Planeta Forum

[planeta]

Joshua Berman -- http://joshuaberman.net -- is an award-winning travel author, book editor, and savvy blogmaster. Author of Moon Belize, Moon Nicaragua, and Living abroad in Nicarauga, Berman makes Central America fun again for the eco traveler. He is particularly knowledgeable about studying and volunteering abroad, and recently returned from a 16-month, round-the-world, volunteer honeymoon with his wife, Sutay. Joshua has agreed to participate in this Q&A.

Starting this Q&A ...

Josh, in the world of ecotourism and volunteering abroad, what issues are you paying attention this year? What gets your goat? What's gives you hope?

[Josue]

Hello, people of Planeta -- thanks for inviting me.

What am I watching? The increasing number of companies that arrange service and education-oriented experiences abroad. These include non-profits, sister cities, churches, universities, reality tours, leadership trainings -- the list goes on. Inevitably some of these operations will be more successful at creating a fun, meaningful experience for the participant while maintaining a positive, sustainable impact on the host community.

What gets my goat? The continued dilution and bastardization of the "eco" prefix, at least when it comes to -lodges, -resorts, -adventure, -etc. What does it mean today? What does it mean to you? I try to only use it for smallish ventures that are community-based and locally-inspired, though even these guidelines are quite vague. "Ecotourism" has many warm, fuzzy connotations, but I fear its definition has become as broad as to include any tourism other than cruise ships or Cancun.

What gives me hope? See item one above. More volunteer- work- study- live-abroad programs means there is more demand, i.e. more people who recognize the value in spending time beyond their borders.

[Josue]

Regarding my goat-getting comment above, I'd like to point out that I love planeta's dialog on the definitions page:

http://www.planeta.com/ecotravel/tour/definitions.html

I particularly like the "crappy graph" you made with the overlapping circles which seems to fit my general idea of the word:

[pacifico]

Nice to see you on this forum, Joshua. And I agree with you: There are far too many phoney eco-tourism resorts out there. I know of one place in Fiji which paid an Australian "green certification" or greenwashing company to give them a high eco-tourism rating which they subsequently promoted in press releases and advertising. In reality, the place is a foreign-owned enclave with local people in a master-servant relationship. The fact that paintball is a main activity says where their minds are, and the noisy powerboats on their beach are anything but eco-friendly. Yet they still market themselves as an eco-resort! You can easily judge whether a self-proclaimed eco-tourism resort is real or fake by noting whether there's air-conditioning in the rooms. If there is, it's a fake.

[planeta]

Josh, thanks for the kind words about my crappy graph. I came up with it back in 96 when I was researching my books on Mexico and Honduras. 'What was ecotourism?' Far too often the concept was entirely conceptual -- meaning that travelers could not actually engage with local tour operators or conservationists -- or it was pure greenwash -- swimming with capitive dolphins or golf courses in the desert.

I have always taken a critical view of ecotourism certification -- http://www.planeta.com/ecotravel/tour/certification.html -- since the focus usually spotlights operators rather than places or even acadmics or policy leaders. When businesses are certified, those who can afford it are rarely the mom and pop grassroots operators I wish to visit. David points out an additional problem -- the certification label is rarely a guarantee of anything that makes sense to an eco-minded traveler. It's disappointing that most programs do not have public bulletin boards so that specific comments and criticisms can be addressed in real time.

That said, what are your views of certification programs in Belize and Nicaragua?

Also, can you recommend any programs (certification or other) that direct travelers to the smallish ventures, locally-inspired and community-based in Belize and Nicaragua?

[Josue]

Truth is, I don't keep updated as much as I should on certification programs. On my last trip to Nicaragua, however, I was informed about a number of upscale hotels, mainly in Granada, who are certified "sustainable" by Rainforest Alliance, part of their Sustainable Tourism Certification Network of the Americas (STCNA, http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/tourism.cfm?id=network). You can download a PDF of all certified businesses in Central America here:
http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/tourism.cfm?id=catalog
I think it's important that NGOs like RA maintain best practices lists and provide incentives for hotels to follow them.

As for small-scale, community-based tourism ventures, I'm not aware of any Central America-wide certification or organizational efforts to list these. However, worthy programs that stand out in my mind include coffee tourism programs in Matagalpa, Nicaragua and the Maya guest house program (Toledo Ecotourism Association, TEA) in southern Belize.

There's also the "Toucan Trail" in Belize, but this is more a round-up of budget (under $65 a night) accommodations throughout the country. Most are small, eco-minded businesses: http://toucantrail.com/

[planeta]

I haven't been to Belize -- http://www.planeta.com/belize.html -- but when I do go, I'd like to visit the Trek Stop -- http://thetrekstop.com -- which you wrote about so eloquently in your blog
http://blog.joshuaberman.net/06-12/budget-in-belize-uber-tranquilo-travelers-gather-at-the-trek-stop.html

Question - Any other recommendations for feel-good, best-value accommodation in Central America?

[Josue]

Hmm, I guess it depends on what makes you feel good and what you consider a best value. Hospedaje Santos in Managua used to be an absolute classic backpacker social stop, with characters from all over the world hanging around the funky rooms, but it's definitely seen better days and the neighborhood Marta Quezada has gone downhill in terms of safety.

Granada, Nicaragua has a number of similarly cool budget places, with convivial common areas, dorms, and great chances to meet people -- Bearded Monkey and Oasis are the best, with Oasis having a slightly more sedate, colonial mood. Of note are a few budget places on the shore of Laguna de Apoyo, especially Crater's Edge and the Monkey Hut.

I also love Hacienda Merida on La Isla de Ometepe -- that's a really faraway-feeling, good-times place with some o the best sunsets in Nicaragua.

[planeta]

Quick question - What's new in Belize?

[Josue]

I'm excited to find out next week when I go to Belize to begin update work on my book. One thing that is new is the cocoa-farming and chocolate-making opportunities in the Toledo region, where the Cotton Tree Lodge is offering a week-long chocolate package trip. Their cocoa operation is solar powered and fair trade, and I'll be posting photos and descriptions on my blog: [url]http://blog.joshuaberman.net/ [/url]

Also new is that the Kendall Bridge, which connects the southern third of the country to the northern two-thirds, has been washed out and the provisional bridges washed out multiple times, so cross your fingers that I'll even be able to make it to the south ...

[planeta]

How would you compare how Belize and Nicaragua treat tourism? I'm not just asking about the official line but also want you sense from the ground up.

[Josue]

Nicaragua and Belize are two very different places, so it's a bit like comparing papayas and coconuts ... but I'll try. I think Nicaragua is about 10-15 years behind Belize in terms of overall development of the tourism industry as a whole. That may not be fair, especially in Nicaragua's most popular spots (Granada and San Juan del Sur), but I think if you look at the whole country, it's about right.

It's much easier to go far and deep in Nicaragua, where leaving the country's short gringo trail is as easy as hopping on the nearest chicken bus to the campo. Belize much smaller and more condensed, so it's fairly easy to get around in little time, especially using the domestic airlines.

There is a much more variety of accommodations in Belize, where most of the country's 500 hotels are small and incredibly unique -- whereas many Nicaraguan hotel managers try to copy the successful traits of the property down the street.

Finally, it's far cheaper in Nicaragua. Belize's cost of living is skyrocketing, since the country is dependent on imported goods and the cost of diesel doubled in the last six months, affecting the cost of boat travel and driving.

[planeta]

Quick note - great to read this Q&A with Joshua online Budget Travel
http://www.budgettravel.com/bt-dyn/content/article/2008/08/05/AR2008080501376.html

[planeta]

Joshua, you are one of the rare authors who have an incredibly rich blog, not to mention overall web presence. What is your view of the future of the publishing industry? How long do you think your books will be in print? How long will you remain the author of Moon Belize and Nicaragua?

[advlife]

I wanted to bring you back to the topic of green-washing and the abused prefix “eco” … have you run into issues with travelers becoming green-exhausted? Along these lines -- a few months ago I was reading a newsletter from Sven Lindblad who mentioned he received a letter where a traveler essentially told him to stop all this “saving the world” non-sense and just “sell your cruises.” Anyone else worried that green-washing is leading to green-exhaustion?