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The International Ecotourism Society (TIES)
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
One-of-a-kind Volunteer 100km Race with Mongolia Sunrise to Sunset
Mongolia Sunrise to Sunset - "The World's Most Beautiful 100km Run" - is an annual event that allows runners to experience some of the most spectacular and pristine trail running in the world as well as a week of discovery and exploration.While the race offers a challenging competition, it also provides the opportunity to be part of the important efforts to preserve the beauty of Hovsgol National Park and the local cultural identity.
About the 2009 Event: July 18-25, 2009
Participants taking part in the Mongolia Sunrise to Sunset have the option to complete a marathon (42km) distance or the 100km course. International participants will arrive in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, on Saturday, July 18, and fly to Camp Toilogt, located on the shore of Lake Hovsgol. Camp Toilogt will be the site of the start and finish line of the race. Prior to the race, which will take place on July 22, participants have the opportunity to acclimatize to the altitude (1650 meters) and become acquainted with the course. For those interested, horseback riding, fishing, hiking and visiting local families (including Tsaatan reindeer herders) will also be available. Register for the run here
Hovsgol National Park Litter Education & Control Project
Mongolia Sunrise to Sunset is also a non-profit initiative working to support the implementation of the "zero-litter policy" in the national park. The proceeds from the 2001 event and participants' donations have funded the initial set-up cost for the litter control project (US$5,000), as well as the ongoing operation costs (US$12,000) for hiring additional park rangers, providing eco-friendly trash bags, and communication and educational materials. Read more
>> Find Mongolia Sunrise to Sunset (TIES NGO Member) on Ecotourism Explorer
Win a Sea Turtle Conservation Voluntourism Trip with Planeterra
Planeterra is giving away a voluntourism trip for two to Costa Rica Sea Turtle Conservation Project, through BudgetTravel's "True Stories" contest. The "True Stories" section highlight funny, strange, heartwarming, ridiculous (brief 250-word) travel stories, and the editor picks the best story. To win the Planeterra trip, enter your true travel story for the summer edition (deadline: August 28, 2009).About the Costa Rica Sea Turtle Conservation Project
This sea turtle project is a science-based conservation program, which was created with the purpose of protecting female sea turtles, nests, and hatchlings laid on the Matapalo beach, against poachers and natural and introduced predators. A turtle hatchery protects the eggs of this endangered species and the program has ensured the survival of the sea turtles with a large increase in the number of hatchlings in the area. Local staff and volunteers also collect information about nesting activities that is shared with the community and local and regional authorities.
About the Planeterra Foundation
Planeterra was founded in 2003 by G.A.P Adventures, the largest independent adventure travel company in the world. Planeterra evolved out of a long history of travelers committed to finding ways to give back to the people and places they visit. Planeterra selects the projects and works with G.A.P Adventures to arrange voluntour travel programs. more...
Sunday, June 14, 2009
WHL.travel Caring for the Destination Program
WHL.travel Caring for the Destination Program: What Has Worked and What Hasn't By Len Cordiner, CEO, WHL.travel
About whl.travel
Worldhotel-link.com Limited (WHL) is owned and operated by a team from Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, Hong Kong, India, South Africa, Switzerland, the USA and Vietnam, working with local partners who do all the things best done locally (e.g. working directly with the local accommodation providers and with travelers), and WHL does all the things best done centrally (e.g. technology, web marketing).
Generally, we seek out experienced local tour operators as our local partners, although occasionally we also work with local industry associations or NGOs. In every case they are people with an intimate knowledge of tourism in their destination and people we are proud to be working with. We offer you, the traveler, access to these erstwhile little heard-of hotels, guesthouses and hostels plus local tours and activities via one e-marketplace network.
For example, in the Solomon Islands many of the properties listed on the WHL member site are on the outer islands and have no Internet access or even telephone access. Instead, our local partner contacts them via HF radio to pass on bookings, update allotment etc. To the traveler, it looks like seamless online booking such as you would make on any other travel site, but in fact there is much different process at play with us - what we call our digital to bicycle interface.
WHL Caring for the Destination Program
In doing the work of collecting and posting online information about small accommodation providers, WHL identified many small SMEs that are actively engaged in projects which, in their own way, are positive steps towards improving sustainable outcomes for the destination. None of the initiatives are "certifiable" to existing standards, but they address specific local needs, and are meaningful to the businesses involved.
WHL then started to write up some of these initiatives and highlighting them for travelers as "brand differentiators" for the respective accommodation providers. These initiatives were grouped under a "Caring for the Destination" banner, helping encourage the local businesses to deliver and sell unique experiences.
Initially, we thought the logic of what we were doing was compelling and that both our local partners and their suppliers would be happy to get on board - it was free after all and intended to help their businesses. Sadly, however, this wasn't the case, which led us to re-evaluating the role of each of the key stakeholders: the local partners, the accommodation providers and the travelers, in order to work out what we needed to do better.
Part of the problem was that we didn’t recruit well enough in the beginning. We also underestimated the difficulty many of our local partners would have getting small accommodation providers to open up about what they were doing. It was a little bit of the blind leading the blind - one party not being too sure what they were looking for and the other party not knowing if they had it. The information they did collect in many cases was dry and uninteresting, and in other cases of very doubtful value.
To address this problem, the first thing we did was to improve our recruiting and induction of all new partners in the network. We now spend a lot of time screening new applicants and also training them in both why sustainable tourism is important for their business as well as how to source the information needed from suppliers. We have also worked with Dr Xavier Font and his colleagues at ICRT (Leeds Metropolitan University in the UK) to try and turn the information we do collect from accommodation providers into a story which sells the benefits for the traveler.
As Xavier has often told out network partners, "this hotel is saving water by not washing sheets and towels daily," for example, is not necessarily a good story for the traveler. Initiatives like this are better translated into benefits the traveler can relate to: things that will make their stay more enjoyable in some way or help them save money. It may simply be a guilt alleviation benefit that is being offered, but even then a story about the impact of the particular water saving initiatives may provide a stronger message.
The next big challenge is engaging travelers. They need to drive the signals to the accommodation and tour suppliers that doing good is good business, i.e. accommodation providers doing positive work in sustainability need to be getting more bookings so that their compatriots in the destination will start to follow their lead.
We have had two problems here. First is that whl.travel being a relatively new player and a small player on the global stage, travelers don’t know us for the most part and the volumes of bookings we generate are still small by comparison with the big online booking platforms like Expedia, Travelocity, Priceline, etc. In other words, even if we drive proportionately more bookings to those suppliers that are 'caring for the destination,' the volumes we generate is still small - too small to be significant. Solving this is not easy, but we are trying to reach out to other online booking companies, in the hopes that if many others joined this effort, the impact could start to be felt.
The second challenge has been a bit of a brand conflict within whl.travel. We started life with a mission to help extend the benefits of tourism to the little guys in the developing world. In other words, we were more about pro-poor tourism than sustainable tourism. The whl.travel business model of having local partners in each destination was implemented to connect product from the developing world to the global market. Our brand, therefore, does not speak explicitly to sustainable travel, and those booking on the whl.travel sites will see listings without the "caring for the destination" rating, as well as those with the "caring" scores.
This means travelers with a real interest in sustainable travel may overlook whl.travel and opt for sites that mainly focus on responsible/sustainable tourism. To address this problem, we are also working on a new portal to be launched later this year, which will sell only "caring for the destination" product, alongside other travel product supplied from outside the whl.travel network.
>> Find whl.travel on Ecotourism Explorer!
>> Check out whl.travel member WHL Travel Santa Marta (Colombia)'s winning entry in Ashoka's Changemakers competition.
>> whl.travel is nominated for TravelMole's annual web awards (reponsible tourism category) - Vote by June 16th!
About whl.travelWorldhotel-link.com Limited (WHL) is owned and operated by a team from Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, Hong Kong, India, South Africa, Switzerland, the USA and Vietnam, working with local partners who do all the things best done locally (e.g. working directly with the local accommodation providers and with travelers), and WHL does all the things best done centrally (e.g. technology, web marketing).
Generally, we seek out experienced local tour operators as our local partners, although occasionally we also work with local industry associations or NGOs. In every case they are people with an intimate knowledge of tourism in their destination and people we are proud to be working with. We offer you, the traveler, access to these erstwhile little heard-of hotels, guesthouses and hostels plus local tours and activities via one e-marketplace network.
For example, in the Solomon Islands many of the properties listed on the WHL member site are on the outer islands and have no Internet access or even telephone access. Instead, our local partner contacts them via HF radio to pass on bookings, update allotment etc. To the traveler, it looks like seamless online booking such as you would make on any other travel site, but in fact there is much different process at play with us - what we call our digital to bicycle interface.
WHL Caring for the Destination Program
In doing the work of collecting and posting online information about small accommodation providers, WHL identified many small SMEs that are actively engaged in projects which, in their own way, are positive steps towards improving sustainable outcomes for the destination. None of the initiatives are "certifiable" to existing standards, but they address specific local needs, and are meaningful to the businesses involved.
WHL then started to write up some of these initiatives and highlighting them for travelers as "brand differentiators" for the respective accommodation providers. These initiatives were grouped under a "Caring for the Destination" banner, helping encourage the local businesses to deliver and sell unique experiences.
Initially, we thought the logic of what we were doing was compelling and that both our local partners and their suppliers would be happy to get on board - it was free after all and intended to help their businesses. Sadly, however, this wasn't the case, which led us to re-evaluating the role of each of the key stakeholders: the local partners, the accommodation providers and the travelers, in order to work out what we needed to do better.
Part of the problem was that we didn’t recruit well enough in the beginning. We also underestimated the difficulty many of our local partners would have getting small accommodation providers to open up about what they were doing. It was a little bit of the blind leading the blind - one party not being too sure what they were looking for and the other party not knowing if they had it. The information they did collect in many cases was dry and uninteresting, and in other cases of very doubtful value.
To address this problem, the first thing we did was to improve our recruiting and induction of all new partners in the network. We now spend a lot of time screening new applicants and also training them in both why sustainable tourism is important for their business as well as how to source the information needed from suppliers. We have also worked with Dr Xavier Font and his colleagues at ICRT (Leeds Metropolitan University in the UK) to try and turn the information we do collect from accommodation providers into a story which sells the benefits for the traveler.
As Xavier has often told out network partners, "this hotel is saving water by not washing sheets and towels daily," for example, is not necessarily a good story for the traveler. Initiatives like this are better translated into benefits the traveler can relate to: things that will make their stay more enjoyable in some way or help them save money. It may simply be a guilt alleviation benefit that is being offered, but even then a story about the impact of the particular water saving initiatives may provide a stronger message.
The next big challenge is engaging travelers. They need to drive the signals to the accommodation and tour suppliers that doing good is good business, i.e. accommodation providers doing positive work in sustainability need to be getting more bookings so that their compatriots in the destination will start to follow their lead.
We have had two problems here. First is that whl.travel being a relatively new player and a small player on the global stage, travelers don’t know us for the most part and the volumes of bookings we generate are still small by comparison with the big online booking platforms like Expedia, Travelocity, Priceline, etc. In other words, even if we drive proportionately more bookings to those suppliers that are 'caring for the destination,' the volumes we generate is still small - too small to be significant. Solving this is not easy, but we are trying to reach out to other online booking companies, in the hopes that if many others joined this effort, the impact could start to be felt.
The second challenge has been a bit of a brand conflict within whl.travel. We started life with a mission to help extend the benefits of tourism to the little guys in the developing world. In other words, we were more about pro-poor tourism than sustainable tourism. The whl.travel business model of having local partners in each destination was implemented to connect product from the developing world to the global market. Our brand, therefore, does not speak explicitly to sustainable travel, and those booking on the whl.travel sites will see listings without the "caring for the destination" rating, as well as those with the "caring" scores.
This means travelers with a real interest in sustainable travel may overlook whl.travel and opt for sites that mainly focus on responsible/sustainable tourism. To address this problem, we are also working on a new portal to be launched later this year, which will sell only "caring for the destination" product, alongside other travel product supplied from outside the whl.travel network.
>> Find whl.travel on Ecotourism Explorer!
>> Check out whl.travel member WHL Travel Santa Marta (Colombia)'s winning entry in Ashoka's Changemakers competition.
>> whl.travel is nominated for TravelMole's annual web awards (reponsible tourism category) - Vote by June 16th!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Tell the Travel Industry How You Want Them to Get Greener
Tourism and hospitality leaders want to make your vacations and business travel a "greener" experience for you, and for the planet. Global environmental and travel organizations, suppliers and media have joined with CMI Green and BBMG to produce this first-ever, comprehensive Green Traveler Survey. Your important feedback will help airlines, cruise lines, hotels, tour operators and destinations make their operations and communications greener.Your answers are strictly confidential - none of the information you provide will be used for marketing purposes, nor will you be added to any lists without your optional, express consent at the conclusion of the survey.
Completing the online survey takes only 12-15 minutes, and as an incentive to complete it, TEN WINNERS will receive a choice of a $50 iTunes gift card, or a $50 Amazon credit, or a $50 donation to the charity of your choice.
Please take a moment now to take the survey. Your feedback really matters! Please also email the link to your friends and colleagues, and ask them to complete their survey by June 15th.
Friday, June 5, 2009
First Hotel Certified under Sustainable Tourism Standard in Brazil
"We saw getting certified as the recognition for all the hard work we put into making sure that our hotel is responsibly managed and doing well for our business, the community and our customers" - Carlos Catan Antonio e Yasmin, owner, Hotel Canto das Águas
(Source: EcoBrasil) The hotel Canto das Aguas ("Song of the Waters") in Brazil's beautiful Chapada Diamantina region is the first hotel to be certified under the official Brazilian Sustainable Tourism Standard (ABNT NBR 15.401).
The hotel was established more than 20 years ago in the historic diamond town of Lençois in the Chapada Diamantina, one of Brazil´s top outdoor adventure destinations, in the heart of the State of Bahia. The hotel is known for is charm and hospitality and its attention to its socio-environmental responsibilities. It has been part of the Roteiros de Charme, an independent hotel network that has promoted an environmental code of conduct since 2003.
The Chapada Diamantina ("Diamond Tablelands") forms the northern part of the ancient Espinhaço mountain range, which runs all the way to Ouro Preto in Minas Gerais. The area combines breathtaking scenery with high biodiversity of plants, including showy orchids and bromeliads.
The Brazilian Sustainable Tourism Standard is one of the results of Brazil Sustainable Tourism Program, coordinated by the Instituto de Hospitalidade and financed by IADB and the Brazilian Government. Apart from developing the standard and incorporating it into Brazil’s official system, the Program (called PCTS/Bem Receber in Brazil) created best practice manuals and offered extensive training programs for accommodations by destination. Since 2009, two organizations in Brazil are accredited at INMETRO, to audit and certify for conformity assessment with the NBR 15.401.
With this first certification for Canto das Águas, the Brazil-wide investment in informing and preparing destinations and accommodations, more hotels are expected to follow suit.
>> Learn more about sustainable tourism certification in Brazil>> Find EcoBrasil on Ecotourism Explorer
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Planeterra Foundation: Thoughts on Voluntourism
Travelers Giving Back to the People and Places They Visit...Planeterra was founded in 2003 by G.A.P Adventures, the largest independent adventure travel company in the world. Planeterra evolved out of a long history of travelers committed to finding ways to give back to the people and places they visit. Planeterra selects the projects and works with G.A.P Adventures to arrange voluntour travel programs. more...
Richard Edwards, Director, Planeterra Foundation on Voluntourism
"Voluntourism - it’s been a hot item in articles, tweets and blogs lately. We define it as travel experiences that provide the opportunity to contribute to local community projects and development initiatives with some time off to visit the highlights of that particular destination or country. This kind of travel creates opportunities for greater interaction with local communities, so it’s essential that we consider the impacts these trips can have to ensure there are benefits for local people and their environments.
Planeterra Foundation challenges you to look closely at the following questions and insofar as possible, share our concerns – which we are sure you will be yours as well – with your audiences.
- When is my need to “do good” potentially a selfish act on my part?
- Am I helping or hindering by taking time and resources away from the community and project managers just so I have a “feel good” project to work on?
- Are valuable time, effort and resources being wasted and misappropriated just to prepare for and accommodate a voluntourist?
- Can I really make a contribution in a lasting, significant way in the short time I’m there?
- What is the optimum duration for a meaningful voluntourism stay?
- Is the project just a “front” for fundraising or attempt to generate exposure, creating contrived situations for my benefit and not really the benefit of the community?
Here's how we at Planeterra think the growing voluntourism industry needs to address these concerns:
- Programs must be set up to engage the voluntourist in task-specific scenarios so people can see the tangible results of their contributions.
- Voluntourism programs are ideally no shorter than five days and optimally 14 days.
- It's vital to have a designated tour leader or guide who helps facilitate the volunteer experience so that project staff aren’t taken away from running their regular programs.
- Designated projects are ongoing and sustainable; they are not simply there just to 'entertain' travelers. This being said, many of the activities would be taking place without travelers present, but it is because of the voluntourists that these tasks are able to be completed.
- It's important for voluntourists to have realistic expectations; while they won't change the world by volunteering for a few days, they will open themselves up to learn more about a local community that can be shared with others when returning home.
- There's an overall need in the voluntourism travel sector to shift the focus toward sustainability. This enables projects to be taken over eventually by a community, thus minimizing dependence on outside help.
- Everyone needs to recognize that the end game is total community control and quite possibly the disappearance and solution of issues and conditions that brought the original need for the project - and voluntourists - in the first place.
>> Planeterra's sustainable community development projects
>> Learn how you can get involved
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Wilderness Scotland Flies the Flag for Responsible Tourism
Wilderness Scotland, an award-winning adventure travel company in the Highlands and Islands, has been awarded the maximum 5 star Responsible Tourism rating from AITO.
Stevie Christie, Director commented, "AITO represents the very best of specialised British Tour Operators and we are extremely proud that our policies and practices have been recognised at the highest level."
Wilderness Scotland’s integrated approach to sustainability is constantly evolving, the company recently received accreditation from Climate Care for financially offsetting their carbon emissions by 110%. They also make sure that each of their trips has a maximum of 8 clients and most of their holidays start at train stations where the journey begins, to reduce the environmental impact and to encourage clients to travel by train rather than fly.
This year, they launched their pioneering Conservation Contribution Scheme which provides financial benefits to the Scottish Wildlife Trust, John Muir Trust and Trees for Life; charities which conserve the wilderness areas visited on its trips.
"Our bookings are up this year despite many other businesses suffering," says Christie, "proving that green business is good business. We hope that our success will encourage other companies to follow more sustainable procedures sooner rather than later."
>> Find Wilderness Scotland on Ecotourism Explorer!
>> Read Stevie's ecoDestinations Soapbox comment (March 2009)
Stevie Christie, Director commented, "AITO represents the very best of specialised British Tour Operators and we are extremely proud that our policies and practices have been recognised at the highest level."
Wilderness Scotland’s integrated approach to sustainability is constantly evolving, the company recently received accreditation from Climate Care for financially offsetting their carbon emissions by 110%. They also make sure that each of their trips has a maximum of 8 clients and most of their holidays start at train stations where the journey begins, to reduce the environmental impact and to encourage clients to travel by train rather than fly.
This year, they launched their pioneering Conservation Contribution Scheme which provides financial benefits to the Scottish Wildlife Trust, John Muir Trust and Trees for Life; charities which conserve the wilderness areas visited on its trips.
"Our bookings are up this year despite many other businesses suffering," says Christie, "proving that green business is good business. We hope that our success will encourage other companies to follow more sustainable procedures sooner rather than later."
>> Find Wilderness Scotland on Ecotourism Explorer!
>> Read Stevie's ecoDestinations Soapbox comment (March 2009)
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
TIES Member in the Spotlight: Mongolia Sunrise to Sunset
Hovsgol National Park has become one of the most attractive destinations in Mongolia, both for foreign and Mongolian tourists. The Park's tourism assets are the unique combination of:
In recent years, increased tourism in the Park, infrastructure development, electricity lines and mobile phone stations has becoming the case of uncontrolled littering around the camps set-up for visitors and at scenic spots, selected for picnics or camping. Over 90% of he garbage disposed of improperly in the park are done so by Mongolian visitors and Mongolian employees of the visitors camps.
Up to date, there is practically no non-biodegradable products that are produced in Mongolia: virtually all plastics and other polluting elements are imported. Garbage begets garbage: without quick action, the Park will quickly lose its pristine condition and the friendly welcome to visitors from the locals.
Swiss and American friends together with Hovsgol Travel Company set up the non-profit Mongolia Sunrise to Sunset Ultrarunning event in 1998 in order to preserve Hovsgol National Park's nature and culture, and in 1999, a litter education and control project which aimed to support the Park's sustainable development. The project promotes Hovsgol National Park as a travel destination to a culturally open public and by ensuring that the Park's local inhabitants can keep their cultural identity.
In 2008, volunteers installed signs shaped like a shaman’s drum bearing the message "Do Not Dump Your Waste If You Respect Nature" on 12 hills along the road from Ulaanbaatar to Hovsgol.
The project team has also organized a number of activities to provide educational opportunities for the Hovsgol community, raising awareness of the negative impacts of dumping waste and garbage.
Through events such as essay and freehand sketch contests ("My Litter-Free Hovsgol"), the team has also helped raise awareness of environmental issues among local children in Hatgal Village.
The project distributes an average 10-20 thousand garbage bags per year at the entrance of the Hovsgol National Park. Special biodegradable garbage bags provided by Mongolia Sunrise to Sunset are manufactured in Shanghai, China and cost US$0.50 per unit or MNT600 per unit. Air transportation cost for importing into Mongolia is MNT300 per bag. Based on this, we spend an average MNT13 million per year only on environmentally friendly garbage bags. Anyone visiting Hovsgol can obtain the biodegradable garbage bags free of charge at the entrance of the Hovsgol National Park.
Tom Baatar, local resident, said: "My father Lustai (spirit of Water) have treated us to respect the Nature, worship and bring the donations to Natural spirits. Hatgal was industrial town, and after the privatization in Mongolia, industrial town like Hatgal was closed down, many jobless people with limited number of cattle left vacant with very little territory of pastures. Tourism is the main income for us right now, myself I rent the horses and work as the horse trip guide in summer for Trekmongolia and MS2S for the last 10 years. With the income I get, I provide the food, clothes and other belongings to my family. 11 years ago we had a very interesting event: a running event. My aunt ... said, I’ve never seen people racing, only horses were racing before. Everyone was out of the ger to see the runners. It was a very new for us, I remember, how I was excited to work at the aid station. I was at the aid station which was nearby Hirvesteig, standing on the heel, seeing sunrise, smelling the morning frost, I had a sensitive feeling that some changes were going to happen in life of our people. We were only 12 families left on the western shore of Hovsgol lake. The runners are very different from regular tourists, it was very strange, they run and don’t get awards. Later Erke explained us, that our Hovsgol lake, trees, mountains and even little flowers, which weren't noticed by us are the gifts for them. To be honest, it was the first time I felt very proud of my homeland. We say the man known by his deeds, MS2S have made their promises. Beside offering garbage bags to visitors, the main thing they have educated us. My father used to smoke pipe cigar, all the Mongolians, Russians brought us first cigarettes and rapped candies, we didn’t know how the plastic, cigarettes buds, cans can be so harmful for the nature until we’ve learned from MS2S."
>> Find Mongolia Sunrise to Sunset on Ecotourism Explorer
- Beautiful, pristine and untouched nature: of the purest lake on earth, mountains, larch forest, flora and fauna
- Lifestyle and culture of the local inhabitants: horse-based autonomous nomadic existence, herding, shamanism, local beliefs and customs
In recent years, increased tourism in the Park, infrastructure development, electricity lines and mobile phone stations has becoming the case of uncontrolled littering around the camps set-up for visitors and at scenic spots, selected for picnics or camping. Over 90% of he garbage disposed of improperly in the park are done so by Mongolian visitors and Mongolian employees of the visitors camps.Up to date, there is practically no non-biodegradable products that are produced in Mongolia: virtually all plastics and other polluting elements are imported. Garbage begets garbage: without quick action, the Park will quickly lose its pristine condition and the friendly welcome to visitors from the locals.
Swiss and American friends together with Hovsgol Travel Company set up the non-profit Mongolia Sunrise to Sunset Ultrarunning event in 1998 in order to preserve Hovsgol National Park's nature and culture, and in 1999, a litter education and control project which aimed to support the Park's sustainable development. The project promotes Hovsgol National Park as a travel destination to a culturally open public and by ensuring that the Park's local inhabitants can keep their cultural identity.
In 2008, volunteers installed signs shaped like a shaman’s drum bearing the message "Do Not Dump Your Waste If You Respect Nature" on 12 hills along the road from Ulaanbaatar to Hovsgol.The project team has also organized a number of activities to provide educational opportunities for the Hovsgol community, raising awareness of the negative impacts of dumping waste and garbage.
Through events such as essay and freehand sketch contests ("My Litter-Free Hovsgol"), the team has also helped raise awareness of environmental issues among local children in Hatgal Village.The project distributes an average 10-20 thousand garbage bags per year at the entrance of the Hovsgol National Park. Special biodegradable garbage bags provided by Mongolia Sunrise to Sunset are manufactured in Shanghai, China and cost US$0.50 per unit or MNT600 per unit. Air transportation cost for importing into Mongolia is MNT300 per bag. Based on this, we spend an average MNT13 million per year only on environmentally friendly garbage bags. Anyone visiting Hovsgol can obtain the biodegradable garbage bags free of charge at the entrance of the Hovsgol National Park.
Tom Baatar, local resident, said: "My father Lustai (spirit of Water) have treated us to respect the Nature, worship and bring the donations to Natural spirits. Hatgal was industrial town, and after the privatization in Mongolia, industrial town like Hatgal was closed down, many jobless people with limited number of cattle left vacant with very little territory of pastures. Tourism is the main income for us right now, myself I rent the horses and work as the horse trip guide in summer for Trekmongolia and MS2S for the last 10 years. With the income I get, I provide the food, clothes and other belongings to my family. 11 years ago we had a very interesting event: a running event. My aunt ... said, I’ve never seen people racing, only horses were racing before. Everyone was out of the ger to see the runners. It was a very new for us, I remember, how I was excited to work at the aid station. I was at the aid station which was nearby Hirvesteig, standing on the heel, seeing sunrise, smelling the morning frost, I had a sensitive feeling that some changes were going to happen in life of our people. We were only 12 families left on the western shore of Hovsgol lake. The runners are very different from regular tourists, it was very strange, they run and don’t get awards. Later Erke explained us, that our Hovsgol lake, trees, mountains and even little flowers, which weren't noticed by us are the gifts for them. To be honest, it was the first time I felt very proud of my homeland. We say the man known by his deeds, MS2S have made their promises. Beside offering garbage bags to visitors, the main thing they have educated us. My father used to smoke pipe cigar, all the Mongolians, Russians brought us first cigarettes and rapped candies, we didn’t know how the plastic, cigarettes buds, cans can be so harmful for the nature until we’ve learned from MS2S."
>> Find Mongolia Sunrise to Sunset on Ecotourism Explorer
Monday, May 11, 2009
Tourism Futures Conference: Refocusing Australian Tourism
Despite the Australian tourism industry being in crisis mode, academic and keynote speaker at this year’s Tourism Futures conference Dr Stefan Gossling is calling for an industry wide restructure of current business models."When the economy emerges from the current recession, Australia tourism should look to relaunch itself with a more environmentally compatible business model," said Dr Gossling, Professor at Lund University, Sweden.
Dr Gossling is one of the world’s most highly regarded academics specialising in the impact of climate change on the tourism industry.
“Such a refocus would see Australia abandon targets for increasingly high volumes of tourists. The only strategy for success into the future is in an industry where visitors stay longer and spend more,” said Dr Gossling.
Dr Gossling will make his first ever visit to Australia for the premier annual gathering of industry leaders at the Tourism Futures National Conference, with his visit sponsored by Griffith University.
Delegates and industry leaders will be motivated and inspired by the creative solutions on offer at the conference, including the strategies outlined by Dr Gossling.
The issues currently facing the industry are not insurmountable – to redefine your future in tourism this is a conference you must attend!
more...
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