Tip the planet

Go have a look at one of our favourite new websites out there - Tiptheplanet, which is filled with thousands of tips that can help you and all those around you to be a little bit more responsible in your daily lives. They too are bloggers supreme - TTP Blog

Bandwagoning

Expedias corporate travel goes carbon neutral demonstrating that there is increasing pressure for travel companies to go carbon neutral.

Sawdays - new book

Check out a new book from Alastair Sawdays - Green Places to Stay

Responsible Tourism is the Future

Here is an interesting article about the ways in which ‘irresponsible’ tourism has been detrimental to both the environment and economic sustainability of Grand Cayman, exemplifying the importance of responsible tourist in its planning for the smaller Little Cayman and Cayman Brac.

What You Need to Know About Responsible Travel

Here is an article that provides a holistic beginners guide to responsible tourism, looking at its existance, growth and importance.

The New Thing is the Eco Spa

Click here to read about he wondrous possibilities available in the world of ‘Eco-spas’. To find out more about what Travelroots has to offer in terms of spa retreats click here and here.

It's Eco-Tourism Time

With tourism growing as one of the World's leading industries it is no surprise that eco-tourism is becomming the popular option among both tour operators and tourists. The days of self-contained disruptive tourism are on their way out as we make way for the sustainable, responsible option. To read more about this click here and to read about our responsible holdiay destinations click here.

"The Curse of the Day Trippers"

In the past 5 years Belize has seen an sharp increase in the number of cruise ship tourists with numbers now reaching 800 000, approximately 3 times the national population of 280 000. Predictably with numbers such as this come the bootstrap entrepreneurs who wait at the shore for the returning cruise passengers. This form of tourism starkly contrasts the image that Belize has been building as an eco-tourism paradise.
For more information about his subject click here.

What Shade of Green Are You?

Here is a very intersting article discussing the modern approach to eco-holidaying and eco-living. It’s a really interesting read and even tells what the origin of the word ‘eco’ is. Click here to find out about the new wave of ‘pale green’ traveller and a bit more about those band-wagon jumping “eco” destinations.

Travel routes on the other hand offers only bona fide and well research responsible travel destinations. To learn more about them click here and to learn about ways in which you can behave in a more environmentally responsible manner click here

Think Before you Fly

Roughguides.com is launching a new feature on their websites. They have incorporated a section to encourage responsibility in air travel. Whilst acknowledging the social, political and economical advantages of tourism they want to draw their reader’s attention to the climatic effects of long haul and multi-journey air travel. To maximise the impact of this message Rough Guides are joining forces with Lonely Planet. Please visit their website and review what they are saying about the problem that won’t go away as long as people continue to want to travel.

An Exciting New Destination

In an article written on ShanghaiDaily.com you can find some interesting information about a potential ecotourism destination on the nearby Chongming Island. The island now has an ecological tour route enabling visitors to explore the surrounding flora and fauna. To find out more please click here.

British Tourism Concerns

Click here to read an article written prior to the British Travel Trade Fair which opened yesterday at the NEC in Birmingham about the steps the British Government need to take in order to make Britain a real player in the tourism game. We at Travelroots are keen to support British tourism, to find our more about our holidays click here.

Dominica - the ecotourism dream

The Caribbean island of Dominica announced that it has received Benchmark designation as a Green Globe Destination for the second year in a row from the eco-tourism organization, Green Globe 21. Dominica became the first country ever to receive this designation in October 2004.

"I am delighted that Dominica has achieved Benchmarked status,” said Cathy Parsons, Chief Executive Officer of Green Globe Asia Pacific International. “Dominica is an inspiration to all those people committed to environmentally sustainable tourism. They have demonstrated through a variety of initiatives that they can make a difference to reducing their environmental impact. The commitment they have shown by participating in the Green Globe program and by their achievements sets an example for others to
follow".

Green Globe 21 was developed by the World Travel & Tourism Council in 1994 and is the global Benchmarking, Certification and improvement system assisting the international travel and tourism industry to attain sustainability. Green Globe 21 provides a certification system that responds directly to the major environmental problems facing the planet, including the greenhouse effect, over-use of freshwater resources, destruction of biodiversity, production of solid and biological waste and social issues. As of 2006, there are participants on all continents and in over 50 countries worldwide.

To find out more information click here.

Sustainable Tourism Certification Programs

Sustainable tourism certification programs were under the spotlight at a consultative meeting sponsored and convened by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). There is still little quantifiable data available on the ability of these schemes to promote change. Consumer recognition is low, and industry intermediaries are only beginning to consider certification as a tool for due-diligence and preliminary
selections of suppliers. Without an effective strategy for increasing demand from businesses that wish to be certified, there will be insufficient certified products to educate consumers or to enable tour operators to fill their catalogues. As it would be misleading to promote certification as a way of directly increasing occupancy and sales, it was felt that other marketing strategies should be used. The strengths and weaknesses of international accreditation standards and logos were discussed and the benefits of a Sustainable Tourism Stewardship Council considered.

The majority agreed to prepare a business plan for a body to deliver mainly quality assurance and marketing benefits to certification programs. However, the UN World Tourism Organization does not believe the time is right and UNEP (as meeting convenors) abstained.

Check out our sustainable holiday options by clicking here