Business of Ecotourism: Conversation with Carol Patterson

[Carol Patterson]

Although ecotourism

[Carol Patterson]

Like you, I

[planeta]

Later this month Planeta.com announces the winner of the Ecotourism Spotlight Award -- http://www.planeta.com/ecotravel/tour/a ... light.html -- created as a way of showcasing government websites that promoted responsible travel and ecotourism.

In your view, do you see many government portals that not only provide theory but actually do a good job of showing people where to go, who to visit and how to travel in country?

Do you have any recommendations of what you would like to see on government portals?

[Carol Patterson]

It

[Carol Patterson]

I mentioned earlier that photography can be a great revenue generator for ecotourism organizations. To learn more about Doug Adams, a tourism operator who has successfully diversified his business using photography check out my fall newsletter
http://www.kalahari-online.com/aut07.pdf

The experience he has gained can benefit many other organizations.

Carol

[planeta]

Administrative note - This topic has received more than 1,000 views.

Thank you, Carol and Planeta readers!

[planeta]

Thanks, Carol. Those are all wonderful tips.

One question -- many ecotourism businesses are run as mom and pop operations, some with little desire to grow that much. More improvements to marketing = more work!

Some are quite satisfied to remain a niche market, sometimes with a limited upscale audience, some with a limited backpacker market. This is one reason why communication can be very slow.

Have you found this to be true where you work? And if so, how does this niche work with more competitive spheres in tourism?

[planeta]

Carol, you were recently at the Travel Tourism & Research Association Conference. What research was presented at this event that would be
of interest to ecotourism organizations?

[Carol Patterson]

National Geographic recently rated the Faroe Islands the Number #1 Island Ecotourism destination. http://www.nationalgeographic.com/trave ... lands.html

For those of you not familiar with the Faroe Islands, the islands are an autonomous region of Denmark located about halfway between Iceland and Denmark. There are 18 islands and less than 50,000 people in the whole country which is probably one of the reasons why they still have a very unique culture. The main industries are fishing (in decline), sheep herding (on an incline from what I could see of the sheep perched on the steep hillsides) and tourism (the reason I was there recently)

I was invited to speak at the Faroes first ecotourism conference and I was impressed by the reaction of the Faroese to the award. Rather than sitting back and gathering accolades, the government and tourism professionals are talking about the implications of winning. They recognize the need for new legislation and planning to maintain their culture and physical environment. It was wonderful to see such a proactive approach to developing their tourism industry in a sustainable fashion. For a review of the conference check out the blog of Faroe Man at http://faroe-island.blogspot.com/2007/1 ... lands.html

To see my video of the Faroe Islands visit YouTube at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoUyTnRcIxU

Carol

[Carol Patterson]

I got the chance to tag along with Santa today when he delivered his presents to the elephant, red panda and tiger born this year at the Calgary Zoo. My first introduction to ecotourism was at the Calgary Zoo and I was on the board for a number of years so I

[planeta]

Planeta.com has a number of guides to Canadian cities, including Calgary
http://www.planeta.com/ecotravel/canada/calgary.html

That said, these are very modest guides, very much a work in progress!

Two questions: Carol, can you help me edit the Calgary guide in early 08?

And second, can you recommend any media contacts at the local or national level who can help with our other guides, including Montreal, Ottawa and Vancouver, all indexed on our Canada guide
http://www.planeta.com/canada.html

Cities
http://www.planeta.com/ecotravel/canada/montreal.html
http://www.planeta.com/ecotravel/canada/vancouver.html
http://www.planeta.com/ecotravel/canada/ottawa.html

[Carol Patterson]

I had the opportunity to interview Lotay Rinchen, Senior Travel Manager of Bhutan Expeditions, recently. He shared some very interesting insights on tourism in Bhutan and the changes that may occur as the country moves towards its first demogratically elected government. To see the interview, please check out my newsletter at http://www.kalahari-online.com/win08.pdf

Carol

[Carol Patterson]

Ever noticed how many travel brochures don

[planeta]

Carol, the 15th annual Tourism Educators Conference brings together leaders from the tourism industry and education. The event takes place May 8-10 in Whistler, British Columbia. The conference theme is Taking Action - Global Climate Change and Tourism/Hospitality Education. The conference is organized by the British Columbia Centre for Tourism Leadership and Innovation (BCTLI), which hosts the Tourism Online Resource Centre. The organizers are participating in the Planeta Wiki and editing the event info
http://planeta.wikispaces.com/tourismed ... conference

Question - In your view, how comfortable are Canadian tourism professionals and universities in using Web 2.0 technologies? Do you see other wikis that are Canada-focused?

[Carol Patterson]

If I was to reverse engineer the ecotourism brand, I think the industry should integrate ecotourism and its principles into all aspects of North American life. Tour operators and destinations could link ecotravel to personal benefits like good health, stronger family ties or an improved quality of life and create new markets.

The organic food industry has been successful with a similar approach. In a few short years organic food products have gone mainstream. No longer the domain of