Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
43
of local people. TIES suggests that ecotour-
ists follow these principles:
• Minimize environmental impact.
• Build environmental and cultural
awareness and respect.
• Provide positive experiences for both
visitors and hosts.
• Provide direct financial benefits for
conservation and for local people.
• Raise sensitivity to host countries' politi-
cal, environmental, and social climates.
• Support international human rights
and labor agreements.
You can find some eco-friendly travel
tips and statistics, as well as touring com-
panies and associations—listed by destina-
tion under “Your Travel Choice”—at the
TIES
website,
www.ecotourism.org
. Also
check out
Ecotravel.com
, which lets you
search for sustainable touring companies
in several categories (water-based, land-
based, spiritually oriented, and so on).
While much of the focus of ecotourism
is about reducing impacts on the natural
environment, ethical tourism concentrates
on ways to preserve and enhance local
economies and communities, regardless of
location. You can embrace ethical tourism
by staying at a locally owned hotel or
shopping at a store that employs local
workers and sells locally produced goods.
Responsible Travel
(www.responsible
travel.com) is a great source of sustainable
travel ideas; the site is run by a spokesper-
son for ethical tourism in the travel indus-
try.
Sustainable Travel International
(www.sustainabletravelinternational.org)
promotes ethical tourism practices and
manages an extensive directory of sustain-
able properties and tour operators around
the world.
In the U.K.,
Tourism Concern
(www.
tourismconcern.org.uk) works to reduce
social and environmental problems con-
nected to tourism. The
Association of
Independent Tour Operators
(
AITO;
www.aito.co.uk) is a group of specialist
operators leading the field in making holi-
days sustainable.
ANIMAL
RIGHTS ISSUES
SeaWorld,
while most know it only as an
adventure park, is in fact a huge supporter
of both the environment and its inhabit-
ants. A good deal of the work they do
behind the scenes revolves around the res-
cue and rehabilitation of the ocean's wild-
life. At the same time, their attractions are
meant to help educate the public about
the inhabitants of the world's vast oceans
and the importance of keeping their envi-
ronments (and ours) safe for them (and
us) to live in. In addition, the
SeaWorld
Wildlife Fund
focuses its resources on
species research, habitat protection, ani-
mal rescue and rehabilitation, and conser-
vation education. Since its launch, it has
granted $5 million to more than 350 proj-
ects in 60 countries, including global
organizations such as World Wildlife
Fund, the Nature Conservancy, and Con-
servation International, along with smaller,
grassroots organizations. For those con-
cerned about their dolphin-swim pro-
grams, additional information about the
ethics of swimming with dolphins and
other outdoor activities can be found by
visiting the
Whale and Dolphin Conser-
vation Society
(www.wdcs.org) and
Tread
Lightly
(www.treadlightly.org).
Over at Walt Disney World,
Disney's
Worldwide Conservation Fund
(estab-
lished back in 1995 as a global awards
program for the study and protection of
the world's wildlife and ecosystems), in
association with Disney's Animal King-
dom, now contributes financially by sup-
porting some 750 projects with more than
$12 million in grants to organizations and
individuals working in 110 countries for
the protection and study of wildlife and
ecosystems—many of which are biological
hot spots rich in plant and animal life at
risk of imminent destruction. Locally,
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