Australia puts more into eco-tourism

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As the strong dollar in Australia drive Aussies overseas, many in that country believe that Australia could benefit from building its ecotourism sector and attract more international visitors.

According to Tourism Conference for Ecotourism Australia organiser Tony Charters, eco-tourism arrivals in Australia have remained steady over the past 20 years and a boost in the sector could fill the void left behind by domestic travel.

“We know Australians have developed a taste for international holidays and that growing international visitor numbers is now critical,” Mr Charter stated.

Not much has changed since the sector launched down under two decades ago, according to Mr Charters, with The Great Barrier Reef still hosting 1.3 visitors per year, Fraser Island and Shark Bay seeing small rises since the 1990’s while Kakadu witnesses a drop in visitor numbers.

He suggests Australia look at utilises one of its key unique qualities in the industry, offering travellers the opportunity to meet Indigenous Australians and learn from them.

“Maybe Australia needs to re-read the book on ecotourism – the book it wrote in the early 1990’s,” Mr Charters added.

He stressed the sector could become Australia’s ‘Swiss watch’ with focus on quality, reliability and reputation.

“Currently the opportunities are too few and far between.”

Mr Charters will be speaking at the upcoming Global Eco Conference to be held in Sydney this year from 7-10 November.

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Cambodia holds Third World Ecotourism Conference

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Cambodia on Monday hosted the 3rd World Ecotourism Conference, aimed at developing Asia Pacific region as a leading ecotourism destination.

The three-day conference, under the theme “Charting the Future of Ecotourism in Asia: Asia will dominate global tourism in future, ” attracts some 300 governmental officials, tourism ministers, deputy ministers, ecotourism specialists, businessmen, representatives from national and international ecotourism associations and communities from 23 countries, mostly in Asia Pacific region.

“The conference will be a good opportunity to establish and boost relationship and cooperation on the development of ecotourism in the region in a sustainable and responsible manner,” said Cambodian Minister of Tourism Thong Khon at the opening ceremony.

“Also, it’s time to exchange the best experience and practice related to the ecotourism development in order to ensure the effectiveness and sustainability of natural and environmental conservation.”

“In the future, we want to make the Asia Pacific become a leading attraction for the development and investment in ecotourism,” he added.

The minister said that at the end of the conference, there would be “Sihanoukville Declaration on Multilateral Cooperation for Ecotourism Development.”

The declaration would be submitted to the United Nations World Tourism Organization for the final approval.

“The declaration would be a roadmap for the ecotourism development in a sustainable and responsible manner in the whole Asia, particularly in Cambodia,” he said.

During the conference, there was also ecotourism exhibition with the participation of ecotourism communities and private investors in ecotourism with 23 booths.

Preah Sihanouk is a coastal province in southwestern Cambodia. It’s the country’s third most popular tourism destination after Siem Reap’s Angkor Wat temples and Phnom Penh.

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Suffolk in the UK says ecotourism is netting millions

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ECO-TOURISM is pumping millions of pounds into the Suffolk economy and creating huge numbers of jobs for the area, according to a new report published today.

The study by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) found Suffolk’s biggest nature reserve, RSPB Minsmere, brought a “staggering” £8million into the area in 2009, of which nearly £3m was purely because of the reserve.

It also supported more than 100 jobs, including 37 full-time workers at the reserve itself, and another 66 staff employed by businesses in the area to cater for tourists.

RSPB area manager Ben McFarland said: “Reports such as this illustrate the role nature reserves play, not only for protecting local wildlife, but also their importance in the functioning of local economies.

“Minsmere receives more than 80,000 visitors a year, many of who stay in local hotels, visit cafés and pubs and shop in surrounding towns and villages.

“Despite a general decline in tourism, wildlife tourism continues to grow as people increasingly seek out wilder areas to take a break from the hustle and bustle of modern life.

“This indicates that Minsmere, and other similar large reserves with good facilities, will continue to increase in importance for local areas.”

Lakenheath Fen RSPB reserve also provides a huge boost to the economy around Brandon, bringing in £370,000 in tourist spending as well as providing employment for 16 people.

A spokeswoman for the RSPB at Stour Estuary added: “More and more people are now visiting the special places in Essex such as the Stour Estuary and Cattawade Marshes for the wildlife, birds and fresh air.

“This year the RSPB opened up its wildlife garden at Flatford Mill, in Constable Country. This already thriving area will now have another attraction for visitors bringing more people to the area and inspired by the work of the RSPB.”

Suffolk Coastal MP Therese Coffey welcomed the news, which confirmed the value of eco-tourism.

She said: “There are plenty of people who come to Suffolk exclusively to go to places like Minsmere to see our wildlife.

“They come and rent a house for a week or stay in a hotel, so not only is it good for our natural environment but it’s great for our local economy as well. It’s part of an overall package that benefits Suffolk, and we just have to make sure people are aware of the opportunities available to them.”

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Ghana says eco-tourism is the fastest growing market in the industry

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Mr Edward Awuah, an official of the Forestry Commission in Ghana, has said Eco-tourism is the fastest growing market in the Ghanaian tourism industry.

Mr Awuah said according to the World Tourism Organisation, ecotourism had an annual growth rate of 5 percent and it represented 6 percent of the world gross domestic product and 11.4 percent of all consumer spending.

He said this is not a market to be taken slightly and urged the private sector to help in the development of more ecotourism sites in the country.

Mr Awuah who is also the Coordinator for Awutu-Agona Eco-tourism, said this when he and Mr Ernest Nkansah-Kwarteng, Winneba District Forestry Manager and some Tourism students from Cape Coast inspected the five forest reserves at Awutu Bewuenum.

The five reserves being developed into Eco-tourism by the Forest Commission and the Winneba District Forest are, Akrabong, Obotoumfo, Abasumba, Ahirasu Nos one and two, all near Awutu Bewuenum in the Awutu-Senya District of the Central Region.

Mr Awuah said the reserves have been designated as a Globally Significant Biodiversity Area and are being protected for their exceptionally high levels of biological diversity.

He said around the globe, eco-tourism is quickly becoming one of the most popular forms of vacationing adding that the objective of the program was to create jobs and revenue generation whilst maintaining their statuses.

Mr Nkansah-Kwarteng said the Forestry Commission has constructed tourism centre at Awutu Bewuenum with hostel facilities for visitors adding that it had also formed Community Biodiversity Advisory Groups to protect the area.

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