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  Ecotourism.... by Linda Baxter              [top of page]

New Delhi: “The Indian Express in association with The British Council presents another initiative “Learn English”. There will be a series of 36 articles appearing in the Quest page every thursday. This is the 11th episode in the series of 36.There are also exciting prizes to be won. You can collect upto 26 articles and send it back to us in a scrapbook format.

The best four entries will win:
* 2 Free Adult courses (For classesVIII to XII) of 32 hours’ duration.
* 2 Free Young Learners Courses (For classes IV to VII) of 16 hours’ duration.

The courses are offered only at The British Council English Language Teaching Centre, Delhi . For more details of the courses please visit www.britishcouncil.org/india”

                Imagine the scene. You’re sitting in the hot sunshine beside the swimming pool of your international luxury hotel, drinking your imported gin and tonic. In front of you is the beach, reserved for hotel guests with motor boats for hire. Behind you is an 18-hole golf course, which was cleared from the native forest and is kept green by hundreds of water sprinklers. 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 handicrafts outside the hotel. You bought 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 environment as little as possible. We recycle our newspapers and bottles, we take public transport to get to work, we try to buy locally produced fruit and vegetables and we stopped using aerosol sprays years ago. And we want to take these attitudes on holiday with us. This is why alternative 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, alternative tourism, sustainable tourism, nature tourism, adventure tourism, educational tourism and more. Ecotourism probably involves 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 is make a profit without destroying natural resources

* provide an experience that tourists want to pay for.

So, for example, in a true ecotourism project, a nature reserve allows a small number of tourists to visit its rare animals and uses the money that is generated to continue with important conservation work. The local people have jobs in the nature reserve as guides and wardens, but also have a voice in how the project develops. Tourists 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 from the local population. They travel on foot, by boat, bicycle or elephant so that there is no pollution. And they have a special experience that they will remember all of their lives.

This type of tourism can involve only small numbers of people so it can be expensive. But you can apply the principles of ecotourism wherever you go for your holiday.

Just remember these basic rules.

* Be prepared. Learn about the place 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 holiday 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 visitor.

* Don’t waste resources. If the area doesn’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 a sense of humour 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 a lot of holidays that are advertised as ecotourism are not much better than traditional tourism.

But before you get too enthusiastic, think about how you are going to get to your dream ‘eco’ paradise. Flying is one of the biggest man-made sources of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Friends of the Earth say that one return flight from London to Miami puts as much carbon dioxide into the atmosphere as the average British car driver produces in a year. So don’t forget that you don’t have to fly to exotic locations for your ‘eco’ holiday. There are probably places of natural beauty and interest in your own country that you’ve never visited.

Vocabulary
Five words/phrases from the text:
* conserve: to prevent the loss of something
* benefit: something that is advantageous or good
* waste: to consume uselessly
* endangered: threatened with danger of extinction
* footprint: the mark left by a person’s foot

Exercise one
Vocabulary gap fill. Now use the five words/phrases to fill the gaps in the sentences below:
Please don’t ………[1] your money on buying me a present.
The wolf is an ………[2] species in parts of Europe.
The burglar left a ………[3] in the garden of a size 46 shoe, so the police were able to find him.
The Historical Society are trying to ………[4] the natural state of the park.
Your health will ………[5] greatly if you do some regular exercise.

Exercise two
Comprehension: true or false. Decide whether these sentences are TRUE or FALSE according to the text:

1. Ecotourism is growing in popularity.
2. Everyone agrees that ecotourism should be good for the local community.
3. Ecotourism can only be enjoyed in specially prepared locations.
4. People on ecotourism holidays should not stay in hotels.
5. You do not need to fly in order to have an eco-holiday.

Source: Express News

 Dated 1st October 2009

 

 

 

 

                              Tamil Nadu tourism launches website to lure tourists                [top of page]

Chennai: The Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC) on Wednesday launched a virtual tours on its website to enable the tourists to have first hand experience of the tourist locations in the state. The website has captured and displayed the eye catching natural beauty and architectural splendours of the spectacular tourist hot spots of this south Indian state.
                 Speaking after inaugurating the website TTDC chairman Irai Anbu said: "Virtual Tour is an attempt to make the people have a vicarious experience about the various tourist spots of Tamil Nadu. For example if someone has not visited Madurai, they can go through Madurai Temple and virtually have an experience of travelling through the temple and see the nooks and corners of the temple, the beautiful sculptures of the temple and have an indirect experience of the temple.” “This will motivate him to visit the temple and experience it in real life,” Anbu added.

                 The virtual tours website makes all the tourist places appear lively on the screen with real effects by just a click of the mouse. One can experience the temples and the adventure spots on their computer monitors. The virtual tours can be viewed on the website www.tamilnadutourism.org. The Government of Tamil Nadu has provided several new features like medical tourism fairs, package tours, tourism policy announcements, online reservation system among others through this virtual tours for the benefits of both domestic and foreign tourists.

Source: India News

Dated 1st October 2009

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                  Sikkim to be awarded for most responsible Tourism State of 2009                      [top of page]

Gangtok, October 3: Sikkim Tourism will be adding yet another feather to its cap when it will receive Today’s Travellers Diamond Award for the most responsible Tourism State of 2009. The award will be given on October 15 on the occasion of the 12th anniversary of Today’s Travellers, one of the premier business and leisure travel magazines of India. The Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ambika Soni will present the award at Taj Palace Hotel in New Delhi.
              State Tourism Minister Bhim Dhungel along with Secretary SBS Bhadauria is likely to attend the award function. “This would be the 15th major award bagged by Sikkim in tourism,” Mr. Bhadauria told SIKKIM EXPRESS. Earlier, Sikkim has bagged two awards from the same organization in the year 2007 and 2007 for the most picturesque destination and best emerging tourism state respectively.

Source: Sikkim Express

Dated: 3rdOctober 2009

 

 

 

 

 

                                           Tourist complaints galore, Secretary expresses concern                 [top of page]

Gangtok, October 3: The State Tourism Secretary SBS Bhadauria today expressed concern over incidents of fleecing tourists on transportation cost while visiting different places in the State. Mr. Bhadauria also informed that the department has been receiving several complaints from the visiting tourists of charging too much at hotels and taxis especially in the State Capital. This, the secretary said was also a matter of concern for tourists, who are at present making several complaints to the department.
              According to source information, one of the hotels in the Capital has been booked for overcharging after getting a compliant from the tourists. Now the department is in the process of cancelling the license of that hotel, said the source. Speaking to SIKKIM EXPRESS, Amit Dey, a tourist from Kolkata said, despite going through the government approved rate boards, some of the drivers in Gangtok were charging more on the pretext of waiting charge.
              In this context, the secretary said that the vehicle rates have already been fixed by Motor Vehicles Department which is to be displayed clearly in every tourist vehicle. At the same time, it is informed that drivers ferrying tourists seldom comply with the government approved rate board. Mr. Bhadauria added that the department has made mandatory to issue cash receipts for all the service provided to any customers. “Anyone found violating the guidelines will be taken serious actions by the department,” the secretary added.

 Source: Sikkim Express

 Dated: 3rdOctober 2009

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                         Sikkim travel agents smile as tourists flood in           [top of page]

Gangtok, October 3: There are reasons for the travel agents operating in Sikkim to smile with the rise in tourist inflow in the Himalayan State. Despite reports of Chinese incursion along the border in extreme northern Sikkim, there has been no dip in domestic tourist arrivals in the State this season. In January 2009, at least 27,138 domestic tourists arrived in Sikkim followed by around 32, 038 tourists in February – an increase of 7,883 as compared to the corresponding period in 2008. Speaking to SIKKIM EXPRESS, general secretary of Travel Agents Association of Sikkim (TAAS) Lukendra Rasaily said the inquiry response has come up with lots of bookings for October and November. “To me it looks like the response has really not come down as the enquiry response has really come up with lots lot of bookings for October and November and even the hotels in Sikkim are very well booked,” Mr. Rasaily said.
             He added that taxis are also running short as usual for the tourist and all the hotels are over packed. According to one of the hoteliers in the Capital, the incursion news has hardly made any difference in the tourist inflow. “We expected low key response this year because of the reports of skirmishes at the border but this did not happen,” the hotelier said, Moreover, domestic tourist inflow into Sikkim is on the rise so far this year, but there has been a drop in foreign tourists visiting the State.
            According to data available at the State tourism department, as many as 27,138 domestic tourists arrived in Sikkim in January 2009. This is 5,623 more than the number of tourists who visited the state last year in January. Similarly, in February, 32,038 domestic tourists visited the northeastern state, 7,883 more than the corresponding period in 2008.
           The numbers are good and what is encouraging for the tourism sector is that even 2008 was a good year. As many as 44,275, 38,415 and 32,090 domestic tourist arrivals respectively were recorded in the last three months of 2008. In 2007, 38,695, 34,143 and 29,676 domestic tourists visited the state in October, November and December respectively. Relying on the data, the arrival of international tourists has, however, seen a drop so far this year. In January and February 2009, only 696 and 1,053 international tourist arrivals were recorded. Last year the numbers for these two months were 910 and 1,106 respectively.
Sikkim, however, witnessed an increase in international tourists inflow in the overall winter tourist season running from October 2008 to February 2009. During this period, 9,173 foreign travelers came to Sikkim. In the same period in the previous season the figure was marginally lower at 8,811.

Source: Sikkim Express

Dated: 3rd October 2009

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                   Water tankers’ strike cripples Darjeeling tourism                [top of page]

Darjeeling, October 4: Giving no respite to a bandh hit tourism industry in Darjeeling, a strike called by drivers of water tankers, the elixir of the hill station, has brought an excellent tourism season here down to its knees. The strike which began from yesterday had a rippling effect not only on the tourism stakeholders but also the common people here in the hill town. The agitating drivers are demanding that the tankers be allowed to enter the town and distribute water as per their convenience. Talks at various levels from today morning have failed to mitigate the issue.
              The resultant water scarcity have forced the hotels here to started rejecting new tourists while forcing the guests to bring their Darjeeling sojourn to an abrupt end from today.
“Water had stopped coming from yesterday and we are out of water so we are compelled to ask our guests to check out”, said a hotel owner. We are also unable to take in new guests, he added.
Almost all the hotels here depend on water tankers for their daily water supply of 15000 to 18000 litres. After a tumultuous nine months, a good season had beckoned for the tourism industry in Darjeeling this puja break with arrival of domestic and foreign tourists in good numbers leading to packed hotels.
             However, the problem posed by agitating water tanker drivers has spoiled a good ending for the tourism industry of Darjeeling. Locals are also facing water supply problems in the town area which already notorious for its meager water supply sources.
            Meanwhile, the drivers are adamant that they be allowed to ply their tankers in the bazaar area as per the old timetable – till 8 am in the morning, between 11 am to 3 pm and after 6 pm in the evening.
The Darjeeling traffic police had tweaked the existing time table to allow the tankers to enter the bazaar area only between 1 pm to 4 pm in the afternoon which led to the strike call.
An offer of 12 noon to 4 pm timetable by the police to the drivers was not accepted leading to the impasse.
At the same time, the Darjeeling Hotel Owners Association has appealed to the drivers to call of their strike.
The water tanker drivers have also not allowed other private vehicles to ferry water into the town and till the time of filing this report, the strike has not be withdrawn.

Source: Sikkim Express

 Dated: 4th Oct 2009

 

 

 

 

                                  HP packages tourism with Ayurveda treatment              [top of page]

Shimla: Following the footsteps of Kerala tourism industry, Himachal Pradesh is integrating tourism with Ayurveda treatment by setting up a hub of health tourism in north India. For starters, the state has introduced Ayurveda treatment packages at three of its premium hotels—- Holiday Home Shimla, Tea Bud Palampur and Chail Palace, which will offer rejuvenating Panchkarma therapy massage to tourists, besides treatment for aliments such as chronic conjunctivitis, corneal ulcer, dry eye syndrome, osteo and rheumatoid arthritis and mental disorders.

                 The Panchkarma therapies for these ailments will be provided under expert guidance of doctors and trained staff of special Ayurveda centres being set up in the hotels. Hotel Tea Bud at Palampur has been equipped to provide treatment for more serious aliments through therapies like Abhyangam for improving concentration and mind power and Netra-Tarpan for eye and mental disorders.

Special techniques developed and mastered by Ayurveda experts of Kerala—- Pizhichil and the ancient classical therapy Kayadhara—- have also been introduced for curing rheumatic diseases like arthritis, paralysis, hemiplegia and nervous disorders.

               Sarvakaya Abhyangam, Shiro Dhara and skin treatments such as Triposha, Nalikerodakm and Kartatika Lepam are being offered at Shimla and Chail hotels. Spokesperson of the Tourism department said since Himachal offers favourable climate for these therapies, combining tourism with Ayurveda treatment is receiving a very good response from tourists, even though the treatments carry a good cost.

Source: Express India.com

Dated: 5th Oct. 2009

 

 

 

 

 

                      STDC initiate tourism promotion activities in Karnataka;          [top of page]

 mulls over setting up Sikkim House in Bangalore

Gangtok, October 5: A team of Sikkim Tourism Development Corporation (STDC) led by its Chairman Narendra Kr Subba recently initiated few interstate tourism promotion activities during their recent visit to Karnataka in South India. This, the STDC in a press release said was initiated keeping with the Congenial Tourism Policy of the State Government and vision of Chief Minister Pawan Chamling to make Sikkim a most attractive tourist destination.
                  During the visit, STDC has also tied-up with some other Tourism Development Corporations like Andhra Pradesh Tourism Dev. Corporation, Gujarat Tourism Development Corporation and international travel agencies like Thomas Cook International Travel Agency etc. The delegation has at the same time identified a house in Bangalore city to be taken in lease after government approval, which can be operated by STDC as Sikkim House, Karnataka.
                During the tour, the STDC delegates held inter-promotional talks with Jungle Lodges & Resorts Ltd. The team with APCCF and with its Managing Director, ND Tiwari, IFS, Chief Naturalist, S. Karthikeyan and its executive director visited Jungle Lodges, Bhimeswari Fishing and Nature Camp, Bandipur National Park and talked with the authorities.
                On October 3, the STDC and Karnataka Tourism Dev. Corporation held a talk and reached an agreement. Talks were also held with Vinay Luthra, MD, B. Prabhudhar GM, HT Ratnakar, PRO and RS Rameshan, Marketing and Business Manager of Karnatak Tourism Dev. Corporation and NK Subba, Chairman STDC, Anbalagan IFS, CEO, STDC and other team members. This it has been hoped would bring positive results for both the states, the release said.
                 It is also informed that the STDC and KSTDC believes that by holding this formal talks seek to tap tourism potential of the respective states, thereby enhancing the employment generation within tourism sector, develop tourism packages, services and products and make them accessible to the public through tourism publicity.
                 “Our talk emphasizes to depute a staff from STDC as a Laisoning Assistant to laison between the two corporations,” the release said adding “the business transaction and booking would soon start”. The release further said that both corporations would provide marketing space in their tourism sale counters at Gangtok and Bangalore on reciprocal basis. For STDC and KSTDC, the booking of its Tourist Lodge and Package Tours would be done on-line with the help of unique dedicated user 'ID and Pass' to be allocated to other party.
                 “Both corporations would take up joint publicity and marketing campaign for the activities of corporations to increase revenue. Both corporations would initiate special package tours in their respective states to promote tourism and explore the possibilities of joint tourism packages. Both corporations would participate in each others', tourism fairs and festivals and assist each other in promotion of tourism products in each others' states including Road Shows 011 reciprocal basis,” it is further informed.
                 STDC Chairman also hoped that Bangalore can become a South-India hub for Sikkimese people. The STDC hub at Bangalore it can be hoped, would serve as a guardian of Sikkimese people simultaneously promoting business and tourism for our state,” Mr. Subba said in the release.

 Source: Sikkim Express

 Dated: 5th Oct. 2009

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                         CM announces development packages for Melli,                                    [top of page]
Eco-friendly footpath to come up along Teesta bank studded with water fountains, street lights & fishing points

Namchi, October 11: Melli, an important yet neglected entry point to South and West Sikkim, is set for a revamp with Chief Minister Pawan Chamling announcing a slew of tourism, beautification and urbanization integrated packages for this sleeping town during his tour yesterday. Speaking about his intentions to usher in new age development for Melli so that this old town of the State catches up with the rapidly developing other urban areas of the State especially its Rangpo counterpart, the Chief Minister said that Melli figures prominently in the beautification plays of the State government.
               The Chief Minister had reached Melli after completing a recce of Ranipool, Singtam and Rangpo to explore the tourism, industry and beautification potential of these areas. Keeping in line with the Gangtok beautification drive, Mr. Chamling announced a similar drive for Melli while giving the directions to the accompanying ministers and bureaucrats to prepare DPRs. He also directed the authorities for setting up an eco-friendly footpath along the Teesta river bank below Melli bazaar. Street lights, recreation centre and water fountain should be set up along the footpath to boost tourism of Melli and Sikkim, he said. He also issued directions for setting up fishing points at various points of the eco-friendly footpath running along the Teesta river below the bazaar area.
               For Melli residents, Mr. Chamling announced that a fire station will be set up in the bazaar along with a multi-purpose community centre. A horticulture packaging centre will also come up here, he said during his tour. The Chief Minister also passed directions for road widening works from Melli check post to bazaar area and erecting a welcome gate before the bazaar area. He also announced that the sewerage system of Melli bazaar will be revamped and modernized. He also promised to restore the Shiva Mandir in the area which had been established in 1933.
                Mr. Chamling promised to provide all modern facilities to the Melli secondary school and directed the officials to process the necessary paperwork. During his interaction with the local people, the Chief Minister underlined the need to maintain the image of Sikkim as a peaceful State. We must shed our personal interests and work for the holistic development of Sikkim, he said appealing all to come forward and commit themselves to the vision and programmes of the State government. The Chief Minister completed his three hour long tour of Melli after giving a patient hearing to the grievances of the local people.

 Source: Sikkim Express

 Dated: 11th Oct.2009

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anil Ambani keen to invest in U’khand tourism                    [top of page]

Dehradun: Industrialist Anil Ambani today met Uttarakhand chief minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and pledged to develop the Chardham tourist circuit in the state.

After holding prayers at Badrinath and Kedarnath on Sunday, Ambani flew to Dehradun, where he held talks with Nishank for nearly one hour. An official release said Ambani expressed his desire to develop Chardham tourist circuit and inquired about various developmental plans in the region.

                   He said his company was ready to invest in these plans, adding that he would also like to participate in providing better facilities to pilgrims visiting the Chardham area.

Ambani also said he was interested in participating in industrial and power development programmes.  He said that Reliance Energy, which is developing the 280-mw Urthing-Sobla hydel project in Pitthoragarh on Dhauli Ganga river, was facing problems related to environmental clearances at the Centre.

                  Nishank said his government would take up the matter related to Urthing-Sobla with the Centre and help Reliance Energy in the early completion of the project. Nishank also informed Ambani that the state government has identified nearly 25,000 to 30,000 mw of power potential. Nishank said a master plan of the Chardham tourist circuit was also being prepared, where there was a tremendous scope for private investors to invest.

Source:Express India

 Dated: 12th Oct. 2009

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Focus offbeat destinations, Himachal on a tourism drive                       [top of page]

Shimla: With the tourism master plan being finalised, the Himachal Pradesh Government has decided to focus on some of the offbeat tourist destinations, which have the potential to transform local economy and become part of country’s tourism circuit in the next few years. The Centre has also agreed to substantially fund Himachal’s drive on offbeat tourism.

               Some of these destinations, chosen by the state’s Tourism department, are Solan, Baridhar, Gaura, Chail, Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Kangra, Mandi and Una. Principal Secretary (Tourism) Manisha Nanda said: “The state Government received a special grant of Rs 30 crore last month to create new facilities for development and improvements at new destinations identified to attract tourists. These places were not popular despite unique advantages.”

              Dharon-ki-Dhar in Solan district has always been a much talked about destination but there was no effort to add new facilities. The Government will now spend Rs 35 lakh to beautify the place. The waterfalls at Geva and Chail, which have been attracting tourists occasionally, have also been included in the scheme and nearly Rs 40 lakh would be spent on landscaping of the area and new camping sites, Nanda said.

             Funds have also been received for illumination at Bilaspur and development of parking near Bilaspur bus stand. Kangra, Nagrota, Barot and Dal Lake in Kangra are other areas under consideration.

Besides, the Government is also planning to spruce up temples of Narvdeshwar, Tauni Devi, Awh Devi, Shikari Devi, Dev Mandir and Kanchna Mata in Hamirpur and Mandi districts. Nanda said the Government had also received Rs 50 crore under a special project for tourism promotion in Kullu-Katarian-Manali and separate funding for integrated development of Shimla-Theog-Narkanda tourism circuit, besides developing Kotkhai-Jubbal as a new tourist destination.

            Kotkhai and Jubbal are known for producing finest grades of delicious apples and have beautiful forest patches. The Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation has recently  built a hotel at Kharapathar to cater to the needs of tourists visiting the area. One mega hydel project coming up near Rohru and declaring Hatkoti-Theog road a national highway are expected to add to tourism activities. Nanda said a Delhi-based consultancy firm, which was hired by the Government to prepare a concept paper on the master plan for tourism, had submitted its report. “We are studying the report and will soon finalise the master plan for development of tourism in Himachal till 2020,” she said.

             Despite the global recession, Himachal has received more than 85 lakh tourists in the last more than one year and more foreign tourists have started arriving here.

 Source:Express India

 Dated: 19th Oct. 2009

 

 

 

 

 

 

Time to rebuild tourism infrastructure: Omar Abdullah                 [top of page]

Srinagar: Describing tourism as the backbone of the economy of Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said time has come to rebuild tourism infrastructure in the state and recover from losses suffered due to militancy.

                "Time has come to rebuild our tourism infrastructure in such a manner so that besides having international compatibility this sector shall be able to recover from all the losses which this industry has suffered in the recent past," Abdullah said while interacting with representatives associated with the sector at a function organised by Travel Agents Society of Kashmir here.

The chief minister agreed with some representatives that rumours regarding presence of Taliban in Kashmir in the international media affected tourist arrivals but said the government had effectively refuted them.

"The communication by (state tourism minister) Nawang Rigzin Jora helped to restore the confidence of the tourist," he said. The chief minister said he daily monitored tourist arrivals to the state. The flow of visitors from other states, neighbouring countries, China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea and Central Asia was increasing though the graph of arrivals from the west showed a dip, he said.

 "This is the time for tourism department to concentrate on this shift of tourist flow and play its role in attracting people from these countries," he said.

Source:Express India

Dated: 21st Oct. 2009