Posts Tagged ‘ecotourism’

Exploring Local Travel – An Online Interview with Ethan Gelber

  • WHL Group
  • 27 August 2010

What does travelling locally and responsibly mean to you? On Friday 20 August, the WHL Group’s media and communications manager chatted about this and other issues related to Local Travel with Ron Mader of Planeta.com, a global journal of practical ecotourism and an active Local Travel Movement partner. As one of the initiators of the Local Travel Movement, Gelber shared his thoughts about this initiative, which helps rally anyone interested in fostering the idea of ‘local travel.’

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WHL Consulting Announced as Finalist in Innovation Leadership Awards

  • Ethan Gelber
  • 10 August 2010

On Monday 6 August, The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) announced the 16 finalists (five individuals and 11 organisations) of the 2010 TIES Innovation Leadership in Sustainable Tourism Awards. The WHL Group is pleased to learn that one of its subsidiary companies, WHL Consulting, has been selected as a 2010 Innovation Award finalist for creation of the Tourism Development Bank.

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Darjeeling Un-limited: When Local Service Is Best

  • Mika Santos
  • 2 August 2010

The cool climate and relatively small size of Darjeeling, India, make it a perfect getaway from the sultry temperatures and urban sprawl of India’s other major urban centres. Mountaineers and outdoor enthusiasts will love the numerous trails to and through the Himalayas, as well as the different adventure activities. But, of course, there is so much more to Darjeeling than its list-topping tourist attractions, like new opportunities to interact directly with the local community.

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Photo of the Week: The Forgotten Kingdom of Tavolara, Sardinia, Italy

  • ICP (photo), Pier Paolo Canu (text)
  • 18 July 2010

The Italian Island of Tavolara, pictured here from across the waters of the Gulf of Olbia, is beautiful nature at its best. It lies off the coast of the town of Olbia on the northeast coast of Sardinia. Olbia is the main destination for ferries arriving from mainland Italy, so Tavolara is often among the first sights seen by visitors to Sardinia.

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WHL Group Supports the Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference

  • Ethan Gelber
  • 14 July 2010

The Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference (ESTC) is North America’s largest and only conference focusing on sustainability in the tourism industry. Scheduled for 8-10 September 2010, it is fittingly being held in Portland, Oregon, a leading U.S. city that has been consistently rated ‘the most sustainable city’ in the country. The WHL Group is proud to join the industry leaders and sustainability pioneers as one of the conference’s supporting organisations.

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The Real Inspiration for ‘The Beach’: the Islands of Ang Thong National Marine Park, Thailand

  • Laurel Angrist
  • 8 July 2010

These days, untouristed beaches are few and far between, so we can all see the appeal of a story like ‘The Beach,’ which follows a utopian community on a remote Thai island untouched by tourism. The real-life inspiration for Alex Garland’s best-selling book, however, was the undeveloped paradise of Ang Thong National Marine Park, a stunning 42-island archipelago off the east coast of southern Thailand and most easily reached from the laidback island of Koh Samui.

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Keeping the Red Island Green: Conserving the Biodiversity of Madagascar Through Tourism

  • Laura Fornadel
  • 29 June 2010

It broke away from the Gondwana supercontinent more than 160 million years ago and never looked back. Then, over the course of time, the isolation of Madagascar allowed for the evolution of unique plants and animals. The country’s geographic seclusion has resulted in one of the most biodiverse nations on the planet, but it is also currently one of the most endangered.

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Local Life with the Odula Family on Rusinga Island, Kenya

  • Sylvia Mohabir
  • 28 June 2010

Fed up with the endless grey and drizzle of a London winter and the monotony of my office job, I decided it was time to finally make my African dream a reality. For some time, I had been entertaining thoughts of roaming the Kenyan savannah on a big-game safari, but I was also keen to get to know the country and its people on a more intimate level, not merely scrape the surface as a package tourist.

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Conservation in Action: Some of What’s Happening (and Where) in the WHL Group

  • Natasha Robinson
  • 26 June 2010

Word Environment Day, a celebration since 1972 of positive action for the environment, is commemorated every year on 5 June. In keeping with its aim of raising awareness of environmental issues and inciting action, we have assembled a selection of notable projects flagged by our local partners that showcase how things can be done.

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Policing the Poachers in Western Zimbabwe

  • Charlotte Moroney
  • 23 June 2010

As anyone involved in the ecotourism industry can tell you, there are conservation and environmental challenges in every tourist destination. In Zimbabwe, troubles have surfaced in the area surrounding the majestic Victoria Falls, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World and a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. In recent years, many native animal species have suffered from an increase in poaching.

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