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EcoCurrents

Uniting Conservation, Communities, and Sustainable Travel

Fourth Quarter 2007

Editor: Ayako Ezaki

The International Ecotourism Society (TIES)

LETTER FROM TIES TEAM

Your Travel Choice Makes a Difference

B

y choosing responsible travel, you can have the fabulous vacation thatyou’ve dreamed of, while ensuring that your dollars are benefiting theenvironment and the local people at your destination.Responsible travel is travel with a purpose. When choosing destinations,accommodations, and tour operators, consider which ones work to protectthe environment and benefit local cultures and communities. Anyone can be aresponsible traveler! You can get back to nature, or bathe in luxury... hike intothe rainforest, or explore the city... stay close to home, or travel to the exoticlocation of your dreams. Responsible travel provides many options and is oftenvery affordable.Read on to find out more...!

Dear TIES members:This year, at various times through our events and conferences, we enjoyed meeting and working with many of you. Thank you very much for the support you’ve shown us, and welook forward to many more opportunities to work with you in the coming year. In 2007, we were also thrilled to hear from many of you about the various achievements,awards and recognitions you have received. We continue to be inspired by the examples of our members who are making a difference in the world by helping change the way the world travels. Thank you for your continued commitment to ecotourism! In this issue of EcoCurrents, themed “Your Sustainable Suitcase,” you will ﬁnd a number of valuable tips on how to pack responsibly to minimize the negative impacts of your travel and maximize positive experience, and information on how and why your travel choice matters. For many of you who will be traveling this holiday, we wish you safe journeys and memorable, and sustainable, experience! From all of us at TIES, warm wishes for a wonderful holiday season and a very happy new year!- TIES team(Continued to Page 2)

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Uniting Conservation, Communities, and Sustainable Travel

TIES Advocacy Campaign:Your Travel Choice Makes a Difference

(Continued from Page 1)

M

aking informed choices before and during your trip is the singlemost important thing you can do to become a responsible traveler.With a little planning, you can improve the quality of your trip, whilemaking a real difference to the people and places you visit.

Five Easy Steps

1

Search the Web:

Look for websites specializing in responsibletravel, ecotourism, or sustainable tourism.

2

Consult guidebooks:

Choose guidebooks with information on your destination’s environmental, social and political issues, and read before booking. Guidebooks vary in quality, even within a series, butLonely Planet, Rough Guides, and Moon are among the best.

3

Make contact:

Call or email tour operators that have ﬁrsthandknowledge of the place you are considering visiting. Check the websites of all accommodations.

4

Ask questions:

Let tour operators/hotels know that you are a responsible consumer. Before you book, ask about their social andenvironmental policies. For instance: What is your environmental policy? What percentage of your employees are local citizens? Doyou support any projects to beneﬁt the local community?

5

Choose wisely:

Are the businesses you’re considering certiﬁed? Do they have eco-label ratings, or have they won eco-awards?

Helpful Internet Resources

The following websites provide useful tips on sustainable andresponsible travel.-

Green Traveller

, an online guide to green holidays and green places tostay:

www.greentraveller.co.uk

-

ResponsibleTravel.com

, a directory of carefully screened holidays run by specialist operators and accommodations: www.responsibletravel.com-

Lonely Planet Sustainable Travel & Responsible Tourism(START)

:

www.lonelyplanet.com/responsibletravel/

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Make Travel Fair

, tips and resources to help conscious travelers“learn the world” through travel:

www.maketravelfair.com

-

Seat61

, information on how to travel overland comfortably &affordably:

www.seat61.com

Change the Way You Travel and Help Change the World

TIES’

Your Travel Choice Makes a Difference

brochure, which includes theabove information and more useful tips on how to travel responsibly, has beendeveloped as part of our ongoing advocacy campaign to raise awareness of responsible travel practices.We encourage TIES members to use this brochure to educate your guests, employees, colleagues, students and community membersabout how their travel choice can make a difference. If you would like to receive complimentary copies* of the

Travel Choice

brochure, please contact: newsletter@ecotourism.org.

*Shipping cost not included.

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Uniting Conservation, Communities, and Sustainable Travel

Your Travel Choice Makes a Difference

(Cont’d)

In 2006, TIES partnered with the United Nations Foundation, the World Heritage Alliance, Rainforest Alliance, andExpedia, Inc. to developed a special “

Travel Choice

” brochure, to help educate tour operators and travelers abouthow to travel responsibly and help protect the World Heritage Sites of the Yucatan Penninsula in Mexico.

We welcome proposals from those who are interested in partnering with TIES to develop a destination-speciﬁc

Travel Choice

brochure and an educational campaign in your country or region.

For more information, please contact: education@ecotourism.org, with “Travel Choice” in the subject line.Please see: www.ecotourism.org to read more about “Travel Choice” and TIES’ other ongoing advocacy campaignon ecotourism and climate change, “Traveling with Climate in Mind.”Your Travel Choice Makes a Difference

brochure for the Yucatan World Heritage Sites, with a detachable book-mark with customized sustainable travel tips.

How can travelers make a difference in your community?