Global Basecamps, in collaboration with Maasai Wanderings, contributes to a variety of ecotourism and community outreach programs in Tanzania. In 2004, Maasai Wanderings visited a Maasai village called Ilkurot (which means “dusty place”) just north of Arusha, and saw that the schools were in desperate need of supplies and repairs, and there was no nursery school.

Global basecamps and and Maasai Wanderings are two travel operators that support communities in Tanzania. Photo courtesy of Maasai Wanderings/The International Ecotourism Society (TIES)

Following this visit, the Ilkurot community project was developed to raise funds for the school and to make education more accessible to the Maasai children. The Ilkurot community project began by setting up a nursery school so the village children would be able to enter the Tanzanian education system and would hopefully then move onto primary and secondary school and beyond.

People in Ilkurot live below the Tanzanian poverty line and earn an average of less than $200 per year. The cost of schooling is about $40-$50, making it difficult for children to receive an education. With the help of donors and volunteers, Global Basecamps and Maasai Wanderings strive to make education easily accessible and free to the Maasai children of Ilkurot, with the hope that educated Maasai will be better equipped to aid in retaining their ancient culture.

Welcome Wall, Ilkurot Nursery School, Tanzania

Maasai Village Experience Tours

In 2005, the Ilkurot Nursery School opened and had 45 students between the ages of 5 and 7. The class was held in a small room, but the number of students quickly outgrew the small facilities. As a way to raise additional funds for the school, Global Basecamps in Tanzania developed ‘Maasai Village Experience Tours’, giving travelers the unique opportunity to interact with and learn from the Maasai people. These cultural tours helped raise funds to build a new classroom for the Ilkurot School and continue to help build the Ilkurot community project.

The new classroom was opened in January 2006 with a large increase of students. To accommodate all the new students, the school began holding two sessions a day. The five-year-old group consisted of approximately 110 students and was held in the morning, while the afternoon lessons consisted of about 100 six-year-old students. At each session the students are served uji (ground corn porridge with sugar and oil), the staple diet of the Maasai people.

Porridge time at Ilkurot Nursery School, Tanzania

Community Members Benefit from Ilkurot Nursery School

In 2007, over 1,000 textbooks were purchased, and for the first time students had guides to their studies. During this year, funds were also used to plaster the classroom and fit glass windows, which were previously wooden windows, allowing dust in and making the classrooms very dirty. In an effort to control the amount of dust in Ilkurot, a tree and grass planting project was put in place and a 2,000-liter water tank was installed. Almost 500 trees were planted in an effort to limit the dust that flies around and caused many eye infections and dry coughs.

The school was able to employ a Tinga Tinga artist to stay in the village for a few weeks to paint murals and educational drawings on the classroom walls. The school was also able to build a playground – the first playground in the school and in the district – with a basic football pitch, netball court, and volleyball court that allowed for sports education in their curriculum. In 2009, Ilkurot saw many more changes, including the completion a library/teacher’s resource center.

In addition to providing valuable educational opportunities to children, Ilkurot Nursery School also supports teachers and cooks by offering employment, and promotes additional cultural tourism throughout the village. Recently, a building was constructed to include a kitchen, store, staff room and changing room with a 3,000-liter water tank, and six new toilets. Further, the children now all have school uniforms, made as part of another community project that allows women with disabled children to stay at home and earn an income by creating a sewing business.

Students on the playground, Ilkurot, Tanzania

Maasai Village Life and the Importance of Education

In Maasai villages, young boys are typically sent away with their father’s cattle and accompanied by older morani (warriors) for 3-5 years tending to the cattle. Therefore, the Nursery School has a higher attendance of girls than boys. The girls that attend school also have chores they must complete before or after their lesson. By the time the students are 5 or 6, their mothers may have had 2 or 3 more children, for which the young girls are responsible for. They feed, bathe and carry the smaller children.

The lifestyle of young males and the responsibilities expected of young girls were a hurdle in the Ilkurot community projects. While trying not to disrupt the norms of Maasai life, the school tries to encourage education in the community. The school continually changes lesson schedules and requirements to make it more acceptable to the Maasai community.

The main task of the nursery school is teaching the children Swahili (Tanzania’s national language). Since the primary school curriculum is taught in Swahili only, children who do not learn the language will not be able to advance to primary school. The nursery school also teaches some English phrases because secondary school is taught only in English.

Ilkurot Nursery School classrooms, Tanzania

About Global Basecamps

Global Basecamps is a specialty travel company designed to simplify the process of researching and booking sustainable hotels, lodges and private tours worldwide. Travel at your own pace with a custom itinerary or simply find accommodations and excursions so that your trip priorities are met and you have maximum flexibility while on the road. Global Basecamps is the North American representative for Maasai Wanderings.

If you want to see great apes in the wild, Sumatra’s rainforest is one of the most accessible places to do just that. Seeing orangutans in the wild, along with silver Thomas leaf monkeys, pig-tailed macaques, and a diverse range of birds like hornbills, will leave you with a renewed appreciation for the beauty and ingenuity of other species. However, you need to know how to visit them responsibly or you could introduce illnesses, since they share over 97 percent of our DNA. Less than 7,000 Sumatran orangutans live in the wild, and they’re an essential part of the rainforest ecosystem, helping seeds to germinate and even pruning the canopy.

Orangutan in Gunung Leuser, Sumatra. Photo courtesy of The International Ecotourism Society

The Gunung Leuser National Park is part of the Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra UNESCO World Heritage Site, and an excellent spot for ape-watching and rainforest trekking. The Orangutan Information Centre (OIC), a local, grassroots nongovernmental organization, is working with a local guides association to certify guides in the popular destination of Bukit Lawang.

The OIC is an excellent source of information, and many of the guides are extremely knowledgeable and conscientious. However, because of the competition for visitors and tips, some guides do engage in unscrupulous practices like luring orangutans over with fruit, leaving fruit peels on the ground, or even letting visitors hug orangutans. Before you go into the forest, you’ll watch a short film on rainforest etiquette at the visitors’ center. Pay attention, and take responsibility for your own behavior. Better yet, download a copy of the park guidebook from the OIC website to prepare for your trip.

OIC Director Panut Hadisiswoyo, in Bukit Lawang, Indonesia. Photo courtesy of The International Ecotourism Society

In Bukit Lawang, you’ll have the chance to see orangutans close up, either at the feeding platform or slightly further into the rainforest. These orangutans have returned to the wild after a life in captivity. Taken from the wild by poachers at a young age, they are learning to live in the forest again after a rigorous rehabilitation process. They grow adept at building nests to sleep and lounge in, climbing nimbly through the canopy, and raising the next generation of wild orangutans. Like humans, they don’t know how to live in the wild by instinct alone. In the wild, they might spend eight years with their mother, learning how to live in the jungle. Learning these skills as adults takes an incredible amount of intelligence, patience, and perseverance, just as it would for a human.

Deeper in the jungle, you’ll likely see wild orangutans from afar. You’ll have the option to take a one-day, overnight, or multiday trek. Local guides are quite flexible in making arrangements. If planning a longer trek, talk with the staff at the visitors’ center to request a knowledgeable, conscientious guide.

For a quieter experience, visit the farther-flung village of Ketambe, about 8 hours by van from the main city of Medan. Staying in this little village bedecked with flowers and fruit trees will let you experience a less-trafficked part of the Gunung Leuser National Park, or “Leuser.” You’ll easily arrange van transportation on arrival; just ask your hotel staff for details. Call ahead to book a room in Ketambe. The Friendship Guesthouse offers rustic one-room bungalows with bathrooms for around U.S. $6 per night, and tasty curries for around $2. The welcoming staff will connect you with a local guide as well.

As in Bukit Lawang, take responsibility for your own behavior. The orangutans around Ketambe are wild, meaning they’ll keep their distance. One was said to have thrown a beehive at visitors, I was told, in what I felt sure was a cautionary tale. Talk about tool use, I thought.

Unfortunately, Leuser is threatened by the oil palm industry and other forms of encroachment, like much of Indonesia’s rainforests. In June 2011, it was placed on the UNESCO List of World Heritage in Danger for this reason. While there, I volunteered at a restoration site in the district of Langkat, North Sumatra. The OIC had reclaimed this illegally logged and farmed section of national forest in 2007. Since then, the all-local staff had been working to bring the rainforest back to life.

The old “hantu” – what we jokingly called the dead oil palms – still stood menacingly in some parts of the forest, gray-white fronds draping around their rotting trunks like a veil. But the vibrant growth of young rainforest trees was enveloping them, weaving them into the ecosystem as life carried on.

Restorasi house and plantation, Sumatra, Indonesia. Photo courtesy of The International Ecotourism Society.

One of the field assistants, Darjo, had carefully counted the bird species in the area – he’d spotted 83 so far. While collecting saplings in the deeper forest, the staff showed me huge elephant tracks. Very near the small house where we stayed, we saw the print of the rare golden cat.

Recently, after I’d arrived back in the States, the staff sent me an excited message: Orangutans were living at the site! They’d observed a male and pregnant female in the trees. The forest would take centuries, perhaps longer, to gain back the richness of the diversity it once had, but in the meantime, life will continue to thrive – as long as we let it.

More Information

Unesco World Heritage Centre: Danger listing for Indonesia’s Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra
Orangutan Information Centre: Project Reports
Ketambe: The Friendship Guesthouse & Restaurant
Orangutan Information Centre: OIC Restoration Site Performance Report, 2010-2011

Melanie Jae Martin writes about social/environmental issues and travel in the U.S. and abroad. To read more of her work, please visit The Story Grove.

Volunteering abroad, also known as voluntourism, is on fire. More and more, all kinds of people are looking for travel experiences where they can serve the under-served, globally. Who can disagree with such noble intentions? In fact, voluntourism is often hailed as one of the most constructive forms of tourism out there.

Voluntourism Economics

Like anything new and fast-growing, voluntourism can go awry. Opportunistic travel companies commercialize what should be kept in the non-profit sector, charging voluntourists a hefty premium. NGOs use voluntourists as a fundraising mechanism, taking more advantage of their willingness to pay than their willingness to work. As voluntourism gains scale in certain destinations, it can even affect local labor markets in ways the voluntourists never imagine. Rightly so, skeptics have started blowing whistles and calling for best practices.

Two Sustainable Bolivia volunteers paint a flagpole at Atendi. Photo courtesy of The International Ecotourism Society/Cynthia Ord.

The economics of voluntourism is a hot issue in the larger debate about voluntourism’s impacts. Where are voluntourist dollars going? How much stays with the coordinating organization, and how much enters the local economy in a meaningful way? If you’re thinking about volunteer travel, these are the kinds of questions that are worth asking. If you’re an organization that is coordinating volunteer tourists, these are the kind of questions that are important to answer. Transparency is key.

Volunteering with Sustainable Bolivia in Cochabamba

Sustainable Bolivia is a registered non-profit organization in Cochabamba, Bolivia’s third-largest city. Here, it partners with 28 local non-profit organizations to coordinate volunteer and internship opportunities for international students and professionals. The organizations span a number of fields of development: public health, the environment, education, human rights, and social services.

Volunteers choose which organization they would like to get involved with, depending on their experiences, educational background, and interests. With its diverse network of local non-profit organizations, Sustainable Bolivia is in a good position to match volunteer skills and resources with the places in and around Cochabamba that could use them the most.

Engineers who want to work on appropriate technology solutions find a good match with Energetica, which works on alternative energy sources in the rural communities of Bolivia. Doctors and health care professionals have a number of choices for applying their skills, like Atendi where they can work with kids with disabilities, or Centro de Salud Cerro Verde if their interest is in reproductive health. For creative types and performers, Sustainable Bolivia has an artist residency program and a partner organizations like Performing Life, which provides underprivileged youth with workshops to develop juggling and other circus show skills.

Screen shot of mini grant reporting on the Sustainable Bolivia website.

The Mini Grant Program at Sustainable Bolivia

In 2009, the administration of Sustainable Bolivia started thinking about how they could make volunteer impacts more transparent. They realized that volunteers were the ones who were working directly in the field, in close contact with local partner organizations. The volunteers could see firsthand the most pressing needs on site at their projects.

In February of that year, the innovative new mini grant system was introduced. It’s a system where volunteers can decide exactly how their money is used in the community, and Sustainable Bolivia has one more way to measure and report contribution its to parter organizations. How does it work? For each month that a volunteer works with Sustainable Bolivia, $75 goes toward a mini grant. So, a volunteer that stays for three months has $225 to use toward their volunteer project in the way they think is most appropriate.

In order to apply their mini grants, volunteers are required to fill out an application explaining their project plans and budget. Then, once it has been approved, the volunteer is also required to submit receipts. This process allows for an organization-level reporting system on how volunteer money is being spent.

In keeping with the transparency that Sustainable Bolivia values, it publishes all mini grant activity on its website. On this fascinating page, viewers can see what each volunteer has done with each local partner organization. You can see a short description of the project, the application form, and the receipts showing where the money was spent. More than an ingenious system that ensures transparency about volunteer funds, it’s an elegant composite portrait of the kinds of activities that volunteers can do at Sustainable Bolivia and what the organization is about.

Blogging and Hula Hoops

I applied to spend time at Sustainable Bolivia through their artist residency program, asking if online content creation counts as a form of art. They were happy to accept me as their resident writer. Once I arrived, I had a meeting with Michelle, the national director, about the best way to use my volunteer time. Their website blog had become a little neglected, she said. I loved the idea of helping bring it back to life. By the end of my three month stay, I had five new posts published on the blog.

Hula Hooping with Performing Life members in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Photo courtesy of The International Ecotourism Society/Cynthia Ord.

As my time there passed, I was looking for ways to apply my own mini grant funding. The mini grant program inspired me to close my laptop and get involved on the ground level. My first week there, I had seen a show put on by Performing Life, amazed by the talent of its kids in juggling, diabalos, and unicycles. Since I’m a circus hobbyist myself, I was especially impressed by 13-year-old Scarlet and her fire poi spinning skills. I wanted to learn from her. I noticed that the organization could use some hula hoops to make its circus equipment more complete, and I started planning a project for my mini grant resources.

With my mini grant money, I went to the massive La Cancha local market and bought everything needed to make high-quality, performance-level hula hoops. I found PVC tubing, connectors, duct tape, electrical tape, and even some shiny decorative tape to finish the hoops with color and flair. My mini grant funding went a long way in Bolivia. By the end of my time there, I had made 15 new hula hoops, which were a big hit with the Performance Life kids.

All the materials for hula hoop construction had only cost about $75. There was still more mini grant funding left. I wanted to donate it directly to Performing Life, but Michelle explained to me that it rolls over to the next volunteer working with Performing Life. In this way, they can keep things totally transparent and visible about how the funding is spent. It gave me another idea – maybe I’ll go back and be that next volunteer myself.

To apply for an internship or volunteer opportunity at Sustainable Bolivia, get in contact through the Sustainable Bolivia website.

“Load up quick, bad weather, come very quick!”

These are the last words you ever want to hear when you are a passenger in a tiny 20-seater plane flying into the rainforest. As the engines whirred into life, I wondered for a split second whether or not I’d bought enough supplies to last a trek to the nearest village should the plane crash. Risky or not, the flight into the interior of Sarawak only served to highlight the nature of the trip that was to come – remote and, at this point, reckless.

Ceremonial first tree planting of the project "Picnic with the Penan" in Borneo. Photo courtesy of Picnic with the Penan

Last month I headed out on a tiny plane into the interior of Borneo to spend 10 days with the Penan. The Penan are one of the indigenous peoples of Sarawak and were, until recently, the only people to live a nomadic lifestyle within the rainforest. Today, most Penan have settled in villages where they primarily cultivate the land yet still utilize their hunter-gatherer skills to supplement their diet.

I visited two villages that are part of a project called Picnic with the Penan (PWTP). PWTP is a community tourism project that is run by the Penan, and which helps to fund a tree-planting project in areas that were badly burnt in El Nino fires in 1998. In the summer mass fruiting of 2009, there was a once-in-10-year opportunity to easily collect thousands of seeds to plant – knowing that this was coming, the villages sought outside help to fund a nursery and labor costs.

Penan elder making a blow pipe. Photo courtesy of Picnic with the Penan

They realized that by planting species of Meranti, Kapor and some Shorea species, in the future they would be able to selectively use some of the new trees for building, therefore leaving untouched the rare old-growth forest that still exists further from the villages. This project has gone from strength to strength and many saplings are now ready to plant, but the longevity of the project depends on consistent funding and PWTP is still seeking help to ensure the success in this project.

The PWTP projects are facilitated by volunteers who live outside of the villages and have access to the internet and phones, completing administrative tasks that cannot be done in the villages due their remote location. However, all the money that is spent goes directly to the Penan themselves, meaning that you pay your guide/porter/host directly rather than through a middleman. What is interesting about this initiative is that it is run as a co-operative; there is no hierarchy and all decisions are made in village meetings whereby each villager has an equal voice. This serves to create a sense that the project truly belongs to everyone.

One of the many perks of this particular trip is that it remains off the beaten track. With the PWTP program, it is unlikely that you will cross paths with any other travellers for the duration of your stay. Travellers should keep in mind that tourism is new to this area, so if you are expecting five-star amenities, think again! However, if you can approach this unique experience with an open mind, and are willing to make do with relatively basic conditions, then you will surely find it to be enriching and extremely enlightening.

My plan was to enjoy this trip solo, although I did have some concerns about travelling to this remote place on my own (getting on the aforementioned plane didn’t help). However, as soon as I arrived in the village and was greeted by my guide and porter, I realized that I had nothing to worry about. Even though they spoke only a bit of English, my friendly guides successfully managed to make me forget my initial trepidation about our adventurous 3-day trek to the villages.

The Penan may be quite shy when you first meet them, but based on my experience they will open up after a few hours. Soon they will be proudly showing you around the local forests, demonstrating their incredible span of knowledge. In fact, during one of our hikes, I was shocked to find out that my guide had never walked the route we were taking before – he seemed to know where the trails were even when there was no discernible track to follow!

My guide, Paul, was very eager to show me the medicinal plants used by the Penan and it seemed that they were everywhere – almost every small shrub we walked past had some use. It’s not surprising then that the Penan do not see the forest as a monetary resource so much as their whole life, their larder and their hospital. As such, the forest must be kept intact so that future generations and their culture can survive. In a much wider sense, this need to preserve the world’s rainforests can be extended to all of humanity.

Punting down from the Penan village. Photo courtesy of Picnic with the Penan

In this regard, PWTP has empowered the villages, and increasingly there is a real sense that they can do something about their own destinies. PWTP has provided these two villages with an income, which means that in time, there will be more of an incentive for the younger generation to stay in the villages and maintain the traditional connection the Penan have with the rainforest.

Though they have lived a subsistence lifestyle for so long, money has become a necessity in recent years. Ironically this may be the resource that allows the Penan to maintain their way of life. With the funds from the ‘community fee,’ the villagers can decide together how to improve their lives, whether be by replanting hardwoods in areas of damaged rainforest or creating wet rice paddies to provide a stable food supply.

After many years of hearing disheartening news about the Penan, it is really encouraging to see that this Penan-run project is bringing about positive changes that will, in time, provide the stability needed to continue their traditional way of life for future generations.

Projects in Kenya, Peru, Sri Lanka and Brazil have been announced as the winners of the first travel2change idea challenge. Over 500 members joined the travel2change online community since its launch in late April 2011, and submitted around 60 innovative project proposals. The submitted ideas were evaluated based on creativity, effectiveness, impact, feasibility and sustainability.

The children participating in the travel2change project in Oyugis, Kenya, were shown and then practiced how to wash hands properly with soap in order to prevent the spread of germs and diseases. The children were trained as role models, who will then replicate the idea in the wider community, starting in their own homes. Photo courtesy of travel2Change

The four winning projects were named on July 17, 2011, by a jury of experts and will be realized in the coming months, thanks to the support of the travel partner Kuoni. Each winning project receives financial support as well as the help of volunteer travelers, who will collaborate with the local communities to bring the projects to life.

Travel2change First Challenge Winners

SEP – Soccer, Education and Prevention (Oyugis, Kenya)

In Oyugis, Kenya, travel2change, together with the Society Empowerment Project (SEP), hosted a four-day football event for around 300 children. Along with teaching life skills, teamwork and football skills, volunteer travelers will now train the children in proper hand washing techniques and the importance of basic hygiene. The production of soap from locally sourced materials will also be part of the program.

300 children from all over Kenya participated in the SEP Football Tournament in Oyugis where they learned about life skills, teamwork and the importance of basic hygiene and hand washing with soap. Photo courtesy of travel2change

Getting Kids Pumped for School (Horana, Sri Lanka)

The aim of Getting Kids Pumped for School is to connect a local school to its well so the children have access to running water for drinking and sanitation, which will help improve the children’s health, thus reducing the risk of dengue and other communicable diseases. This will be achieved by installing pumps, water tanks and pipes, as well as expanding the depth of the well. Visiting travelers will contribute to the project by assisting with the installation of pumps and water tanks.

AmazonArt at the Combu Education Centre (Combu Island, Brazil)

AmazonArt aims to employ music and the arts to inspire the children and local community. Its goal is to create awareness and understanding of the importance of protecting the rainforest, river and its local communities. Together with the staff of AmazonArt, travelers will assist with music and art classes and provide English lessons along with a cultural exchange to local children. Travelers will have a chance to improve the infrastructure of the school through basic construction projects and educate the children on the importance of safe drinking water and hygiene.

Travel2change will assist local staff from WAVES for Development in running a number of activities to create life-enriching experiences in the coastal community of Lobitos, Peru. This will be done through education programs that help develop youth into healthy and empowered adults, and of course surfing and swimming lessons. Photo courtesy of travel2Change

WAVES for Development (Lobitos, Peru)

WAVES for Development aims to create life-enriching experiences through education programs to develop healthy and empowered adults. The traveler will join local staff to teach local children water safety, beach management and environmental conservation among other things, and of course, surfing classes. Cultural exchange through activities to increase healthy living and teaching skills for life is another great benefit of the program.

All travelers will provide frequent updates to give all community members the opportunity to monitor the realization of the projects.

Are You Ready to Travel2change?

Travel2change is now offering the chance for you to participate in the Sri Lanka project and the Peru project this fall (September-October 2011). Travelers will play an active part in carrying out the activities to help successfully implement the goals of these projects. To learn more about the Travel2change Join This Trip Contest and to apply, please go to review the contest details here.

Back in 2006 my friend Legs and I packed our bags and bikes and headed to Iceland for a six-week pootle round the island. We’d originally been looking at cycling to Norway’s North Cape, but for a variety of reasons (which I can’t quite remember) we sacked that idea and decided to go cycling in Iceland. The cycling trip ended up being some of the most amazing six weeks of my life – howling gales that lasted days, thoroughly pot-holed dirt tracks, stunning views and the invention of tuna tikka-massala.

Photo courtesy of The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) and Much Better Adventures

We started our cycling in Iceland from Reykjavik and headed out on Route 1 (the circular road around the whole island). At Borgarnes we took route 54, then 56 to Stykkishólmur, where we took the ferry to Brjánslækur. We then worked our way to Ísafjörður and then back to Route 1 along Route 61. We roughly followed this past Akureyri to Lake Mývatn, and then U-turned back and followed the Kjöller route through the interior toward Reykjavik. We then cycled along the south coast on Route 1 for a while and then caught the bus back!

Iceland Cycling Travel Tips

New to cycling? Cycling in Iceland was my second proper cycle tour – I’d done New Zealand earlier that year – so I had a vague idea of what to expect. In my opinion cycle touring isn’t something that requires a lot of experience to get a lot out of it. Sure, I’m not sure I’d go and cycle some of the high passes in the Tajik Pamir Mountains as my first tour, but in general I feel it’s a really accessible form of travel.

Photo courtesy of The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) and Much Better Adventures

How to train? Just get the miles in on the bike! Definitely worth trying out your touring bike with panniers (or trailer!) loaded up too, just to see how it handles in various conditions. There are plenty of hills and poor surfaces to contend with when cycling Iceland, so it’s best to make sure you are comfortable in a range of conditions. It also gives you an excuse to go on shorter weekend practice trips beforehand!

Advice for a safe and enjoyable cycling trip: Be sure of the cycling kit you are using, and make sure you can erect your tent, or light your stove in some pretty unpleasant conditions. Being able to break camp pretty quickly helps, so perhaps a bit of experience camping first would be an advantage! We went cycling in Iceland without a guide, just a map. Iceland doesn’t have a particularly extensive road system, and we didn’t really have any plans – just headed out of Reykjavik in a clockwise direction! We used a guide book from time to time, just in case there was anything ‘not to miss’, or to find details of campsites.

Photo courtesy of The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) and Much Better Adventures

When to go? The weather in Iceland isn’t exactly balmy – we experienced hail in July, and were effectively trapped on a campsite by a storm for three days whilst our camping compatriots’ tents flew around the campsite. We went cycling in June and July, taking advantage of the better than average weather and long daylight hours (I used my torch once in six weeks, at 3am, to look deep into a pannier). We were, however, rained on pretty much constantly for three weeks and then intermittently for the next three weeks. You can’t guarantee the weather in Iceland!

Must-have gear: Bring a waterproof tent that is easy to put up and spacious. There’s nothing worse than getting into a wet tent when you are already wet. We used a Terra Nova tent on our trip and were very happy! Thermarest and three-season sleeping bag for ultimate sleeping comfort and light weight. Gas is pretty easy to get for camping stoves, however we used liquid fuel, which was also very accessible in Iceland. Make sure to take a range of cycling clothing – waterproof and regular – and a Buff, mainly for blocking out the light when trying to sleep!

Midnight sea kayaking on Flatey. Photo courtesy of The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) and Much Better Adventures

Where to stay on your Iceland cycling trip: While cycling in Iceland we camped every night bar one (when we were offered a hotel room for the price of the camping as the weather was so bad). Most villages (and quite often farms and hotels) had campsites in Iceland, so we never struggled to find somewhere. Only when cycling through the Iceland Interior were we required to press on and cover larger distances to find somewhere to camp. Wild camping isn’t encouraged, and there aren’t many places to camp in the Interior!

Getting there: Getting to Iceland is likely to require a flight. You can use the Much Better Adventures flight finder to find your flights from a more efficient fleet. Ferries do go from Denmark (via the Faroe Islands), but they aren’t particularly cheap and take a few days (more information on ferries can be found here).

My experience with Nutti Sámi Siida has been a dream come true. My interest in ecotourism began while I was studying Scandinavian studies, geography and tourism at universities in Germany and Sweden. During my research, I observed that travelers today are ever-more fascinated by the uniqueness and distinctiveness of indigenous cultures, as well as by the often stunning natural environments where these cultures reside.

Nutti Sámi Siida Reindeer Sledding Tour. Photo courtesy of Katja Bechtloff

However, while tourism is spread to many different geographic areas, it often happens that these areas are indigenous peoples’ inhabited homelands. This type of touristic encroachment has happened, for example, in Sápmi in northern Scandinavia, which is the traditional homeland of the Sámi people (the indigenous people of Fennoscandinavia).

Another issue that has arisen since indigenous tourism has gained popularity in recent years is that there are sometimes cases in which people who are not members of an indigenous community may exploit the touristic appeal of a particular culture. For example, there have been instances where people who are not Sámi have showcased the Sámi people and culture in an inaccurate way, thus creating and spreading untrue stereotypes. This is sometimes referred to as “Disneyification.”

Considering the subject of Sámi tourism, I noticed that there was a paucity of knowledge regarding these important issues, and that ecotourism in the Sápmi region had been scarcely addressed. Thus, I decided to write my Master of Arts paper on the subject of Indigenous Ecotourism in Swedish Lapland. I contacted several Sámi tourism entrepreneurs in Swedish Sápmi about my plan, and requested a visit to their businesses so that I could experience Sámi tourism first hand, and could distribute my questionnaires to their guests. One of these Sámi tourism companies was Nutti Sámi Siida, based in Jukkasjärvi in the far north of Swedish Lapland.

Nutti Sámi Siida invited me to join them in Jukkasjärvi and I remained there from December 2007 until March 2008. My experience during this time is one that I will never forget; the people, the reindeer and the natural environment struck me deeply and would later draw me back without hesitation.

The Story of Nutti Sámi Siida

Nutti Sámi Siida is a Sámi tourism enterprise situated in the village of Jukkasjärvi in Sweden. The enterprise is owned by Nils-Torbjörn Nutti, a reindeer herder from Saarivuoma Sámi village, and Carina Pingi from Gabna Sámi village. During one particularly bad winter in the pastures, starvation of the reindeer forced Nils and Carina to move their reindeer to corrals and feed them there. The high costs of feeding the reindeer caused Nils and Carina to come up with an additional source of income. So, in the winter of 1996 they invited visitors to the corrals; these guests paid for their unique experience, and also helped with caring for the reindeer.

Nutti Sámi Siida’s unique reindeer tour. Photo courtesy of Peter Rosén

This creative idea of combining reindeer husbandry with tourism led to the foundation of Nils and Carina’s tourism enterprise in 1997. Their new tourism venture worked together closely with the famous Icehotel in Jukkasjärvi from the very beginning, and is still today the Icehotel’s main supplier of Sámi tourism activities. All products offered by Nutti Sámi Siida are based on nature and the Sámi culture, and especially on activities with the reindeer. Opportunities and activities with Nutti Sámi Siida are diverse. Among other things they include reindeer sledding, visits to a reindeer corral, lasso throwing, tasting Sámi food, touring the area, opportunities to see and purchase traditional handicrafts, and education about Sámi culture and livelihoods.

Nutti Sámi Siida’s Contributions to Swedish Ecotourism

Nutti Sámi Siida is a member of the Ecotourism Society of Sweden and an approved operator of
Nature’s Best Sweden. All of the reindeer sledding tours have met the Nature’s Best criteria and have been certified. Moreover, Nutti Sámi Siida received the Grand Travel Ecotourism Award for Swedish ecotourism in 2011. The following accolade was given by the judges of the award program:

“Nutti Sámi Siida wins the award for its long-term and patient work in uniting the Sámi culture with the global traveller’s quest for genuine and modern experiences. The concept has not just been a successful ambassador for Sweden’s Sámi population, but has also created attraction value and promoted one of our biggest tourism icons, the Ice Hotel.”

Nutti Sámi Siida has also been awarded the jury-declared Indigenous Tourism and Biodiversity Website Award 2010. Nutti Sámi Siida is the only company offering reindeer sledding tours through woods, across frozen lakes and rivers, and even over the tundra. On these tours guests get to handle their own reindeer, while driving the sled in a standing position. These tours, featuring the traditional way of life and transportation in Swedish Sápmi, are truly unique experiences that visitors cannot get anywhere else.

The entrance to the world-famous Icehotel in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden. Photo courtesy of Flickr/Paul Mannix

Sámi Ecotourism at Its Best

Since my return to Jukkasjärvi in 2010 to work at Nutti Sámi Siida as the sales and booking manager, it has felt like a long time dream has come true. I now get to work in Sámi ecotourism, which I care strongly about, and every day I work hard to contribute to the development of Sámi ecotourism in a responsible way. I am truly grateful to work for Nutti Sámi Siida.

One of the challenges we face is that many people are not really aware of what Sámi tourism means. To address this problem, in January 2011 our team from Nutti Sámi Siida traveled to London together with VisitSápmi to participate in a travel fair and to speak about new developments in Sámi tourism. We at Nutti Sámi Siida, together with our friends at VisitSápmi aim to spread its true meaning to people around the world. We also cooperate with other Sámi entrepreneurs in the region in order to make Sámi tourism products more accessible and to be able to portray the magnificent land of Sápmi in a sustainable way.

We aim to stop the improper use of Sámi culture and to get rid of harmful stereotypes. We want visitors to experience and encounter true, pure Sápmi in both the winter and summer seasons, guided by real outdoor experts: the Sámi people. This is Sámi ecotourism at its best. Sámi hosts and ecotourism operators, together with mindful visitors, can contribute to the benefit of local communities. By participating in responsible ecotourism activities in Sápmi, visitors can help to conserve the natural and cultural environment within which local enterprises operate and on which Sámi ecotourism is all about.

Barra de Potosí is a small coastal village at the mouth of a lagoon, part of a complex and interdependent system of lagoons, which runs along the coast of the Municipio de Petatlan. The lagoon network regulates the lives of both human and animal lives and has a balanced ecosystem that has kept its people gainfully employed and its environment protected.

Barra de Potosí beach. Photo courtesy of The International Ecotourism Society (TIES)

A Mega-Development Threat

The people of Barra de Potosí are now confronted by a development project that they believe will destroy the existing ecosystem, in spite of Mexican laws protecting the environment and in contradiction with industry trends that seem to point toward interests in sustainability and ecotourism.

Fonatur, a branch of the Ministry of Tourism, and its subsidiary Fonatur Operadora SA de CV are planning a mega project in the area of Petatlan that includes Barra de Potosí. The proposed development would include construction of a cruise ship pier in the bay, as well as the expansion of an existing installation in the bay of Zihuatanejo. The official document published in the Gazetta Official refers to a concession in the bay of Potosí covering 1,500 hectares and an almost 8,000-square-meter pier. Indicating the intention to go ahead with these plans, developers a few miles south of Barra de Potosí have recently built a road that will block the natural flow of water from one of the rivers that feeds the lagoon.

Residents of Barra de Potosí and neighboring communities have tried to obtain detailed information about this development project, but have only received evasive answers. The people have stood up in protest, for example in Zihuatanejo and Petatlan, to convince civil servants as well as representatives of Fonatur and its subsidiaries that this project goes against all national environmental laws. It would also annihilate the unique biodiversity of this region in a just few years, while depriving the population of its traditional means of existence.

Local fisherman hard at work near the mangroves. Photo courtesy of The International Ecotourism Society (TIES)

An Irreplaceable Ecosystem

The Potosí lagoon and those interconnected with it, together with long stretches of adjoining beaches, are home to over 200 species of birds, endangered butterflies, rare mammals and reptiles, nesting sea turtles, coral reefs, breeding whales and many species of threatened plants.

Preliminary studies by biologists from the Independent University Metropolitan (UAM) indicate that within the ecosystems of Barra de Potosí there are hundreds of species of flora and fauna, of which 46 are endangered or at risk according to the official Mexican regulation NOM-059. For example of the seven surviving species of sea turtles in the world, the leatherback, olive ridley and hawksbill all nest on the beaches of Barra. The Laguna de Potosí contains 450 hectares of mangrove swamps and three threatened species of manglar: botoncillo, black, red and white listed in NOM-059.

Other species threatened by extinction are the rare Tamandua anteater, the puma jaguarundi, the jaguar or Panthera onca, Mexican white tail deer, boa constrictor, iguana and American crocodile. Over two hundred species of birds – including 22 on the NOM-059 list – have been sighted by UAM scientists including roseate spoonbills, painted buntings, trogans, white and brown pelicans and woodstorks. The nearby islands of Los Moros are rookeries for brown boobies, tropicbirds and magnificent frigates, to name a few. The waters off the beach form part of the migration route for humpback whales, bottlenose and tropical dolphins, among other endangered species.

Over 200 species of birds have been sighted here in the pristine Potosí lagoon, and in the surrounding ecosystem. Photo courtesy of The International Ecotourism Society (TIES)

Barra de Potosí’s Youth: Ideas to Sustain the Community

Some of the local youth, well-educated sons and grandsons of fishermen have been working on developing an economic plan that would help preserve their way of life along with the precious natural environment. These future leaders of the community have been working on an ecotourism project alongside academics from various national universities. They believe very strongly that this project is not only an economically and environmentally sound venture, but also acts as a line of defense against predatory mega-tourism enterprises which often ally with short-sighted government agencies.

The youth’s efforts in this grassroots ecotourism project are strongly supported by the great majority of the population, which has seen the unfortunate results of devastating mega-tourism projects in Huatulco, Cancun, nearby Ixtapa and elsewhere in Mexico. A defense fund has been created and an environmental lawyer has been hired to help on the legal front, while an informational campaign has been launched with the aim of enlisting help from the general public as well as from international organizations.

A young protester at a public march. Photo courtesy of The International Ecotourism Society (TIES)

How You Can Help

This fight against a huge government institution out of touch with its own public policies is proving to be a difficult one, and the people of Barra de Potosí can use all the help they can get. Consider offering your support of this community by participating in one of these easy ways:

1. Send an email to Mexican decisionmakers. See here for a sample template and instructions for how to address your letter.
2. Spread the word on Facebook. Join the Barra de Potosí “Causes” page.
3. Post a message of support on the Save Barra de Potosí guestbook page here.
4. Use your voice! Tell popular cruise lines that you don’t want them in Barra de Potosí, and let them know that Barra residents have international support. See more information here on how and where to send an email or letter to cruise lines.
5. Inform yourself and others about this important issue.
6. Spread the word! Share this link with your friends and colleagues!

Let the decisionmakers know that the small town of Barra de Potosí is not alone in its fight against over development, destruction of an irreplaceable ecosystem and disregard of an entire community.

Ecotourism for people in wheelchairs? You may wonder what that looks like, how it’s done. You’d be pleasantly surprised to learn that in many destinations there are efforts in place to improve tourism infrastructure to better serve people with disabilities. Brazil is one such example.

Accessible Tourism

Travel and Tourism is recognized as the largest service sector industry, and as such it is imperative that people of all ages and abilities are allowed access to its activities. Accessible Tourism is a movement that has evolved to represent this important concept, as well as to represent a group that is too often denied desired travel experiences due to inaccessibility and a lack of knowledge at many destinations worldwide. Groups such as the European Network for Accessible Tourism (ENAT) promote extended travel opportunities for people with disabilities by establishing partnerships, networks, educational material and certifications/guidelines pertaining to the accessibility of service sector facilities and operations.

Accessible Tourism recognizes the universal right to participate in tourism by having access to “independent travel, accessible facilities, trained staff, reliable information and inclusive marketing,” and notes its wide-spread benefits. “Accessible tourism benefits everyone. More individuals enjoy the opportunity to travel; the tourism industry gets more visitors, longer seasons and new incomes. Society as a whole benefits from new job opportunities, more tax revenue and an accessible environment for both inhabitants and visitors.” (ENAT, 2011)

Virtual Accessible Tourism Project

Thankfully, these days one can find many accommodations and operators in Brazil that have adapted their facilities to receive individuals with decreased or limited mobility. Recently the Brazilian company Acessivel – Turismo Adaptado (Accessible – Adapted Tourism) has developed a new project featuring an online tour guide for travelers with reduced mobility.

This unique guide, only in Portuguese for now, is posted online through oviajanteespecial.blogspot.com and will soon become a website with information about Brazilian accessible tourism destinations. The aim of this guide is to enable people with disability and reduced mobility to travel throughout Brazil. Adriana Braun, who uses a wheelchair herself, is responsible for coordinating this project.

Adriana Braun: Active Adventurer on a Wheelchair

In 2001, Adriana was the first person in a wheelchair to travel to the Fernando de Noronha islands, a popular ecotourism destination in Brazil. Adriana realized that with a little guidance and specific training for local guides and service sector employees, accommodations could improve their offerings so that people in wheelchairs may travel more. Thus began her instrumental work in accessible ecotourism. For Adriana, ecotourism and responsible travel experiences represent an excellent tool for rehabilitation to people in wheelchairs.

Accessible Ecotourism in Brazil

Fortunately there are many ecotourism destinations in Brazil that can be visited by people in wheelchairs, yet there is one that deserves special mention: the beach settlement of Itacaré, in the region of Bahia on the eastern coast of Brazil.

Itacaré is revered as one of the most beautiful places on the coast of Bahia. It is synonymous with beautiful beaches and relatively few people, protected Atlantic forests, pristine rivers, amazing waterfalls, and a very lively town during the summer. Nowadays this small town of Bahia is very popular with visitors, and especially surfers, who are attracted to the local beaches and their famously rough waves.

If you are a traveler in a wheelchair and want to visit Itacaré, you can be assured that there are many opportunities for accessible tourism and recreation in the area. Many local service operators have met with trained ecotourism guides and consultants in order to enable them to better cater to the needs of travelers with special needs. Because of this, it is possible for people in wheelchairs to go hiking in the local forests, to visit the beautiful beaches, to walk in the mangroves, to visit stunning waterfalls and even to enjoy adventure sports such as rafting.

Just because you are going on a family vacation doesn’t mean that learning should take a break too. Ecotourism is full of what educators call teachable moments or, more definitively, unplanned opportunities to explain a concept that has unintentionally captured a child’s interest.

Photo courtesy of Greenloons via The International Ecotourism Society (TIES)

Whether it is touring the rainforests of the Amazon, observing blue footed boobies throughout the Galapagos Islands or understanding the water issues that surround the Okavango Delta in Botswana, ecotourism is a vacation experience that provides boundless opportunities to teach younger generations about the fragility of ecosystems and the significance of heritage.

Who among us has not witnessed the common occurrence while visiting the local zoo, going hiking through the wilderness or even watching a local artistic exhibit of younger children looking with absolute wonder and amazement at the spectacle of music, art, flora or fauna? There is delight followed by an onslaught of illuminating questions about people and the natural world.

These teachable moments mark milestones for a child’s personal growth and development. And the value system that is at the core of ecotourism can be a positive influence on all age groups, not just the very young.

Specifically, children can benefit from an ecotourism vacation because the experience offers an opportunity for:

• Instruction about indigenous wildlife – Ecotours are not only small group tours that allow for up-close-and-personal views of nature, but ones that are generally led by a naturalist that have been trained to understand plants, birds, insects and animals of the region and their relationships to ecosystems, thereby bringing education alive.

• Increased awareness about environmental degradation – An important component of ecotourism is to inform tourists about ways to minimize waste, soil erosion, air and water pollution so as not to disturb the environment – lessons that no doubt will stay with children.

Photo courtesy of Greenloons via The International Ecotourism Society (TIES)

• Involvement with conservation efforts – Whether it’s helping to record sea turtle activity in Greece or understand the destructive role of invasive plant species in the wilderness, ecotourism allows for deep knowledge of the fragility of the natural world.

• Focus on the depletion of natural resources – Whether it’s learning about how an eco-lodge harnesses solar or wind power for its operations or how countries are implementing renewable bio-energy to power engines, ecotourism teaches how the impact of tourism is affecting sustainable land development, public transportation choices and how other countries are using low-carbon technologies today.

• Exposure to cultural experiences – From tasting new foods to learning phrases in a foreign language, ecotourism interprets cultural traditions and experiences that provide long-lasting impressions about the world.

• Inspiration for a life’s passion – While snorkeling through a coral reef or observing animals in their natural habitat in Africa, ecotourism sparks the imagination to dream about a career or even find a solution to an environmental problem

Ecotourism even offers opportunities to incorporate your family vacation with your child’s science, social studies, foreign language, even art and music lesson plans. One of the most helpful and free resources available now is on the Rainforest Alliance site, which offers a kindergarten–8th grade curriculum guide.

One example lesson plan for a kindergarten student is entitled Biodiversity, which challenges children to think about the diversity of local flora and fauna in local forests versus tropical forests as they classify insect and tree species, while the 8th-grade lesson plan entitled Guatemala’s Changing Forest has children learning about the Maya Biosphere Reserve by analyzing maps and determining recent changes in forest cover.

Dedication to the cause of the environment and its preservation can have a long-lasting impact on the way our younger generations feel more connected to ecosystems as well as view social involvement and economic success. Not only will children establish a deeper, longer-lasting connection with the region they are visiting during an ecotour, they will learn more about how they can make a more positive impact on the world.

Cynthia Ord can fit her home and office into this suitcase and work from anywhere with an internet connection. She has a few ideas about long-term travels to come.

The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) is a non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting the principles of ecotourism. Each year, TIES names 10 people as Travel Ambassadors, people selected to spread the word about tourism as a force for positive change.

For the 12 months of 2011, Cynthia Ord has been designated a TIES Travel Ambassador. Ord works with the WHL Group’s media and communications team as managing editor of The Travel Word newsletter. She also oversees Advantage Plus premium website services for the WHL Group.

Ord is happy to take on the mantle of a TIES Ambassador. “I see it as a great framework for action and a great community of people with shared values.” Ambassadors flex their muscles by updating their own wiki pages, contributing to the TIES online publication Your Travel Choice and using other online media tools to spread the word about ecotourism in all its many guises.

On the connection between her dual roles at WHL Group and as a TIES Ambassador, Ord sees nothing but favourable overlap. “I have a passion for travel and I get excited about sharing its benefits with others, including future generations. In both roles, the task is to communicate the tourism ideas and principles we all care about. The goal is to reach people.”

Travel Ambassadors come from all over the world and have a variety of different backgrounds and interests. They’ve all come to understand the relationship between tourism and sustainable development in different ways. One person got involved in ecotourism through a conservation organisation; another already has career experience in destination management and promotion; yet others, including Ord, have recently completed advanced degree programs in tourism and environmental studies.

“I first became interested in sustainable tourism as an industry and a field of study because of what I saw firsthand as a traveller,” says Ord. The experiences that influenced her the most were when she volunteered at an ecolodge in Peten, Guatemala and visited a tourism-funded chimpanzee refuge in Zambia. “In some places, the impacts of tourism become very much a part of the travel experience, for better or for worse. I’ve seen examples of tourism revitalising local economies and creating incentives to conserve natural environments. I’ve also seen cases of tourism gone wrong, even irreversibly. It really can cut both ways.”

One of the most memorable ecotourism experiences Cynthia Ord has had was visiting a chimpanzee refuge in Zambia. It was incredible to see how tourism was helping this organisation.

Ord believes that the best part of the Ambassador role is serving as a reference for people making travel decisions. “People approach me with travel questions all the time. They want to know more about positive-impact travel. I think the most common question I get is about volunteer travel and how to find the kind of great experiences abroad that I’ve been able to find myself.”

Through the work that she does both with TIES and WHL Group, Ord has more and more answers for would-be travellers. “My inbox is always open. Ask away!”

So far, in addition to what she has written for The Travel Word, Ord has contributed three articles to Your Travel Choice:
+ The Tattooed Bunker: Colorful Repurposing in Shkoder Albania
+ Last Chance Tourism? Vanishing Destinations and Tourism’s Role in Saving Them
+ The Happy Planet Index as Travel Guide

Ord also maintains a blog about the impacts of travel and tourism at www.cynthiaord.com.

Be Flexible

Are you prepared to accept cultures and practices that are different from your own? Being part of the locals’ daily lives is one of the most fascinating travel experiences. Do your homework and learn about the people and places you’re visiting, and be sure to bring plenty of sense of humor and flexible attitudes with you, so you’re prepared to accept and enjoy unexpected encounters.

>> Read more: Tips for Travelers by Ecotourism Society of India

Give Feedback

Let responsible companies know that you like what they are doing. Encourage those that are less responsible to change by talking to them about the issues you care about. If they see that tourists expect companies to operate responsibly, they are more likely to change. After all, it’s your money that keeps them going!

>> Read more: Wild Asia – You and Responsible Tourism

Go Green by Biking

Biking is a healthy, enjoyable and eco-friendly way to get around and to experience the places you’re visiting. Plan ahead to find bike rental options and local bike routes. One Street, an international bicycle advocacy NGO, offers various practical tips and educational resources on bicycling.

>> Learn about and share information on biker-friendly accommodations on One Street’s Bed and Bike Directory.

Travel Slowly

Instead of hurriedly moving from one place to another, try slowing down during your next trip by kayaking, walking, biking and getting around by public transportation like the locals do. While traveling slowly, enjoy the unique experience of connecting with the people and places you’re visiting.

>> Read more: “Local Travel Connecting Independent Travelers with People and Places”

>> Read more: Local & Slow Travel Stories

Admire from a Distance

Learn about wildlife viewing guidelines and appropriate behaviors before you go. Be sure to maintain a respectful distance when viewing and photographing wildlife. Avoid scaring or stressing wildlife, and do your part to protect natural wildlife habitats to make the most of your wildlife viewing experiences.

>> Read more: Your Travel Choice stories on ecotourism and wildlife

Pack for a Purpose

Visit Pack for a Purpose, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing needed educational materials and medical supplies to children around the world, and find participating ecolodges and information on items (educational materials and medical supplies) to pack in your luggage when you visit them. Every little bit helps!

>> Learn more about Pack for a Purpose

Portable Water for Your Adventure

Water purifier is a handy tool to accompany your outdoor trip, allowing you to make potable water out of any water source and enjoy your trip free of bottled water. Learn how to pick the right water purifier for your travel needs.

>> Learn more: Selecting Water Purifier (Trails.com)

As one of the initiators of the Local Travel Movement, Gelber shared his thoughts about it and how it helps rally anyone interested in fostering the idea of ‘local travel’ as a means of helping travellers engage with the planet in a more meaningful way – one that enhances their travel experiences and provides substantial benefits to the locals welcoming travellers to their destinations.

The WHL Group, the world’s largest local-travel company, incorporates these ideas into its business model: the network helps travelers escape the constraints mainstream tourism by connecting them with responsible local travel experts.

“We want to encourage people to be more mindful of, for example, people local to destinations in which they travel, to the environment local to destinations in which they travel, to the culture that gives so much meaning to the destinations they travel to and of course to the economies in which they travel and where they spend their money,” Gelber explains. Here is the full interview:

This online get-together was in anticipation of two real-world workshops scheduled in conjunction with The International Ecotourism Society’s (TIES) upcoming Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference (ESTC).

A “Global Perspective Workshop” on Biodiversity and Our Lives is slated for Wednesday, September 8th, 2010, from 12:30-2:00pm at Hilton Portland (Galleria South). The event will celebrate the roles of biodiversity in our lives during 2010, a year which the United Nations has dubbed the International Year of Biodiversity. The free workshop is open to the public and will highlight important initiatives of wildlife conservation and environmental education.

A separate one-day ‘Biodiversity Workshop’ highlighting New Information and Web-based Technologies takes place September 11 from 9am-5pm at the Hilton Portland, Cabinet Suite. Facilitated by Ron Mader, the workshop will help participants gain hands-on experience in using Web 2.0 channels for immediate and inexpensive communication for small- and medium-sized operators in the markets of ecotourism, indigenous tourism, responsible tourism and the growing Local Travel Movement.

The TIES Innovation Leadership in Sustainable Tourism Awards recognise demonstrated leadership through innovative actions that effectively promote sustainable tourism and bring tangible benefits to communities and conservation. Each year, one individual and one organisation will be honoured for contributions, best practices and, of course, leadership as judged on the basis of one example of an innovative project, product or program developed in the previous year that advocates for uniting communities, conservation and sustainable travel.

WHL Consulting in the Mix

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, “a leveraged, barter-based, payment-facilitation platform… that lets accommodation providers pay for market-access, clean-energy and other services with room nights instead of cash.”

As described in the nomination of WHL Consulting: “Typically it is hard for small businesses, primarily in the hospitality sector, to collateralize their assets (i.e. their rooms stock) and/or gain access to finance from traditional lenders (especially in the developing world). High energy costs and a lack of market access due to insufficient e-commerce/online competitiveness are critical constraints to their long-term financial sustainability.”

The Tourism Development Bank is, therefore, an elegant means of overcoming this key business constraint faced by many small and medium-sized enterprises: access to finance. Without money, essential (and beneficial) business buoys, such as market access tools and services, and retrofits or renovations to reduce energy consumption and operating costs, often go unfunded. The businesses are seen as being either too small and risky for commercial banks or too large and not poor enough for micro-finance institutions and donors.

“We have been working quite hard over the past six months in several pilot destinations, like South Africa, Mexico and Brazil and always felt that what we were doing was really innovative,” said Zachary Rozga, CEO of WHL Consulting. “Sometimes when you do this, you get caught up in reflection and just aren’t exactly sure if what you are doing is going to make sense to outsiders. It is nice to be formally recognised by a prestigious organisation like TIES as being an Innovation Leader. We hope this is just the beginning of a good things to come for the Tourism Development Bank.”

Your Thoughts Matter

Project stakeholders, supporters and members are encouraged to comment on finalist submissions by Monday, August 23, 2010. Testimonial comments are considered for the final selection, scheduled to be made by August 31st, 2010. (Supporters of WHL Consulting and the Tourism Development Bank are additionally encouraged to comment on an entry about it in the G-20 SME Finance Challenge. Fifteen finalists from that competition will be invited to a meeting of the G-20 in November.)

The two winning Innovation Leadership Awards finalists will be honored at the Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference (ESTC), North America’s largest and only conference focusing on sustainability in the tourism industry, taking place from 8-10 September 2010 in Portland, Oregon.

Rozga, in his capacity as North America & Caribbean Regional Director of the WHL Group, will be presenting at the ESTC on September 10, 2:30-4:00pm, on the “Effective strategies for financing and supporting sustainability initiatives in tourism” panel of Track 2 – Practical Ideas on Triple Bottom Line: Managing Footprint and Implementing Solutions.

Momentarily setting aside his attention to the Tourism Development Bank, Rozga will be focusing on a practical model of how micro-franchising allows even the smallest tour operators to compete with big companies on both price and product. The WHL Group is the leading global franchise network for small and local entrepreneurs in tourism.

A leading international event for learning, networking and partnership-building, the ESTC is a meeting place for innovative minds from across the industry, bringing together 500-plus business leaders, industry professionals and community stakeholders to discuss practical ideas and solutions that inspire positive changes in tourism. The ESTC 2010 will feature dynamic sessions, public forums and social functions.

The WHL Group is proud to join these industry leaders and sustainability pioneers as one of the conference’s supporting organisations.

Walking the Talk

For the first time in the event’s history, ESTC 2010 delegates will be given a chance to practice what they preach by participating in three half-day voluntourism field sessions, important recognition of the increasing importance of voluntourism as a niche of sustainable tourism. The roll-up-your-sleeves, hands-on opportunities include work at Portland-area landmarks like the Columbia Springs Environmental Education Center, one of Portland Parks and Recreation’s community gardens and the Tualatin National Wildlife Refuge.

“Come get your hands dirty!” said Laura Guimond, Communications and PR Manager, Sustainability, Travel Portland.

Zachary Rozga, North America and Caribbean Regional Director of the WHL Group, will speak about how Urban Adventures is a practical model how micro-franchising helping even the smallest tour operators to compete with big companies on both price and product

A Chorus of Voices

A rich selection of speakers has been invited to present analyses and case studies at session topics about triple-bottom-line approaches to sustainability in travel and tourism. The WHL Group will be represented by Zachary Rozga, North America and Caribbean Regional Director, who will speak about Effective Strategies for Finding Support for Sustainability Initiatives in Tourism, one of the Track 2 sessions about Practical Ideas on Triple Bottom Line: Managing Footprint and Implementing Solutions.

Rozga’s presentation will specifically look at a practical model of how micro-franchising allows even the smallest tour operators to compete with big companies on both price and product. The WHL Group is the leading global franchise network for small and local entrepreneurs in tourism. One of its companies, Urban Adventures, provides unique small-group (max 12 people) day tours operated by locally owned franchise tour companies. These tours feature things not found on typical (bus-bound) city tours – the kinds of things that only a local knows – and use either feet, bikes or public transport to get around.