RESPONSIBLE TRAVELLING

  

Imagine the scene . You're sitting in the hot sunshine beside the swimming pool of your international luxury hotel,drinking your imported gin and toxic. In front of you is the beach, reserved for hotel guests with motor boats for hire. Behind you is an 8-hole golf course,which was cleared from the native forest and is kept green by hundreds of water springlike. Around the hotel are familiar international restaurant chains and the same shops that you have at home. You've seen some local people-some of them, sell local handcrafts outside the hotel. 

You brought a small wooden statue and after arguing for half an hour you paid only a quarter of what the man was asking. Really Cheap !

Is this your idea of heaven or would you prefer something different ?

Nowadays , many of us try to live in a way that will damage the environments as little as possible. We recycle our newspaper and bottles,we take public transport to get to work,we try to buy locally produced fruit and vegetables ans we stopped using aerosol sprays years ago,. And we want to take these attitudes on holiday with us. This is why alternatives forms of tourism are becoming more popular all over the world.

But What is ecotourism ?
There are lots of names for these new forms of tourism: responsible tourism,nature tourism,alternative tourism, sustainable tourism,adventure tourism, educational tourism and more. Ecotourism probably involve a little of all of them. Everyone has  a different definition but most people agree that ecotourism must:

• conserve the wildlife and culture of the area. 
• benefit the local people and involve the local community
• be sustainable that makes  a profit without detryoing natural resources
• provide and experience that tourist want to pay for. 

So, for example in a true ecotourism project, a nature reserve allows a small number of toursits to visit rare animals and uses the money that is generated to continue with important conservation work. The local people have jobs in the nature reserves as guides and wardens, but also have a voice in how the project develops. Tousists stay in local houses with local people,not in specially built hotels.
So they experience the local culture and do not take precious energy and water away form the local population. they travel on foot, by boat and bicycle or elephants so that there is no pollution. And they have a special experience that they will remain all of their lives.

This type of tourism can involb\ve only smal;l numbesra of people so it cani be expensive. But you can apply the principles of ecoturism whereever you go for your holidays. Just remeber the basic rules.

• Be prepared . Learn about the places that you're going to visit. Find out about its culture and history. Learn a little of the native language, at least basics like 'please,'thank you' and 'good morning. Think of your holidays as an opportunity to learn something.

• Have respect for local culture. Wear clothes that will not offend people. Always ask permission before you take a photograph. Remember that you are a visitior. 
• Don't waste resources. If the area don't have much water. Don't take two showers every day. 
• Remember the phrase "Leave nothing behind you except footprints and take nothing away except photographs. 'Take as much care of the places that you visit as you take of your own home. Don't buy souvenirs made from endangered animals or plants.

• Walk or use other non-polluting forms of transport whenever you can.

• Be flexible and keep and sense of humor when things go wrong. 

• Stay in local hotels and eat in local restaurants. 

• Buy local products whenever possible and pay a fair price for what you buy. 

Choose your holiday carefully. Don't be afraid to ask the holiday company about what they do that is 'eco'. Remember that'eco' is very fashionable today and lot of holidays that are advertised as ecotourism are not much better than traditional tourism.