Enter the London 10km Run & Represent Tourism Concern!! Join today

There is still time for you to enter the famous London 10km Run and represent Tourism Concern!

The London 10km run takes place on July 12^th, 2015 with the race starting at ~9:30am. The run has a fantastic atmosphere and can be run/jogged individually, or in a group of friends. Throughout the course there are plenty of spectators to cheer you on and support stations with refreshments to keep you going.

The run takes place in the middle of summer and provides greats views of many London landmarks. The event starts on Piccadilly outside The Guards & Calvary Club, passing the new WW2 Bomber Command Memorial with Wellington Arch at Hyde Park Corner as backdrop. Runners will then run past St. James’s Palace, Trafalgar Square, the magnificent St. Paul’s Cathedral, the London Eye, Big Ben, the British Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and finish on Whitehall (the portal of British Government) at the junction of Royal Horse Guards and Banqueting House.

Participants are asked to raise money via sponsorship for the London 10km run to support Tourism Concern. We have a fundraising target, with the funds raised going straight to our current campaigns. If you are interested in getting involved, or have any further questions regarding the event or fund-raising targets, please don’t hesitate in contacting Kai at campaigns@tourismconcern.org.uk.

Tourism Concern also have many other events that you can get involved in this summer, check out this link for more details: http://tourismconcern.org.uk/help-us-to-make-tourism-better/

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Paris bookstore disappear

 

The booksellers has been a staple of Parisian culture for centuries, known as a go-to supply exhausted or unusual reading material - but their life is threatened.

An office with a view

 

One of the most important monuments of Paris are the famous bookshops: booksellers who sell their products every day along the River Seine. Bargaining dates to 1400, the booksellers have been known for centuries as a go-to source for reading material exhausted or rare among locals and travelers who come here to find titles like in Vagrant author Colette biting and controversial or the first edition of the French comic strip The Mischievous Lili, from the early 1900s and has never been reissued. The cultivation of about 20 vendors at the turn of the 17th century, there are now about 240 booksellers in Paris. Their traditional green wooden boxes that dot both banks of the Seine, the Musée d'Orsay in the Arab World Institute, with the highest concentration is at the entrance of the Latin Quarter, home of the famous Sorbonne University. (Credit: Nick Kozak)

 

The traveller challenge

But even with 240 vendors lining the banks, competition does not come often in close positions. The 'booksellers biggest challenge over the past 20 years has been the proliferation of e-readers and Internet access, reducing sales of books and make materials outside the print easier to find. To offset declining sales, many have resorted to booksellers supplement their income with memories, which are technically permitted under the regulations of the city that allows the sale of commercial products from four green boxes is assigned to each vendor. But the movement did not sit well with some of the Items population, triggering a debate between suppliers in about what can and can not sell - and it will change a tradition that has been a staple of the Parisian culture. (Credit: Nick Kozak)

Price growth

At the end of 1980, Jean-Pierre Mathias left his job as professor of philosophy to become a bookseller. "When I came to my store, I started selling my old books ... I liked the idea of ​​following the philosophy here without having to be a teacher," he said. Mathias only sells books and engravings; He refused to comply with the increasing number of foreign tourists selling souvenirs. "For me, a book will always be a book, and people who love books continue to buy them. The theater did not disappear with the beginning of the film, "he says with a big smile (Credit: Nick Kozak).

From comics to keychains

Robert Francis was selling comics in his shop for over 35 years. At first, he said, people came to him, if you were looking for a particular comic story. If you do not, then they do online would. Now it is the opposite: they only come if they can not find online. To compensate, Robert memorabilia collection - including ubiquitous statues Eiffel Tower - has increased in recent years. As residents still come to buy a book or two, he said most of his customers are abroad and are more likely to buy his memories of his comics, which are mainly written in French. (Credit: Nick Kozak)

 

A job with benefits

Items Each is required to maintain their boxes, but beyond that, the work has a lot of freedom. Merchants can set their own hours of light (the stalls are locked once the sun sets); choose the reading material they want to sell; and spend the day enjoying the best views of Paris. Yet many booksellers believe that the city should do more to support tradition as lower sales. One suggestion is that the sellers of electricity installed so it can expand its hours of the night. (Credit: Nick Kozak)

Standing strong

Bernard Carver entered the business of selling rare books, 20 years after the arrival of Lebanon without much money. Soon he began living on the streets, he said, and chose comfort in books instead of alcohol. Passion, it binds with certain booksellers. To sell their products, he said, you must be familiar with, boasting that he read everything on your shelf. But even that did not stop the decline in sales, and expressed his anger to the proliferation of sold trinkets. Some marketers have even added folding tables in front of their stalls to expand its collection of memories - a tactic not covered by the regulations of the city. (Credit: Nick Kozak)

A creative solution

Many booksellers selling trinkets made in China, including the Eiffel Tower key chains and mugs I love Paris. One of the young traders, George Roman, chose instead to sell antique prints ads created by him and his father, and paintings by students of the prestigious Ecole des Beaux-Arts, conveniently located just behind his store. Therefore, he said, he can sell souvenirs that are made both in France and linked to local culture - a solution, perhaps, taking the best of both worlds. (Credit: Nick Kozak

 

5 Questions to Ask Before Choosing a Travel Agent

While internet booking motors have made it simpler for voyagers to purchase their own particular flights or lodging rooms, travel specialists still offer a level of administration and skill not offered by a pursuit bot. "When you book on the web, the booking motor or site just comprehends what information you data," brings up Chuck Flagg, proprietor of a Cruise Holidays office in Canton, Georgia. "They don't comprehend what is really critical to and your gang. It doesn't know whether you are a 60-something who still likes to move it up with local people at the club or in the event that you are OK being around children." Travel specialists likewise may have exceptional livens or evaluating not accessible to the overall population.

Here are a few inquiries that can help you pick the right travel specialists for your needs.

1. Have you gone to my destination? Whether you're making a trip to Paris or Puerto Rico, inquire as to whether your specialists has been there (and provided that this is true, how as of late?). While manuals and sites offer bunches of point of interest on a given destination, they don't generally measure up to being there in individual. "Book information or internet preparing courses by suppliers is entirely unexpected from encountering it firsthand," Flagg says. Lisa Griswold, co-proprietor of the Atlanta-based Pixie Vacations, who represents considerable authority in arranging Disney get-aways, concurs, including that "you don't know how superb a Disney voyage is until you've encountered one: the delight, the tender loving care, the little additional items, the character association."

2. What is your reaction time? On the off chance that sitting tight a few days for a reaction to a messaged inquiry is going to make you on edge, ask potential operators when they're accessible and how rapidly you ought to expect a reaction. "A few operators are low maintenance specialists, and they work in the nighttimes," Griswold says. "Some are accessible amid the school day. Others do this full time. It's unquestionably shrewd to see whether your calendar can organize with what your specialists can give."

 

3. What administrations do you offer? Specialists give differing levels of administration. Some will just book inns and flights and abandon you to fill in alternate points of interest, so in case you're expecting help with supper reservations or ground transportation, inquire as to whether he can deal with those. "A decent specialists is going to help you with any points of interest that you need," Griswold says. "We offer schedule arranging down to what rides they plan to go on, which stops to go in which days and direction that with their suppers."

 

4. Do you have any confirmations or accreditation? Flagg recommends getting some information about preparing or confirmations to get a vibe for the specialists' skill. For example, in case you're occupying a journey, you could search out an operators guaranteed through the Cruise Lines International Association. Griswold includes that you additionally can ask how regularly the specialists goes to classes to stay current in the business.

 

5. What charges would it be advisable for me to anticipate? A few specialists charge a level expense or an hourly expense for travel counseling, while others acquire commission from the air transport or lodging booked. "Get some information about charges, whether there are occupying expenses or any sort of retraction expenses," Griswold says. "There are some high rates out there, and a few organizations would prefer not to converse with you unless you're willing to submit."

 

Obviously, while you get some information about the specialists' experience and strategies, she may be testing you also. This can be a decent sign, as Flagg proposes searching for a specialists who asks "why" questions. "This is something online will never ask," he says. "Why would you like to take this excursion? Why did you pick a Disney journey? Did the nourishment offerings settle on this some piece of your choice?" Once a specialists inspires your answers, she will be better prepared to tailor the outing to you and your gang.

 

Helping Tourism work for Nepal – An update from our partner in Nepal Join today

By Arjun Limbu – Kathmandu Environmental Education Project (KEEP) Nepal

Kathmandu Environmental Education Project (KEEP) is a registered non-profit, non-governmental organization listed on the Tourism Concern online Ethical Travel Guide. KEEP’s mission is to ensure the future ecological and cultural prosperity of Nepal and its people, by maximising the benefits and reducing the negative impacts associated with tourism. 

Tourism has always been vital to Nepal’s economic growth since the mid 1960’s.  People come from all over the world to enjoy this country’s diverse natural beauty, its World Heritage sites, and the exceptionally welcoming people.

Unfortunately, the country of Nepal is situated in a vulnerable area for earthquakes and two of those earthquakes have come very recently causing much devastation for the people of Nepal.

Despite the recent devastating Earthquakes in the country, the most popular trekking destinations in Nepal are open and safe. Nepal’s mountains, jungles, trails, and other aspects of this country’s rich natural beauty are still here for the world to see.

Things are also slowly beginning to go back to how they were before.  To view the situation here more positively, the Nepali people are more welcoming now to tourists than ever before, as Tourism can play a direct part in supporting the local people’s livelihood.

We hope that the recent natural disaster does not slow down tourism, as it is still safe to travel here.  Also, our country is especially welcoming of tourists now so that we can rebuild what has been destroyed and give aid to those in need.

All over the world, people want to help the situation here, and the most direct, sustainable way of doing so is by coming here, visiting our beautiful country and supporting our tourism industry.

So, KEEP would like to welcome to all again in Nepal and support the peoples who suffered from the Earthquake.

To learn more about KEEP go to – http://tourismconcern.org.uk/keep/

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Alleppey backwaters tourism – May update Join today

Our work to develop a Code of Practice for houseboats in Alleppey, India continues to progress well. This is an important project, which promises to bring tangible benefits to the communities and environments of the backwaters. If you possibly can, please help us to continue this work by making a donation. We are entirely funded from donations made by our Members and supporters.

When I visited Kerala in April I was heartened by the enthusiasm shown for the initiative amongst all the stakeholders, including government departments and many of the houseboat operators. This has continued, with an understanding having recently been signed regarding the setting up of an Implementation and Monitoring Committee. It is proposed that it comprises a total of 16 representatives of stakeholder groups, including the houseboat owners themselves; government departments – including the Tourism Department, the Pollution Board of Control and Alleppey Municipality; NGOs representing fishing and farming communities; and the project partners: Tourism Concern and the Environmental Collaborative. The full list will be published later this month, when it has been finalised.

Currently we are consulting with stakeholders in order to define clear terms of reference for the committee – vital for keeping the project on track. This includes outlining the next steps and realistic timings for their completion. The role of the committee is to co-ordinate the consultative process, to collate the feedback and thoughts that emerge, to start to outline the code, and to consider what support might be required (training, facilities etc) and who might help with that provision. We hope to have a draft of the Code prepared in about two months time, with a view to being able to launch it in time for the next tourism season in the autumn.

Ideally the Kerala government would like ALL boats to sign up to the Code. This shows fantastic support for our work and represents a real commitment to change. However, we feel that the Code should represent a continual improvement process and believe that it is vital for boats to demonstrate genuine compliance with its principles. Realistically, relatively few boats will be able to do that in the short term. Our proposal is hence that boats initially enter the process voluntarily and are offered help – including one-to-one training – in return. We are also hoping that we may be able to have one or two ‘model’ boats, who demonstrate exemplary practices. Ongoing support and monitoring will also be required and it is likely that the Code will continue to evolve and standards to improve. We have further agreed with the Kerala government that those adopting the Code will also be promoted as ‘ethical operators’, including here in the UK.

In the UK the initiative is supported by the Association of Independent Tour Operators AITO), by the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) and by the Travel Foundation as well as by a number of individual Tour Operators who take guests to Kerala. Many of the houseboat operators these organisations use are already contributing to our work in India.

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Graduates assist Indonesian homestay network Join today

Geography and Tourism Management graduates at UWE Bristol are putting their skills to the test on the beautiful Indonesian island of Flores, gaining invaluable experience as volunteers helping to develop a successful homestay network.

Founded in 2011, by the Eco Flores Foundation, the network promotes the island as a green tourist destination. Flores was recently voted as one of the top 50 green destinations in the world.

Supported by volunteers, villagers living in poverty in Flores have the opportunity to share in the benefits of international tourism through renting rooms in their homes to visitors.

Supported by volunteers, villagers living in poverty in Flores have the opportunity to share in the benefits of international tourism through renting rooms in their homes to visitors.

For the past three years, upon completion of a module in International Tourism Development in their final year, new graduates have been offered the opportunity to volunteer in Flores, applying the knowledge acquired on the module to advise villagers on both the benefits and negative consequences of tourism growth.

The graduate volunteers have the expertise to advise the villagers on land rights, gender equality, leakages and linkages, waste management, disabilities, and basic finance for small businesses. Before joining villagers they attend a four day workshop to discuss these issues and to learn basic Bahasa, the local language.

The volunteers work with two or three villages for a period of one or two months to establish the homestays which must meet the agreed basic criteria including: waste management, working towards gender equality, providing a clean room with minimum facilities. Each village is marketed through the network and the volunteers regularly meet together to share good practice and report back to the project co-ordinator.

Such has been the success of the project, Network Supporter, Dr Stroma Cole, a senior lecturer in tourism geography at UWE Bristol, was recognised with the award for Tourism in Globalisation: Understanding global complexity through tourism at the Association of Tourism in Higher Education (ATHE) annual conference.

Explaining why the network is such an important learning tool for these graduates, Dr Stroma Cole, comments, “The experience is an excellent example of international service learning, you can learn the theory in the classroom, but the only way to really test out the extent of your knowledge and demonstrate your abilities to future employers is to apply it in a real life situation. What the graduate volunteers are taking away from their Flores experience is hugely beneficial to their professional and personal development.

“They learn not only how people build livelihoods in the majority of the world but also how to live in another culture and speak another language. They learn how to train and motivate, and to help manage the villagers’ problems, like recycling. One of the island’s biggest issues is waste; one student built a wooden press to compact plastic waste into bricks. These can then either be used for building public facilities or be taken by tourists to towns that have waste facilities for disposal. It’s a simple, practical solution that is making a real difference to these communities.

“Flores is a beautiful island and sometimes local assets, such as white sand beaches, caves and hot springs, are often overlooked by tourists. The graduates highlight these attractions on the website to invite tourists to remote parts of the island, spreading their interest in and economic support of these less visited areas. Together, the villagers and tourists connect, share and learn. Without a higher education in tourism this project could not function. It will enhance the lives of many of the poorer villagers, as well as the lives of the students that take this valuable opportunity to work with them.”
In the first two years of the project, nine graduate volunteers who studied International Tourism Development and thirty villagers from fifteen villages took part in the homestay network.

UWE Bristol graduate Gemma Sollis, completed her studies in Tourism and Management in July 2013. For the past nine months, she has been working as a volunteer for the Flores Homestay Network (FHN).  Describing the challenges and highlights of her experience, she says, “I love volunteering here as we are making a difference to local people’s lives, to help them protect themselves from the negative side of tourism and to preserve their cultures and traditions.

“At first it was hard to think like a local, but you adapt quickly as you learn the culture and history. It takes a while for changes to be made in the communities, but the villagers’ appreciation of our visit is enough to make it all worth it.

“The main challenges I’ve faced is the difference in culture between Indonesia and Europe. Being a woman here is a challenge as the attitudes of local men towards woman are completely different to the attitudes of most men in Europe. I found it hard not being able to go places by myself, which is mostly likely because I’m a Western woman but now I understand they are trying to protect me. Being a Western woman, the men give me more respect than the local woman, but not the same respect as a Western man. The Flores Homestay Network’s work is so important, not only to develop the homestays, but also to develop the community as a whole through gender equality and land rights.

“Volunteering has allowed me to gain experience in the tourism industry which is where my passion lies, it’s a great opportunity to see how places adapt with tourism, as well as being able to work in beautiful surroundings and meet friendly local people who embrace you as one of the family. Learning from books and other people’s experiences is one thing, but to go out and use your knowledge and experience it for yourself is a different thing. During my university course I learnt about the positive and negative effects of tourism and the benefits of a sustainable and community based tourism. Sustainability is a very important concept, that I’ve been able to use during my time in Flores to help ensure the homestays are sustainable to protect the local people.

“From this opportunity, I’ll take away the experience of being on the front line to help communities build community based tourism and protect themselves from ending up like Bali. I’ve developed my skills through learning new languages and working with people who have different views and still maintain cultural traditions, which I will also take away. This will be useful for me in the future so I can work with people from around the world and understand our different ways of working and thinking. Finally, I will also take away my changed attitude and thinking that happiness can be found in the little everyday things, no matter if you have no money.”

Andy Bil studied Geography and Tourism and spent six months volunteering for the network. He adds, “Stroma’s lectures and the International tourism development module really prepared me for this experience. It simply takes all your knowledge from the class room and applies it to real life. What we are doing in Flores is the best practices in Community-based Tourism development. It’s not going to the destination to paint a boat, dig a hole in the ground or do any activities which locals probably could do better themselves i.e. voluntourism. It is meaningfully helping locals in poverty alleviation, waste management, education and empowering woman. It’s a real project, it is not a joke, volunteers must take responsibility for their community and invest all their effort to introduce and prepare locals for the project and work together to achieve project objectives.

“I loved the life I was living in Flores, super friendly people always smiling and approaching you to get to know you. I have been in places where ordinary tourists will never be. I shared good times and sad times with local community it was very emotional when I was going back to the UK. Some of the challenges were to adapt to the Indonesian/Flores culture, the lifestyle of the locals and to the weather. Nevertheless, the biggest challenge was the scope of the project, there was lots of job where other organisations would employ professionals. Due to a lack of education about the tourism sector in the community, I had to constantly monitor and ensure that the project was on the right path simultaneously motivating and tutoring participants of FHN.

“I could not have asked for more, this project taught me how to successfully implement and run a project on foreign soil, develop skills which will benefit my future career or prepare me in continuing my academic path. What is of a great importance for me, is that after 6 months I have been able to communicate freely in the Indonesian language and still continue to study it. I am most delighted that I was able to help the people of Flores to engage with the tourism industry and motivate them so they can also directly benefit from it. I believe that in the future FHN will be successfully running businesses which will improve local people’s living standards, generate greater economic benefits while protecting the environment.”

The Eco Flores Foundation hope to consolidate the project concentrating on the villages in the network and are looking for investors to take the project forward. Indonesian graduate volunteers are set to join the network, for the UWE graduates this presents an excellent opportunity to help each other with language and compare and develop experiences and skills.

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Alleppey Backwaters Tourism – A New Way Forward Join today

I have just returned from Alleppey in Kerala where, working with our Indian partners, we have made considerable progress with our project to develop a Code of Conduct for Houseboat Owners.

Houseboat cruises are a wonderful way to experience the beauty and tranquillity of the Kerala backwaters, and to get glimpses of the lives of people who are shaped by them. They are a unique travel experience and could/should be a sustainable form of tourism which provides real economic benefit to local people. In recent years, however, concerns have been expressed – including by tourists, tour operators and in a number of academic reports – about a range of issues that are threatening the sustainability of the industry and adversely affecting local communities and environments. These include pollution being produced by houseboats, health and safety issues, and disturbance of local peoples lives and livelihoods, not least due to the large number of boats now operating in the region.

It is of course important to recognise that some operators – including some used by UK Tour Operators – do already behave responsibly. I met with a few of these whilst in India. Some have their own high standards whilst others are responding to concerns; these operators will have a vital role to play in helping inform our project. Nonetheless, it is difficult for tourists to know whether any particular operator is behaving responsibly or not. The intention is therefore, not only to establish guidelines for best practice, but also to seek ways of monitoring compliance… and to support and promote those operators who sign up to the Code of Conduct.

I was heartened by the enthusiasm shown for the initiative amongst all the stakeholders, including government departments and many of the houseboat operators. We are confident that the ongoing consultation process can result in a meaningful yet practical code of conduct being launched later this year, with a credible monitoring process to help ensure compliance.

A lot of preparatory work took place during the first three months of 2015, investigating the issues in detail, looking at possible solutions, and also at potential challenges to their adoption. It was vital to talk to all concerned parties and ensure that their views were taken into account. We are extremely grateful to our partner organisation – the Environmental Collaborative – whose Director Sudha Soni has worked hard, including to establish trust in the process and in the ultimate goals of the project. On Monday 13th a highly successful meeting was held in Alleppey, attended by over 40 people, including the Director of Tourism – who presided over the meeting – the Chairman of the Pollution Board of Control, the Disrict Collector, the Department of Tourism Planning Officer,

NGO representatives and more than 25 boat owners and leaders of Boat Owners Associations. There was broad agreement to support the initiative and on the ten principles it seeks to address (see below). Discussions included provision of additional sewage pump out and treatment facilities; ways of collecting and recycling waste, including composting facilities; classification of boats; training of staff; enforcement of existing Port Authority rules on health and safety; and provision of information (do’s and don’ts), including an orientation video, for all guests.

In its current form the proposed code seeks to address the following ten issues:

1. Avoiding pollution of waters by sewage
2. Disposal and recycling of general waste
3. Avoiding engine oil and other effluents polluting the waters
4. Restricting the total number of boats and alleviating congestion
5. Objective assessment of the condition of each boat
6. Ensuring there are adequate health and safety measures
7. Training of staff
8. Zero tolerance of drug use, sex tourism, drunkenness and abusive behaviour by guests
9. Ensuring guests are given adequate information prior to departure
10. Fair pay and working conditions for all staff

Importantly there were detailed discussions about setting up a monitoring committee under the auspices of the Department of Tourism and including representatives of government departments; NGOs representing fishing and farming communities; houseboat operators; as well as the project partners: Tourism Concern and the Environmental Collaborative. There are also a wide range of specific issues faced by individual boats and their owners. The government has promised to have a lok adalat – a large meeting where houseboat concerns and disputes can be resolved in a court-like forum, where redressal should be immediate. This will further help develop trust and confidence in our project and the good intentions of the Tourism Department in supporting it.

We are very grateful to everyone who has contributed to this campaign so far – however there is still a lot of work to do, especially in Kerala; we need a further £3000 to help pay our partners in India to continue their excellent work engaging with all the community, government and boat operators.

Donate to this campaign

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Maldives: Tourists urged to avoid resorts linked to human rights abuses Join today

A new checklist of ‘resorts to avoid’ in the Maldives is published today with tourists being asked to avoid island resorts across the country that are linked to human rights abuses.

The Ethical Maldives Alliance advocates the consideration of human rights issues when choosing where to stay in the Maldives  by providing a traffic light-style guidance on resorts linked with key regime figures. They are urging travellers to carefully consider their choice of resort and business, avoiding those that directly or indirectly contribute towards rights abuses.  There is plenty of choice available and tourists can make a real difference to the struggle to protect the country’s nascent democracy.

The list, published by Ethical Maldives, coincides with growing international criticism over the sentencing of the former President and leader of the opposition Mohamed Nasheed to 13 years in prison last month.  Just this week, former Defence Minister Mohamed Nazim was also sentenced to 11 years in prison with similar issues raised over judicial process.

Nasheed’s jail sentence has been widely condemned by the International community and branded a ‘travesty of justice’ by Amnesty International and ‘grossly unfair’ by the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ). It followed his ousting from office in 2012 in what was widely accepted as a coup and a three year period of upheaval in the islands. The convictions of Nasheed and Nazim have sparked widespread protests and unrest in the Maldives.

Even outside of the country’s tumultuous politics, migrant workers – largely individuals trafficked from Bangladesh – are facing deportation if caught taking part in a planned mass-protest against their treatment and recent violent attacks on foreign nationals that has seen two men die last month.

Tourists are now being urged to consult a new traffic light system ethical resorts list before booking their holidays. The list ranks resorts and destinations based on their owners’ support for and complicity in human rights abuses, police brutality and suppression of civil liberties.

The system works as follows:

• Green: resorts and businesses are low-risk to visit, and EM urges you to use these on your holiday.
• Amber: resorts and businesses are under consideration for listing in the EM based on links to human rights abuses.
• Red: These resorts and businesses should be avoided altogether and are dubbed ‘high risk’.

A statement from Ethical Maldives:

“The Maldives has a long and sad history of political oppression and human rights abuses. Most tourists to the islands remain blissfully unaware of the realities of life for the local population.

Former President Nasheed’s imprisonment, the show trial of ex-defense minister Nazim and the ongoing campaign of political violence against local people are just three examples of why tourists should ‘know before they go’.

Money from tourism provides the bulwark of support to a government with a known record of intimidation and oppression. Resorts that support the thuggish Yameen regime should be called out. The EM website and list of resorts to avoid is a first step in that direction.”

The Ethical Maldives list of  ‘Red Resorts’ can be found on their website: www.ethicalmaldives.com

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Chermoula tofu and roasted vegetables

Ingredients

To chermoula tofu

25 g / 1 oz finely chopped cilantro

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon cumin seeds, lightly crushed

1 lemon, finely grated zest

½ tsp dried chilli flakes

1 tablespoon olive oil

250g / 9 oz tofu

For the roasted vegetables

2 red onions, quartered

2 zucchini, cut into thick slices

2 red peppers, seeded and sliced

2 yellow peppers, seeded and sliced

1 small eggplant, cut into thick slices

low calorie cooking spray

pinch of salt

Method of Preparation

Preheat oven to 200C / 180C Fan / Gas 6.

To chermoula, combine the cilantro, garlic, cumin, lemon zest and pepper with olive oil and a little salt in a small bowl.

Pat the tofu dry on kitchen paper and cut it in half. Cut each half horizontally into thin slices. Spread generously chermoula at the edges.

Spread the vegetables in a roasting pan and drizzle with oil. Bake for about 45 minutes, until lightly browned, turning once or twice during cooking ingredients.

Place tofu slices on vehicles, side propagation of the highest chermoula and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until tofu is lightly colored.

Divide the tofu and vegetables among four plates and serve.

45 Baby Names that Mean Music

For some parents, the definition of a name is just as important as the sound. Music is universal and names with musical definitions make great choices for your little ones. Musical names come from many countries and heritages. They have simple and creative spellings and various sound options. Let's take a look at the great name options that have musical definitions.

(1) Shira: (female) Shira is Hebrew for song. I love the sound of Shira!

(2) Apollo: (male) Meaning God of music and poetry, this Greek name is a strong choice for a baby boy.

(3) Ranit: (male or female) Hebrew for song, Ranit is a great choice for a little boy or girl.

(4) Nazim: (male) Nazim is Indian for song and has a great sound. Naz is a great nickname as well.

(5) Alahya: (female) This Indian name means musical tone or color. It's so beautiful and I love the spelling.

(6) Lirit: (female) This Hebrew name means lyrical and has a great simple sound. It's like a better Merrit.

(7) Dewon: (male) Dewon is Irish for song and fits right into the popular sound for boys names today.

(8) Melody: (female) Melody is of Greek origin and is a wonderful choice. The melody is the most important part of a song!

(9) Roni: (male or female) Hebrew for song, Roni could work on a little boy or girl.

(10) Saron: (male or female) Meaning his song in Hebrew, Saron has a wonderful sound to it.

(11) Aria: (female) This English name means gentle music. It's more of an obvious choice musically speaking, but still beautiful.

(12) Philomela: (female) This Greek name means lover of music. It is a bit of a mouthful, but fits right in with Gabriella or Isabella.

(13) Leron: (male) The Arabic meaning of Leron means the song is mine. It's a wonderful definition for your child and has a great, modern sound.

(14) Sora: (female) Sora is Native American for chirping songbird. It's a softer Zora and has such a pretty sound.

(15) Brage: (male) This is the Norwegian name for the god of music. It has a really cool sound.

(16) Rina: (female) Rina is Hebrew for joyous song. It's beautiful and is a great choice for parents who don't like nicknames.

(17) Alima: (female) Alima is an Arabic name that means learned in dance or music. It has a simple spelling and a pretty sound to it.

(18) Lark: (male or female) The American meaning of Lark is songbird. I think it could work on a boy or girl.

(19) Ranim: (male or female) Arabic for reciting in a sing song voice, Ranim is a wonderful choice for your baby boy or girl.

(20) Cadence: (female) This American name means musical beat. It another choice that is a bit more obvious, but has such a great sound and energy to it.

(21) Philyra: (female) Like Philomela, Philyra means lover of music. It is a simpler spelling, so much more relate-able for modern parents.

(22) Chantal: (female) From the French verb to sing, Chantal is a beautiful name with many alternate spelling choices.

(23) Binali: (female) With the cute nickname Nali, the Hindi name Binali is a beautiful choice. It means musical instrument.

(24) Piper: (male or female) Piper literally means a flute player. It's gender bending, so you can consider it for your baby boy or girl.

(25) Lyric: (female) Lyric is Greek for melodic word. While it is obvious, I love this name!

(26) Aika: (male or female) Aika means love song in Japanese. It has such a great definition and a very unique sound.

(27) Ruana: (female) This Hindi name means musical instrument and the nickname Ru is absolutely adorable.

(28) Musetta: (female) Musetta is French for a song. It is a really pretty name and frilly as well. I like Muse and Etta as nicknames.

(29) Bethany: (female) This is a recognizable name that means house of music in Hebrew. It's a great way to honor music and your daughter, without the name being that out there.

(30) Charmaine: (female) In Latin, Charmaine means to sing. It has a pretty sound and is definitely a bold choice.

(31) Harper: (male or female) This name literally means harp player. It's gaining popularity and can be used on a little boy or girl.

(32) Carol: (female) The French meaning of Carol is melody and song. You could also do Carolyn, Caroline, or Carollie.

(33) Daina: (female) Daina means song in Lithuania. It's a cooler spelling then Dana, and is easy to say.

(34) Jaron: (male) Meaning to shout and sing in Hebrew, Jaron is a really cool choice for your baby boy. It is much cooler than Jayden!

(35) Gita: (female) Gita is Hindi for song and has such a cute energy and sound.

(36) Kotone: (male) Kotone means harp sound in Japanese. I really like the cool sound to this name. It's very strong.

(37) Mavis: (female) This name has a very unique sound, but is super easy to spell. It is the name of a bird that means song thrush.

(38) Carmen: (female) The Latin and Spanish definition of Carmen is song. It's also the name of a beautiful opera.

(39) Riya: (female) Riya means singer in Hindi. It can also be spelled Ria, but I really love it with the "y."

(40) Zamir: (male) Hebrew for songbird, Zamir is an awesome choice for your baby boy. I love Z names, and this is a great way to take a departure from Zachary.

(41) Chyna: (female) Chyna means musical instrument. If you are a music lover who loves place names, this could be your top choice.

(42) Harmony: (female) Another obvious choice, Harmony is a great option for parents who want a recognizable musical choice.

(43) Kousan: (male) In Armenian, Kousan means singer. I really love the sound of this name, and think it should be on any music lovers list of possiblities.

(44) Zimri: (male) Zimri means my music in Hebrew. It has a really cool, unique sound and would make a great choice!

(45) Calliope: (female) Meaning beautiful voice in Greek, Calliope has such a cool sound and a great nickname in Calli.

Sri Lanka: Human rights violations in the holiday paradise

The Society for Threatened Peoples Switzerland (STP) is today (1st March) publishing its report “Dark Clouds over the Sunshine Paradise – Tourism and Human Rights in Sri Lanka“. The report shows that systematic human rights abuses have been taking place as a result of tourism development in the country: fishermen have seen their access to the sea blocked, land grabbing has taken place and the local population are insufficiently, if at all, informed about planned tourism projects. In the regions that were examined, more than 1200 families were directly affected.

In 2011 Tourism Concern investigated  tourism development in post-conflict Sri Lanka and its implications for human rights, sustainable development and peacebuilding and supports the STP and Sri Lanka Campaign in demanding that travel agencies exercise their due diligence with regards to human rights.

More than 1.5 million tourists travelled to Sri Lanka in 2014. The British were the largest Western European tourist group, with 144,168 visitors, followed by the Germans with 102,977 tourists. With more than 20,000 visitors, the Swiss made up the fifth largest tourist group from Western Europe. While the Sri Lankan government has spread the image of a country that has returned to normality, the reality appears much more disturbing.

The STP report looks at whether, and to what extent, human rights abuses relating to tourism development have taken place in the three newly developed tourist regions of Kuchchaveli, Passikudah and Kalpitiya, as well as the degree to which the local population can actually profit from the tourism boom. The results are sobering: in these regions, hotels and resorts block fishermen’s access to the sea, which pose a major threat to the economic livelihoods of entire families. There have been instances of land grabbing and only a small section of the local population is able make a living through tourism.

Moreover, the military is increasingly focusing its budget on tourism with the army, navy and air force opening hotels all over the country and increasingly offering tourist activities. The provision of tourism services by the military is problematic since it deprives the local population of a valuable income source. It also raises major concerns with regards to transparency.

Travel agencies are responsible

Despite the troubling human rights situation, at least 49 German and 21 Swiss travel agencies and their British subsidiaries offer hotels in the three tourist regions. Whilst the current  voluntary efforts of some individual travel agencies to better exercise their due diligence concerning human rights is welcomed, the report shows clearly that, in the case of Sri Lanka, these efforts are not sufficient to prevent lacking consultation processes, land grabbing, displacements and restrictions on access to the sea.

Demands

• Travel agencies must not offer hotels that are built on grabbed land, that restrict the access of local fishermen to the sea, that discriminate against women and minorities and that forbid or restrict unionisation of employees.
• Travel agencies must not offer hotels which are managed by the military or which offer tourist activities provided by the military as long as it cannot be proven that this was not based on illegal land grabbing or other human rights abuses.
• Travel agencies must regularly monitor and ensure the exercise of due diligence concerning human rights throughout their entire value-added chain, including the hotels and other tourist activities that they offer, and guarantee that no human rights are abused through the activities of their suppliers and service providers.
• Travel agencies should introduce grievance mechanisms that are available to the affected population. Human rights violations in tourism must be counteracted through concrete means and abuses must be remedied.

In addition, Tourism Concern, the STP and Sri Lanka Campaign demand that the Sri Lankan government changes its tourism strategy, that it enforces the relevant laws and guidelines and that it protects the population, including all minorities, from human rights abuses. Sri Lanka needs economic development in tourism. However, this must not come at the cost of human rights abuses, land grabbing or displacements. It is demanded that Swiss travel agencies pay closer attention and exercise their due diligence with regards to human rights.

You can download a summary of the report here

Other reports:

1. Study of the issues on Land Grabbing and its Socio-Cultural, Economic and Political Implications on Kalpitiya Island Communities (2013)
2. Globalised Tourism Development in Sri Lanka: Implications for Human Rights, Sustainable Development and Peacebuilding (2011)

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Can Myanmar begin the journey to sustainable and quality tourism?

The Myanmar Centre for Responsible Business today published a sector-wide impact assessment on tourism which highlights some of the positive and negative impacts tourism can have on the country, and the choices to be made.

The second sector-wide impact assessment (SWIA) by the Myanmar Centre for Responsible Business (MCRB), follows on from the SWIA on oil and gas highlights a number of actual and potential impacts of tourism development. The MCRB is co-founded by the Danish Institute for Human Rights.

Some of Myanmar’s flagship sites such as Bagan, Inle and Kyaiktiyo, are already under environmental and social pressure from the effects of tourism, which is affecting the livelihoods of local inhabitants and long-term viability of these places as tourism destinations.

The SWIA makes recommendations to government, businesses, civil society groups, tourists and other stakeholders intended to increase positive impacts and reduce negative impacts.

Myanmar already has in place a number of government policies to encourage responsible tourism. However, a lack of capacity and resources means that implementation of these policies is incomplete. Launching the report, MCRB Director, Vicky Bowman, said:

“At the moment, there’s too much focus on hard infrastructure and in particular, hotel construction. Myanmar needs to rein in the rush to create so-called ’hotel zones’, where land is compulsorily acquired for multiple hotels, often on environmentally sensitive sites. Our field research repeatedly showed that many of the negative impacts we found were associated with hotel zones. What is needed – as the government’s own Master Plan identified – is participatory destination management and a ‘zonal planning’ approach, which is not the same thing as establishing a ‘hotel zone’”.

The assessment also found that local communities were still not sufficiently engaged in decisions on tourism development. “Engagement, consultation and participation of stakeholders should form the basis of tourism development projects from the very start.  This is particularly important in ethnic minority and post-conflict areas where tourism businesses should take the time to understand the conflict and communal dynamics, and how local people would like to see the destination opened to tourists and benefits shared”, said Allan Jørgensen, from the Danish Institute for Human Rights.

The SWIA highlights the significant job creation and poverty alleviation potential of tourism. It also highlights potential threats, drawing on experiences from the region such as Cambodia and Thailand.  For example, children are vulnerable to the impacts of tourism through phenomena such as ‘orphanage tourism’ and some types of ‘voluntourism’.  On this, and other issues, the SWIA identifies relevant international standards and initiatives, and highlights relevant good practices both in Myanmar and other countries.

Download the report: Myanmar-Tourism-Sector-Wide-Assessment

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Brand new apartment with 01 bedroom for rent in Tay Ho, Hanoi

New apartment for rent in the Westlake area, Hanoi. With the size of the apartment is 65 square meters, including 01 spacious lounge, open kitchen and dining room, 01 double rooms, 01 bathrooms.

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What are Financial Disclosure Reports?

Financial reports contain information about the origin, nature, quantity or value of the income of members, directors, certain employees of the House of Representatives and related offices and candidates for the House of Representatives.

These reports must be submitted to the home office in Title I of the Act on Ethics in Government 1978 requires, as amended. 5 U.S.C. App. 4 § 101 et seq.

Article 8 of the 2012 Act in stock amended by the clerk of the House of Representatives shall be submitted access to public financial reports online by members of Congress and congressional candidates.

Responsible travel in Myanmar (Burma)

Last week I spoke at the Tourism Concern Annual Meeting on the subject of Myanmar (Burma) and in particular our responsible travel policy there – which included avoiding hotels owned by members of the regime or those close to it. After accepting the kind invitation, I reflected that this was no longer our policy. On a recent visit to Myanmar, after much discussion with our local partner in country, we decided to drop any attempt at calculating who was benefiting and make decisions based on our normal criteria of quality and sustainability.

Which left me a little short of anything to talk about. So I decided to outline why we had changed the policy and thought it might be good set out why we made this change, so others can better understand our thinking. We looked at the historical perspective, the reality of the situation on the ground, what a policy such as this meant in practice and what our goals were for our holidays within Myanmar.

To put the decision in its political and historical context, I think it’s important to note just how far Myanmar has come since 2009. Not even the wildest optimist in 2009 would have predicted that we’d be where we are now. Aung San Suu kyi, of ‘the Lady’ as she is known in Myanmar, was released from prison in 2010 and 100’s more political dissidents followed. The military regime was brought to an end and a new government introduced under President Thein Sein came in. Some degree of free elections have been introduced as well as a level of freedom of press. Opposition parties, such as the NLD, were permitted to operate relatively normally. Anecdotally, people seem far freer to express political opinions and there is much less of a general climate of fear. Myanmar has seen an explosion in tourist numbers – from 300,000 in 2010, to 2 million in 2013 and a possible 3 million expected in 2015.

It is important to qualify this. The government can best be described as ‘semi-civilian’, with Thein Sein himself and many of the leading figures ex or serving military. Freedoms have been introduced, but are in no way unqualified and many political prisoners remain in jail (see this link here). The constitution is still firmly tilted towards the military junta and Aung San Suu kyi herself cannot officially become president, due to a technical disqualification squarely aimed at her (baring anyone from office with children holding a foreign nationality. Her children are British). The problem of endemic poverty remains and, if anything, the various conflicts between the state and armed ethnic groups and communal violence between Buddhists and Muslims, has got worse (perhaps as a direct result of the increased freedoms).

The point remains though, that Myanmar is an a very different place to where it was in 2009 or even 2011 when tourism really started to open up. Indeed, put in the SE Asian context,(a military regime in Thailand, one party states in Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam) the progress is startling.

Which brings us back to my visit in November last year and our decision to change our policy. Our partner in Myanmar is a man with a very strong mission. He was brought up in Bagan, the child of poor but educated parents. He left the country in 2002 at the height of the repression, seeing no future for his career in tourism, but returned in 2009, having built up a successful business in Cambodia. He has a passion for equitable development and building sustainable relationships which benefit the whole country, rather than just an elite few, foreign companies or large corporations. He believes that Myanmar can be so much better than it is and is completely intolerant of shoddy service and poor finished product. He also thrashed me at chess, but that’s another story.

His argument is one of political expediency. He argues that it’s hardly possible to make moral judgements on who owns which hotel and what form of transport now and how close they are to which part of the regime. The minefield that you are entering there is just too complex. It is also not the case that tourism dollars are ‘propping up the regime’ – as could have been argued (just about) in 2009. There are huge profits to be made from mining, logging and other natural resources and the economy has opened up massively over the past 3 years. There is however, a real and persistent problem with poverty which is shifting very slowly, if at all. Myanmar is by some distance the poorest country in the region and indeed, one of the poorest in the world.   He convinced me, that the economic benefits of tourists visiting Myanmar, spreading their spending as widely as possible and generally engaging with the local population was far more of a net gain than any marginal contribution to unsavoury political characters.

The best way to help the local economy, he argued,  was to get off the beaten track, eat at local restaurants, engage local guides, stay if possible in locally owned hotels, purchase local crafts and encourage sustainable use of cultural and natural capital. Most visitors to Myanmar visit the same 4 destinations, namely: Bagan, Lake Inle, Mandalay and Yangon. His passion is to get visitors to those areas, but to see them from unusual angles and also to get away to out-stations such at Kengtung in Shan State, Mawlamyine (setting of the Gorge Orwell short story, ‘Shooting an Elephant’), the Murgui Archipelago in southern Myanmar, Putao in northern Kachin state and many, many more less visited places. If you want to go to these places and the only option is a hotel associated with a figure close to the previous or current regime, should you not go? Of course not. The people of these regions should be able to benefit economically from tourism and tourism can have a benefit when it provides an economic incentive to preserve natural resources.

Putao itself is an interesting case in point. There is a high end lodge style hotel there called Malikha Lodge, which was originally set up by the foreign team behind ‘Balloons in Bagan’. It was acquired by a man called Tay Za a few years back. Tay Za is head of the Htoo group and would be exactly the person who might be referred to as a regime ‘crony’. He was a close associate of the former president, Than Shwe and has all kind of interests in logging, mining and tourism. His big breaks came before the country opened up. Whilst I know very little about him, when I asked about him to various people in tourism in Myanmar, thet said that he had a decent reputation among his 40,000 or so employees and in fact, in the travel industry, Htoo Group were seen as high payers – perhaps as over generous employers!

Whilst I don’t want to paint him as a paragon of virtue, I offer the example only to stress that the situation is not black and white and that any moral judgements we make from a distance are fraught with danger and hypocrisy.

To my mind we should approach Myanmar from the same approach we should come to any of our destinations. We’d like to provide our guests with life enriching holidays, built on sustainable, lasting relationships and meaningful human exchanges. We want our holidays to take nothing, exploit no one and give back. We want them to be a force for positive development in Myanmar and beyond and we strongly believe that the type of passionate travellers that come on our holidays want to be a part of that. Whilst we believe in ethical travel for its own sake, we also believe that holidays built with sustainability as part of their DNA, make for more insightful, more interactive, more illuminating and ultimately of course, for better holidays.

Here’s to a brighter tomorrow.

Sam Clark, Experience Travel Group

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Animals in tourism – stay safe, stay insured and know when to stay away!

It’s challenging for adventurous tourists and animal lovers not to fall into the many common traps awaiting them when travelling overseas. As well as the issue of ‘photo prop’ animals (animals that vendors in the street, bars or hotels carry around and then charge tourists to have a picture with), there is also the age old problem of animals being used as attractions. As a nation of animal lovers, the temptation to get up close to such exotic animals as gibbons, slow lorises, snakes, bears and even lions and tigers is often too much for us. But, by doing so, tourists can inadvertently be supporting a lifetime of abuse for these animals and encouraging an industry that causes suffering, killing and cruelty for the exact creatures that we profess to love.

One of the most famous animal attractions, and probably the most controversial, is the Tiger Temple in Kanchanaburi, Thailand. The Temple is a popular tourist destination and every day a hundred tourists or more visit, hoping for a chance to get up close and personal with ‘rescued’ tigers. The Tiger Temple website describes itself as a sanctuary, started when locals brought some orphaned cubs to the temple for care and the Abbot took them in and cared for them. The official website claims that there are seventeen tigers at the temple, seven of them orphans and ten bred on site.

But the reality is very different. In 2008, wildlife charity Care for the Wild International released an undercover report called ‘Exploiting the Tiger’. The report used information gathered from a variety of sources between 2005 and 2008 and uncovered disturbing evidence of serious conservation and animal welfare concerns, including illegal tiger trafficking, systematic physical abuse of the tigers held at the temple, and high risk interactions between tigers and tourists. In 2013, promoted by a wave of media concerns about the Tiger Temple, their CEO went back to see if things had changed.

Unfortunately, not much had. The key issues at the time of the visit centred on animal welfare, health and safety and false marketing.

Animal welfare issues included man-handling of the tigers such as hitting or rough handling and constant disregard for the needs of the tigers, inappropriate housing facilities that fall severely short of international standards, over exposure to tourists and over handling, plus much more. Health and safety was a serious concern also – no alarm systems or emergency refuse areas were visible, tourists (including children) could sit within bite reach of the tigers and many even posed for photos with the tigers’ heads on their laps. Also, tourists were encouraged to walk the tigers on a lead – without any training or capability assessments.

In addition to all this, it is clear  that the Temple’s positioning and marketing strategy, based on its identity as a temple come sanctuary with a conservation agenda, is built on a web of lies. None of the tigers at Tiger Temple have ever been released back into the wild, nor can they be under current conditions, and there is no evidence to suggest that Tiger Temple has contributed to conservation in any other way – financially or non-financially. In addition, despite their assertion that there are just 17 tigers at the temple, the actual figure from staff on the day was 114! Nearly all have been bred on site, although the Tiger Temple is not part of any internationally recognised tiger breeding program. In fact, no tiger that has been raised in captivity in this way and interacted with humans in any way can ever be released into the wild. Breeding, therefore, serves no other purpose other than income. The other thing of note is that the Tiger Temple is actually licensed by the Thai Government…..as a zoo!

The investigations also revealed something that may make even the most hard to convince tourist stay away – by going to the Tiger Temple (where you sign a safety disclaimer on entry) you are voiding your travel insurance for the duration of your visit to the Temple. This means that should anything happen you will not be covered and will need to pay for your own emergency treatment – including any repatriation to a hospital in your own country.

So, in summary – if you love tigers, care about animal welfare and want to be a responsible tourist we recommend that you do not visit Tiger Temple. You can find out more and read the full report at www.RIGHT-tourism.org/destinations/asia/thailand where you can also find out a host of animal friendly travel advice by destination.

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Nature and Ecotourism

Latvia is among the few countries left in the world where natural ecosystems, largely untouched by man, still thrive in half of its territory. It is a paradise for tourists seeking to discover a land where nature and tradition have coexisted in harmony from time immemorial.
The country we now call Latvia has long attracted foreigners - at first, invaders of all kinds and later travelers and adventurous. For example, since the 1830s the region surrounding the city of Sigulda has been called the "Switzerland of Vidzeme" by German travelers who compared the sandstone banks of the old Gauja valley of the river Elbe in Saxony.
Unfortunately, in the 20th century Latvia suffered two world wars, and from 1940 to 1991 it was occupied and isolated behind the Iron Curtain of the Soviet Union. Therefore Latvia has been relegated to a "blank spot" on modern European and world tourist map. Today this country largely unknown waiting to be discovered, ready to be revealed as the colorful mosaic that is Latvia.

One Man’s Path of Discovery Fuelled by Ecotourism

As I sit here looking out across the Messenian Bay, I can’t help smiling about how much my life has changed since I was last on this bench two years ago.

Back then I was still working as a lawyer in the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Life was comfortable; perhaps a little too comfortable. I had a 10 minute commute to work by bike, money to travel at the weekends, great colleagues and I was living in the centre of a beautiful old French city. But something wasn’t quite right; I no longer felt passionate about my work.

As I watched the glow of the rising sun creep up the face of Machhapuchhre near Pokhara, Nepal, a part of me already knew that I had to make a career change.

At first I thought it was just a passing phase. I had recently been on an amazing trip to Nepal, where I saw the positive effects ecotourism was having on local communities and the environment, and it was proving difficult to settle back into my daily office routine. But this was more than just a phase. Something inside me changed during those three weeks in the Himalayas and deep down I knew that I should be doing something other than sitting behind a desk working with legal documents. I had to make a change, but I didn’t know how or in what direction.

A couple of months later, sitting on this very bench, I read some great advice on how to find out what you are truly passionate about. The author said that you should think back to your childhood and what you loved doing then – before you faced the pressures of adult life like finding a well-paid job, being in a relationship, paying the rent etc. It made me reminisce about mountaineering trips with my father in the UK – I literally grew up in the back of his rucksack.

I have always loved being outdoors, especially in the mountains – I feel my best when I’m surrounded by them. I pondered how I could find a job involving mountains and it brought me back to my trip to Nepal. It was then that I realised how I had inadvertently stumbled upon something through which I could combine my childhood passion with my newfound interest in sustainability: ecotourism.

But how does a lawyer with no ecotourism training or experience set off down that untrodden path? And, most importantly, what exactly was it that I wanted to do? Ecotourism is a global and diverse field – finding out specifically what kind of project I wanted to work on and where I wanted to be proved to be the greatest challenge of all. I was excited to have finally found something I was passionate about, but I had no idea where to start – it was all rather overwhelming.

So I did what anyone would do: I Googled “ecotourism” and discovered The International Ecotourism Society. Attending their annual Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference in the USA was an amazing experience, and proved to be the push forward I needed to get started on this new journey of discovery.  As a result of the contacts I made at the conference I was offered two internships – one with Cayuga Sustainable Hospitality in Costa Rica, where I worked in every department of two luxury sustainable hotels – and the other at Maho Bay Camps in the US Virgin Islands, regarded by many as the place where the ecotourism movement began back in the seventies, a part of ecotourism history which tragically closed in May.

Working in ecotourism heaven, Costa Rica, I was able to play an active role in local conservation and community projects. The sustainability departments of the hotels I worked in encouraged guests and staff to get involved in a series of projects that were all about giving back. We worked closely with local schools and villages, educating the younger generation about sustainability, listening intently to what the communities’ needs were and working in harmony to preserve the country’s stunningly beautiful natural heritage. Tree planting, beach cleaning, collecting garbage to prevent dengue fever, supplying equipment to local schools, working with indigenous communities to promote their handicrafts: just a few examples of the inspiring projects implemented by some of the top ecotourism destinations in the world.

Helping a local school in Costa Rica.

Maho Bay Camps was a different story – although just as fascinating. After the luxury of Costa Rica’s resorts, Maho showed me a different side of ecotourism: the “roughing it” side. Living and working in simple tent structures in the forest of St John, I was in constant contact with nature. Bananaquits woke me up in the morning, lizards crawled though my belongings, and sea turtles swam with me in the crystal clear waters. I walked, lived and breathed the surrounding nature – something that I feel is an essential part of any ecotourism experience.

My home at Maho.

Getting out in the field and gaining practical experience is essential for anyone considering such a radical career change, and it proved extremely beneficial in my case. Working at such legendary ecotourism destinations provided me with a clear understanding of how the field functions, and a wealth of experience. It confirmed that my decision to change was right for me. Being involved in such projects made me eager to learn more, to do more and to give more. When I was faced with the decision about what to do next (Should I do more internships? Should I find a job working at an eco-resort? Should I work with a company organising ecotourism holidays?), my new-found experience in the field allowed me to feel confident in my choice: I wanted to create my own project. This dream that had been at the back of my mind for some time started taking shape. It sounded crazy, but I felt compelled to give it a go. So I started thinking, preparing, and planning.  And the first thing I needed to figure out was where I wanted this project to be.

Ecotourism is a concept most commonly associated with exotic, far-away destinations, and I was amazed to see the relatively low number of projects in Europe compared to other places in the world. I had always felt that Southern Europe has a lot to offer in terms of ecotourism, with the added perk (for the European market) of not having to fly 12 hour flights to get there, thereby massively increasing the carbon footprint of the holiday.  Even though there is a growing awareness of sustainable tourism issues in Europe, it seemed that there was still a gap in the market as far as ecotourism destinations are concerned. So I decided to explore countries that fit the criteria I had in mind: amazing natural beauty, rich cultural heritage and a mild climate.

Greece seemed like the perfect fit. I’d recently travelled around its lesser-known mainland and was amazed at what I saw. The current crisis makes such a sustainable project even more necessary for the support of the local economy and communities. An ever-increasing number of people are leaving the cities and turning towards a simpler, less stressful life. The countryside is slowly being rejuvenated,  with many creative young people wanting to work and live away from the city. All we hear in the news is how the crisis is tearing the country apart, but what we rarely hear is how the crisis is making the country more alive, more active, and the people more caring, more creative and more productive. It has always been a place of amazing natural beauty – and now is actually a great time to be there, a great time to start a new project.  Currently trying to find the ideal site for development and build a network of contacts in the now forming Greek ecotourism community, I feel more and more convinced that this is the place to be.

Incredible scenery in mainland Greece.

Trying to get a project off the ground in a flailing economy is and will be a challenge. But the people are warm and welcoming, both within the global and the Greek ecotourism world. I don’t yet know what obstacles I’ll find down that path – I know now, however, how much more energy you have when it comes to fighting for what you believe in.

My past life as a lawyer seems like a distant memory today and I don’t regret a thing. I don’t know about my lawyer self, but I’m pretty sure my 13-year-old self would be proud of me now. That is enough to make me happy. And I can’t help wondering how much further along this path of discovery I will be when I come back to this bench in another two years.

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Oasis in a Sea of Humanity: Sea Turtles of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula

“We may have to walk a bit to see a turtle,” I told my 11-year-old daughter Karina as the huge supermoon rose over the Caribbean. My family was standing on X’cacel beach, one of Mexico’s most important nesting beaches for green turtles, located in a national park near Playa del Carmen on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.

As it turned out, we only had to walk about 20 feet before a dark round shape appeared in the surf.  The turtle emerged right in front the research station run by local organization Flora, Fauna y Cultura de Mexico. To give the green turtle space to find a good spot to lay its eggs, we retreated back up the walkway, only to have the turtle follow us up the path. It eventually changed its mind, however, and made its way back to the water.

It wasn’t long before several other turtles came up on the beach. We waited until the closest turtle was laying its eggs before approaching to avoid disturbing it at a sensitive point in the process. This was also a green turtle, a female weighing probably over 200 pounds. Its multicolored shell appeared faintly white in the moonlight. Though I’ve worked with sea turtles for more than a decade, this was the first time Karina had seen one laying eggs, and she was entranced by the spectacle of the ancient ritual.

X’cacel is located on a nondescript road; no signs promote this incredible place, which in tourist-friendly Mexico may be a good thing. Turtles nest all along the stretch of beach from Cancun to Tulum known as the Riviera Maya, but this is one of the only spots where the beach is free of large resorts and hotels. Lights, beach furniture, and crowds all reduce the number of turtles that come up to nest, so undeveloped stretches like this are critical to keeping these ancient reptiles around.

Flora, Fauna y Cultura has spent the past 30 years protecting three turtle species that nest on more than 10 beaches in the region. These turtles face an array of threats including human consumption of their eggs and meat, and here – perhaps more than anywhere else in the world – coastal tourism development. Despite being a national park, known as Santuario de la Tortuga Marina Xcacel-Xcacelito, Xcacel still faces a threat of having its natural coastal area developed into big resorts.

The next morning, we headed over to Akumal (Mayan for “Place of the Turtles”), which has a bay well known for the green turtles who feed on the seagrass. We got there early to beat the crowds and put on our snorkels and headed out in search of the ancient reptiles. Before long, my wife found a turtle calmly grazing on the grass and we quietly watched it at a distance. Its beautifully patterned orange, brown, and gold shell was much more clear than the one we’d seen the night before on the beach.

We had the young green turtle to ourselves for about 15 minutes before other snorkelers moved in. The reptile moved slowly along the seagrass, occasionally rising gently to the surface to fill its lungs before sinking back to the bottom. Most of the observers gave the turtle enough space, though one overzealous snorkeler eventually drove the turtle away by getting too close and trying to follow it with a video camera. Exhilarated by the experience, my daughter said later that watching that turtle go about its business gave her hope for the future of this species.

By the time we were done, dozens more people were getting into the water. After we got out, we had a chance to chat with Paul Sanchez-Navarro, the tall scholarly director of Centro Ecologico Akumal, an organization that works to protect turtles both in the water and while nesting in this area. He explained that the large numbers of people swimming in the bay have a real impact on the turtles that feed on the seagrass, causing them to eat less and increasing stress. The good news is that a new management plan should be in place soon to enforce how visitors and tour guides act while around the turtles.

That evening, we headed south to Tulum. Everything slowed down as we turned off the main highway and drove our rental car over the frequent speed bumps along the road towards Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve. At Hotel Nueva Vida de Ramiro, a local hotel that works to minimize its ecological footprint while creating an inviting setting, most of the grounds are planted with native trees.  The small resort hosts rangers from Flora, Fauna y Cultura and a hatchery to protect the eggs laid by turtles that come up this stretch of beach.

After settling into the hotel, I met up with Lluvia Soto, the young and friendly Country Director for SEEtheWILD partner Global Vision International (GVI). We hopped into her SUV, a requirement for traversing the rough road into Sian Ka’an, the only major protected area along the coast south of Cancun. GVI is partnering with Flora, Fauna y Cultura to monitor a formerly unprotected stretch of nesting beach (used by loggerhead and green turtles) inside the park.

After more than an hour of navigating the flat dirt road through coastal forest and mangrove, we emerged onto a thin peninsula of land, barely wider than the beach and the road, sandwiched between turquoise ocean and a dark blue lagoon. This beach would be one of the more beautiful I’ve ever seen if it weren’t for the stunning amount of trash, washed up here from around the world. Learn how trash affects sea turtles here.

Even in this oasis of nature, the turtles need to crawl through trash to find a place to lay their eggs, and the emerging hatchlings are smaller than the plastic bottles and flip flops. Part of GVI’s work in the area is to reduce this waste; their staff and volunteers do weekly clean-ups in the reserve, which can result in up to a ton of trash collected in a day. They have also set up a recycling center in the nearby town of Punta Allen, located within the refuge. Learn more about this sea turtle volunteer program.

That evening, back at Nueva Vida, the rangers knocked on our door to let us know that a turtle was nesting right in front of the hotel, one of the few to turn off its lights that face the water during nesting season and remove furniture from the beach at night. Such common-sense measures are a necessity when sharing a beach with sea turtles, but unfortunately, many resorts here do not make the effort.

This turtle, a green, headed towards the resort’s hatchery but changed its mind and returned to the water without nesting. Fortunately another green turtle emerged just a short walk down the beach, so we were able to see the whole nesting process, from digging the nest and laying the eggs to camouflaging the nest to hide it from predators. My wife, also a turtle conservationist, helped the ranger collect data on the turtle while I explained the fascinating process to a couple of tourists who happened upon the scene.

On the way back, we saw a fresh set of tracks that led to a lounge chair in front of a brightly lit resort. It was clear from the tracks that the turtle had turned around without nesting once it met the chair– further evidence that resorts like this one have replaced poaching on this beach as the biggest threat. Learn more about how coastal development affects sea turtles.

Our tour of the area’s turtle beaches finished up with a meeting with our friends at Flora, Fauna y Cultura and a group of Mayan youth who patrol a beach in nearby Tulum National Park, near the town’s famous ruins. This beach, with its location near the town, is a hotspot for egg poaching. Our Billion Baby Turtles program and our partners at Lush Cosmetics (through its Charity Pot program) are helping to fund this program, which provides employment for these young men while helping to protect an important nesting beach for green turtles and hawksbills.

During our visit, we walked with the turtle protectors over to the beach. While my daughter buried her feet in the water, the young mean told us about their hard work. Each night, they spend the entire night on the beach, walking up and down the sand in search of emerging turtles. At dawn, they are picked up and return home to rest and recover. It’s this kind of dedication that is needed to keep the turtle returning to these beaches year after year.

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