Category:Travel And Culture

Sustainable Tourism

Sustainable tourism industry attempts to make traveling a low impact activity on the environment and the local culture, while helping income and employment generation and the conservation of local ecosystems. It is a form of responsible travel that is both ecologically and culturally sensitive. Sustainable tourism aims to conserve the resources and increase the value of local culture and tradition. And it is not just the locals who are keen to promote ecotourism but also the vistors. A recent survey revealed that nine out of ten respondents are keen to opt for an environmentally and culturally sensitive travel and would like to choose tourism products that show concern about tourism's impact on local culture, while protecting the natural environment. More...

Staycation

A staycation, according to The New York Times, is "a neologism used by those who prefer to unravel the mysteries of the world from the comfort of their living room couches." Apart from saving a precious non-renewable resource like oil, staycations can also save money. More

The Lébou people say that not knowing is bad, but not seeking knowledge is worse. Travel in the modern world is an ethical minefield of terms like ethical tourism, responsible travel, fair trade travel.

A larger number of people are now travelling to experience more than just the all sensory touchables like new sights, sounds, smells, and tastes. What travellers seek today is the real with more interpersonal connections with the locals of an area.

So if you are going to travel the world, avoid the cultural bloopers, get informed, inform others, contribute the maximum while disturbing the minimum, look into Art of New Age Travel or the Travel And Culture section and add your two pennies to ours.

We’d be deliriously happy if you actually contributed articles but if you’re lazy add some links, resources, books we must read or just read some our pages and tell us what you think of them on the discussion boards. Till then happy trotting around the world.

Fair Trade Tourism

• African tourism revenues are far bigger than aid budgets. In 2002 International Tourism receipts in Africa were $11.8bn (WTO).By comparison the US aid budget to Africa is just $674m.
• Tourism is labour intensive (only agriculture among major industries is more labour intensive) and therefore a very significant employer. Responsible travel ventures often employ the economically marginalized, including women.
• Unlike other economic sectors tourism can be built from the assets of local people, such as their traditions, festivals, land and natural and built heritage. This, and the fact that tourists are often attracted to remote places, means that fair trade tourism can potentially benefit the truly poor.
• Unlike many other economic sectors tourism is not subject to crippling export trade tariffs designed to protect Western economies. This is because the consumer (tourist) travels to the product (the tourist destination). More...