Tourist Dollars
The name "eco-tourism" was coined two decades ago with the best of intentions. The idea was to transfer capital to places that were rich in terms of natural attractions but financially poor, and thus driven to exploit their surroundings to survive. But, if the rainforest or the coral reef suddenly became the cash cow, then, well, they'd be motivated to preserve said forest or reef ... and just like that, everybody wins. The Why Files asks whether it has really worked out that way. And in a related story, travel writer Jeff Greenwald reports on a subset of eco-tourism known as the "volunteer vacation" -- or in Sierra Club parlance, the service trip.
2 Comments:
When that story first came out the thing that got me was that the "research" he was spending money on would be over 10 years.
10 years from now the smelly stuff should be hitting the fan.
Okay, "ecotourism" has become a pretty meaningless marketing term, sort of like "alternative rock" after the rise of grunge. The Why Files story had a lot of legitimate points. But there is such a thing as real ecotourism--that is tourist destinations or tour operators that are providing trips that respect the earth and its inhabitants.
I know about this because my environmental nonprofit Rare has built three--in Mexico (Community Tours Sian Ka'an) Guatemala (Conservation Tours Tikal), and Honduras (La Ruta Moskitia), all now locally run and owned.
It took a lot of time (years, actually) to train people who were basically farmers or fishers to be business entrepreneurs, nature guides, service providers. The Mexico and Honduras locations made Conde Nast Traveler's Green List in the past two years (there are five operators or destinations that make the list each year).
Like I said, they now own and run these operations. La Ruta gives ten percent of its profits back to the community and the Rio Platano Biosphere Reserve where it's located.
The trick is finding the real deal. Traveler's Green List is reliable (they have good judges, like Ron Mader of Planeta.com). But mags like Outside and National Geographic Adventure are good too. One of the Why Files' conclusions is do your research, which is really the point.
Peter Kobel
Communications Manager
Rare
www.rareconservation.org
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