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Articles tagged with: island

Innovation Award, Sustaining Destinations »

[8 Aug 2010 | 4 Comments | 1,020 views]
2010 Innovation Award Finalist: Institute at the Golden Gate

The travel and tourism sector is the key economic sector for small island states with tourism accounting for a significant share of their foreign exchange earnings. Warming seas threaten the livelihood of small island developing economies worldwide, in part because of their dependence on healthy coral reefs. A lack of basic sanitation and the continued rise in sea levels due to climate changes are significant environmental stress factors impacting fragile coral reef systems throughout the world.

Ecotourism in Action »

[22 May 2010 | One Comment | 1,021 views]
Isla Palenque Boutique Resort Designed with a Sense of Place

The Resort at Isla Palenque is a private island resort located in Panama’s sparkling Gulf of Chiriqui. The resort has recently been recognized for its creative planning, innovative foresight and original thinking in the areas of sustainable design and development. The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) has presented Isla Palenque with the 2010 ASLA Professional Award, recognizing the resort’s development process outlined in its master plan as a model for sustainable and responsible development for others to follow.

Ecotourism in Action »

[15 Mar 2010 | 3 Comments | 1,501 views]
Chumbe Island: Marine Ecotourism at its Best

Chumbe Island, a half-mile-long coral rag island just eight miles south of Zanzibar’s infamous Stone Town, has become a celebrated ecotourism success story in the Zanzibar archipelago. Its history is a narrative best told directly by Sibylle Riedmiller, a German conservationist who came to Chumbe looking for a coral reef to protect in the late 80s. After years of complex negotiations among several actors, Sibylle’s determination persevered and in 1994 Chumbe Island Coral Park became Tanzania’s first marine protected area

Local & Slow Travel Stories, Mountains & Adventures, ecoDestinations »

[8 Feb 2010 | 9 Comments | 2,027 views]
Sicilian Experience – Live the True Sicilian Lifestyle

By Carmelina Ricciardello, Sicilian Experience – On the geographical map of Italy, at the bottom of the peninsula, lies the island of Sicily which looks like a football being kicked away by the boot of the Italian peninsula. This might be the heartfelt wish of some Italians, mainly because of the island’s historic link with the mafia. I live in a quiet little village of Sant’Ambrogio, just 5 kms from a bustling tourist town. Founder of Sicilian Experience, I’m a firm believer that Sicily can become known as a haven for ecotourism and sustainable tourism opportunities, rather than for its “Il Padrino” (The Godfather) reputation.

Marine Tourism, Wildlife Conservation & Education »

[23 Dec 2009 | One Comment | 1,825 views]
MWSRP: Community Focused Whale Shark Conservation Initiatives in the Maldives

Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme (MWSRP), as its name suggests, study whale sharks in the Republic of Maldives. However, that aspect of their work is merely the tip of the ice berg. The programme was created in 2006, when four British university graduates set off to the 1192-island archipelago on a pilot study in search of the whale shark, after learning from the dive industry (already well established in the Maldives) that there were a substantial number of whale sharks throughout the country but not one person was studying them.

ecoDestinations »

[4 Oct 2009 | 2 Comments | 763 views]
Responsible Travel in Samoa

By Ethan Gelber, whl.travel – Nynette Sass shows all of the bold spirit, but none of the impudence, suggested by her surname. From her first talofa lava (greetings to you) of the day, her gusto is contagious, especially when she talks about her native Samoa. This is unabashedly a good thing for the CEO of the Samoa Hotels Association (SHA), a board member of the Samoan Umbrella of Non-Government Organizations and chairman of the Private Sector Support Facility.

Marine Tourism, ecoDestinations »

[28 Aug 2009 | 2 Comments | 1,415 views]
Local proactive marine conservation in Parque Natural da Madeira, Portugal

“To become familiar with Parque Natural da Madeira means valuing it and conserving it better! The area of Parque Natural da Madeira, which covers approximately two-thirds of the territory of the Island of Madeira, is protected by legal mechanisms and concrete measures. It also enjoys the dedicated actions of private and public services and, in particular, counts on the determination of Madeiran citizens to preserve and hold it in high esteem.” – Manuel Antonio Rodrigues Correia, Madeira Regional Secretary of the Environment and Natural Resources

Marine Tourism, ecoDestinations »

[6 Aug 2009 | One Comment | 1,433 views]
“No Caught Shark Allowed”: Matava leading the Shark Free Marina Initiative in Fiji

Matava and Bite Me Gamefishing Charters in Fiji are taking a leading role in the international shark conservation efforts, organizing Fiji to become the first country to fully participate in the Shark-Free Marina Initiative (SFMI). The SFMI works with marinas, boaters and fishermen to develop policy designed to protect sharks as a vital component of the oceans health. The SFMI’s purpose is to reduce worldwide shark mortality. Working with marinas, fishermen and like minded non-profit groups, it forms community conscious policy and increase awareness of the need to encourage shark conservation.

Marine Tourism, ecoDestinations »

[31 Jul 2009 | 3 Comments | 2,754 views]
Coconut crab conservation in Vanuatu

(This article was first published by our friends at whl.travel, who have agreed to its republication here.) In April 2001, John and Silvana Nicholls, today owners and operators of Vanuatu Hotels, arrived in Vanuatu to launch and manage the new White Grass Ocean Resort on the island of Tanna. It was their intention to ensure that it would operate according to strict environmental guidelines, so they immediately declared it a bird sanctuary, protecting fowl from the indigenous practice of hunting and eating them.

Marine Tourism, ecoDestinations »

[30 Jul 2009 | 3 Comments | 1,681 views]
Whale shark encounters in the Maldives: protecting a gentle giant

(This article was first published by our friends at whl.travel, who have agreed to its republication here.) Somewhere along the line we have all heard of the Maldives, renowned for their turquoise waters and year-round idyllic weather. With over 1,000 islets and 26 atolls, the Republic of Maldives is located in the Indian Ocean about 700km southwest of Sri Lanka. Beauty through purity is one of the things that make the Maldives a premium romantic location targeted by honeymooners. However, unlike the typical visitor, why not jump at the occasion to see the country from a completely different perspective