The word eco has been used so cheaply by tourism marketing strategies that probably you and I are unlikely to believe it anymore. In many projects ecotourism today is akin to green washing.
During the United Nations’ International Year of Ecotourism in 2002, Patricia Barnett of Tourism Concern said:
the ecotourism label could be used by anyone at anytime for anything from a small-scale locally-run rainforest lodge where the money goes to support a local community, to a large, luxury, foreign-owned resort which has little community involvement and uses masses of natural resources.
Well if you want to spend your money on genuine Eco-tourism then do check these out:
� Green Globe; Provides certification of green travel
� Green Tourism Business Scheme;(GTBS) is leading the way in certifying domestic green accommodations in the UK. Its website provides a map search facility for over 1,000 places to stay, from small B&Bs to luxury five-star hotels and visitor centers in England and Scotland.
� European eco-labels known as the Voluntary Initiative for Sustainability in Tourism; which is trying to provide a common framework for all certification schemes to work to.
� Australia’s Ecotourism Certification program; It has built up a comprehensive list of certified accommodations and attractions in Australia.
� In central America there is the Certificate in Sustainable Tourism, which has certified 55 hotels in Costa Rica - a country that Tourism Concern says ‘has made pioneering strides to promote sustainability’.
� Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa (FTTSA); It assesses travel businesses on fair trade principles, such as whether they provide decent wages and working conditions for their staff, and has certified over 20 South African businesses, including a downtown backpackers’ hostel and a luxury lodge in the African bush.
So next time you book your holiday you can make sure its genuinely green.
Source Guardian
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