Ecotourism in Madagascar - Responsible Tourism: Critical Issues for Conservation and Development - page 26

In 2008, after several years of raising awareness and training the local popula-
tion around the two hotels, the project plans to expand and provide village men
with boats to offer trips to tourists and establish their own micro businesses.
Village women will be trained in making humpback whale handicraft and they will
learn how to establish their own small handicraft stalls.
Ecolodge greenwashing
The misuse of the term 'ecotourism' unfortunately minimizes the reputation and
the activities of proper ecotourism businesses such as those cited above and
undermines their competitive advantage. Lodges calling themselves 'ecolodges'
are mushrooming in Madagascar as a lot of traditional lodge owners use the term
for promotional activities without a proper understanding of the value of the
term. This form of marketing is called 'greenwashing', whereby lodges are claim-
ing to be something they are not. At the present time, there are no regulations and
norms on what can be classified as an 'ecolodge' on administrative level. With this
in mind, the International Ecotourism Society developed an Ecolodge criteria
system in 2002 for determining whether an 'ecolodge' is truly an ecolodge (Mehta
et al, 2002). For an accommodation facility to be called an ecolodge, it needs to
satisfy five of the following criteria, three of which must embody the three main
principles of ecotourism mentioned earlier in this paper:
1 help in the conservation of the surrounding flora and fauna;
2 have minimal impact on the natural surroundings during construction;
3 fit into its specific physical and cultural contexts through careful attention to
form, landscaping and colour, as well as the use of vernacular architecture;
4 use alternative, sustainable means of water acquisition and reduce water
consumption;
5 provide for the careful handling and disposal of solid waste and sewage;
6 meet its energy needs through passive design and renewable energy sources;
7 use traditional building technology and materials wherever possible and
combine these with their modern counterparts for greater sustainability;
8 endeavour to work together with the local community;
9 offer interpretive programmes to educate both its employees and tourists
about the surrounding natural and cultural environments;
10 contribute to sustainable local development through education programmes
and research (Mehta et al, 2002).
There is flexibility within this criteria system. For example, an ecolodge does not
need to satisfy the use of local building materials criteria if there are non available.
If this criteria system is implemented and enforced in Madagascar, then green-
washing can be reduced, as has been evidenced in some areas of Australia and
Kenya.
With only a few true ecotourism operators in existence and with the incredi-
ble biodiversity Madagascar is able to provide for ecotourism products, it is quite
clear that Madagascar's ecotourism potential is far from being exploited and that