB.com, name withheld)
- The "remains" indeed...

*Cum Grano Salis: latin for "with a grain of salt", phrase appears in Gaius Plinius Secundus's "Historia Naturalis". Plinius suggested we take everything with a grain of salt...

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