Sea Ecological Tourism: January 2015

Have you been to Alleppey?

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Are you a tour operator that arranges houseboat trips on the backwaters of Alleppey?
Please get in touch.
We are very keen to hear from anyone who has been to Kerala in India especially if you have taken a trip on one of the houseboats. We want to better understand the tourist experience and to further investigate concerns that unregulated expansion might be impacting negatively on the environment.
Tourism Concern has been working with partner organisations in southern India ever since the tsunami of 2004. Communities who had been devastated were now facing a range of problems being wrought by aggressive tourism development – exploiting their vulnerability, forcing them off their land and threatening their livelihoods.
In particular, we managed a large DFID-funded project: Empowering Coastal Communities for Effective Tourism Policy Engagement, which ran from 2009 to 2012, working closely with some of these communities. Although challenging at times, it was particularly effective in the Alleppey region of Kerala where, working with our local partners, we developed a comprehensive network for in-depth engagement with grassroots level groups, particularly women.
The network fed back information via a survey of nearly 1000 households, answering a range of questions to assess awareness of tourism issues, plans for tourism development, their rights and means of asserting them, whether they benefit from tourism etc, as well as negative impacts of tourism. One clear outcome was an overwhelming concern that houseboat tourism, while providing clear economic benefits to local people, was also creating a number of environmental and social problems. A range of issues have also been raised by tourists returning from such trips, expressing concern that without improvement in the way that boats are operated, backwaters tourism is becoming increasingly unsustainable.
As you may know local people use the backwaters of Alleppey for cooking, drinking and washing – as well as for transportation, fishing and agriculture. The backwaters of Alleppey are also increasingly popular with tourists, who hire thatched houseboats to explore the tranquil palm-fringed waters and picturesque villages. However, there is a concern that unregulated tourism expansion is threatening these rural communities and their environment, as well as undermining the economic benefits it brings to local people.
We are currently working with local organisations and tourism stakeholders in Alleppey to develop a meaningful code of practice for houseboat operators by which to encourage greater sustainability. We would like to know more about your experiences in Alleppey in order to contribute to this process. Equally we are also interested in hearing from local organisations that understand the area – and any UK tour operators that offer tours on the houseboats.

Gordon Ramsay restaurant advice forStarting

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Every man and his dog seems to want to open a restaurant today. The dream? A small corner, corner full of customers of worship, passionate staff and a full cash register. Sound familiar? Then it's time for a reality check. As Gordon Ramsay said, "two thirds of the restaurants do not survive beyond their first birthday."

There are long hours, grumpy customers, financial requirements and all kinds of other issues. Whenever you want to do? Here are some suggestions for you - leader Ramsay style.

1. Do not be arrogant

"Many restaurants opened in vanity, people who can not even boil an egg is how I buy a rugby club because I love the game One of my biggest nightmares is that you do not need knowledge makes people fall in love with an idea and do not want to learn their craft, it takes years. - time and commitment. "

Of course, you're still in it? Ok then ...

2. Have you done your homework?

"The secret of a good local restaurant is know your customers and catering for them to do your research .."

Is the region needs a gourmet restaurant expensive, or would be more comfortable with a place potatoes in a hot oven? Make sure you know the area, evaluate the competition and find out what their strengths and weaknesses are. What are you going to stand out from the rest?

3. Choose the right chef

"best conservative investment will always be the head, and if you do not have this great asset in the kitchen downstairs, so forget the guy has to be a motivating factor, being a leader to make money .. keep customers coming back. "

Make sure your head is up. They are an arrogant young upstart who does not know cooking pork or beef, or well seasoned leader with vision and drive?

4. Who is responsible?

"You have to trust in the brigade paid, and may also cause to develop their talent Keep hands on them, motivate ..."

5. Communication and Teamwork

"The key to any successful restaurant is regular communication between management and the chef."

6. The menu

"The flatter, more the norm."

7. Quality Control

"Errors stay in the kitchen."

8. Maintain clean and organized

"The fundamental rule of the kitchen: the kitchen is clean and tidy I mean spotless"

9. Be flexible

"In my own business, I am very aware of the need to react instantly to changes in business conditions :. Reduce reducing overhead, setting menus, you have to react immediately without having to wait in the current climate we produce weekly, monthly values and is not, you need to be aware of what is happening. "

10. Do not give up

"One thing I see is the struggle, determination and grains."

‘We don’t need it to be kept secret, we just need it to be sacred’

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This remark by a First Nation’s guest at a heritage site in Canada captures a key point in the debate about the search for a ‘spiritual experience’ that has become part of many cultural tourism packages.
Whilst many tourists – possibly driven by a western ‘ennui’ – feel that indigenous societies are somehow the last refuge of ‘real’ spirituality, others feel uneasy about spirituality being thus ‘commodified’.How intrusive have we become, or are we allowed to be, when we visit indigenous tourist sites? How far do our hosts feel they have to go to satisfy our curiosity? When do questions about another person’s beliefs become invasive and rude? The remark quoted above offers some reassurance and a guideline: we do not need to keep ‘secrets’ and protect sites as if they are an endangered species, but we do need to treat the ‘sacred’ with respect. So how do we do this?
We see this debate being played out in all parts of the world. Indigenous peoples find themselves being increasingly valued by their governments for their tourism potential. They have been encouraged to establish and run their own sites, museums, workshops and tours, and regulatory bodies have even come into existence to police such activities and guarantee ‘authenticity’. As all of this has expanded, many tourists now expect to find an opportunity to attend spiritual ceremonies, watch or take part in ‘sweat lodges’, musical invocations, and various forms of ‘shamanic’ practices.
In so far as indigenous peoples themselves have maintained control, something encouraged by the better regulatory bodies, this process perhaps presents few problems apart from those posed above about what is polite and appropriate. What we need to be aware of, however, is the mixture of motives and expectations driving such cultural tourism – and to return to our quotation – how far it shows respect for the sacred? A romanticized ideal may place indigenous peoples in the image of an exotic, strange ‘other’ and/or an image of some ‘lost innocence’. This does not serve either visitor or host very well: it hinders good communication and blocks real understanding.

What we are hopefully striving for is a position of greater equality. This would respect the rights of tourists to be interested in other cultures, but request that they strive to see those cultures in more neutral, less value-laden terms, as simply ‘different’, rather than romanticized visions, remnants of some lost world/age, or a path to greater spiritual awareness, sense of self and/or a connection with ‘mother earth’. A more neutral, inquisitive approach would be more likely to lead to a proper sense of reverence and respect for the ‘sacred’, than other attitudes that possibly exaggerate expectations and put undo pressure on the hosts.

Spiritual practices form an integral part of what attracts visitors across the world. They offer a deep insight into another culture, a potentially quite personal encounter, and an opportunity to understand the values and beliefs that underpin other ways of life. How far people from one culture are prepared to indulge visitors from another will always hopefully be a matter of discretion, as well as one of commerce. And the power to prohibit ‘entry’ beyond a certain point should always be in the control of the host. Respectful visitors, for their part, will always acknowledge the delicate balance that needs to be maintained if we are truly to ‘respect the sacred’.

To end on an even more positive note, it is only when people open themselves fully and take risks on site and in exhibitions that opportunities for real cultural exchange are created. Indigenous peoples have taken such risks and in the process found a mechanism to recreate space for themselves, strengthen their sense of identity, and rejoice again in their own culture and spirituality. Effective cultural tourism creates not only the chance for real cultural exchange, but also the opportunity for all involved to share in this experience of regeneration.

All Inclusive holidays – good for tourists, not so good for local communities

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A survey of over 1700 holidaymakers found that the majority believe that the shift towards all-inclusive holidays is a negative development. However most people thought that tourists benefit from all-inclusive holidays, but equally that local communities were worse off.
Our new report, The perceived impacts of all-inclusive package holidays on host destinations – A Consumer Survey will be launched at our Annual Meeting on Saturday 7th February. The report will be free to download from the Members Area from the beginning of February. If you are not a Member you can join online today.
The report presents the findings of our recent survey of over 1700 holidaymakers into the perceived impacts of all-inclusive package holidays. It is the latest publication relating to our ongoing critique of the all-inclusive model, and follows last years report: ‘The impacts of all-inclusive hotels on working conditions and labour rights’, and the 2012 briefing: ‘All-inclusive holidays – excluding local people in tourist destinations’.
The survey was carried out between 2012 and 2014 via an online market research platform with a membership of over 500,000 holidaymakers. Almost 1,750 responses were received and almost 70% had been on an all inclusive holiday – the key findings were:

55% of survey participants believe the shift towards all-inclusive holidays is a negative development. Nonetheless, 42% of the survey sample are likely to go on an all-inclusive holiday in the next two years.
Of those survey participants who have been on an all-inclusive holiday, 32.8% never left the resort to visit a local restaurant, and 34.47% never went on an excursion outside the resort.
87% of the sample believed that tourists benefit from all-inclusive holidays. At the same time, 65% responded that local communities are in some way made worse off by the establishment of all-inclusive resorts.

Tourism Concerns Mark Watson stated “It is clear from the survey results and the views of participants that, while there is continuing demand for the advantages that the all-inclusive model offers to some holiday makers, there is also an increasing awareness of the model’s negative impacts, even among those who enjoy the all-inclusive experience. And tellingly, there is evidence that these holidaymakers too want a fairer deal for local communities. This is something the industry must begin to take on board.”
More information:

The all-inclusive share of the UK market grew by 25% between 2008 and 2013, a figure which, according to market research organisation Mintel, will continue to grow for the foreseeable future. There is clearly a significant market demand for all-inclusive holidays.
Although at face-value the all-inclusive holiday may appear largely attractive to tourists, for over twenty years Tourism Concern has argued that there are also significant detrimental impacts which need addressing if it is to benefit hosts communities as well.
All Inclusive campaign