Jay said:
"Sad story indeed. Unless we get the good fortune of offspring, Man will have yet again driven a species to extinction. Something it seem to be ve..." [read]
said: "OK, why isn't the option of voting to NOT tax gas guzzlers? There can be no shift to more fuel efficient vehicles unless more fuel efficient vehic..." [read]
Carl Trimble said: "I think its cell phone interference. If you talk to bees like I do, they hate cell phones. They want us to go back to land lines...." [read]
Used Pellet Stoves said: "Pellet Stoves are selling like hot cakes this year and I think the trend will continue to increase. Regards, Chris..." [read]
said: "I'm on disability income. My 17 year old vehicle is beginning to smoke. I don't continue to drive it because I'm ignorant. I continue to drive it b..." [read]
said: "OK, why isn't the option of voting to NOT tax gas guzzlers? There can be no shift to more fuel efficient vehicles unless more fuel efficient vehic..." [read]
Carl Trimble said: "I think its cell phone interference. If you talk to bees like I do, they hate cell phones. They want us to go back to land lines...." [read]
Used Pellet Stoves said: "Pellet Stoves are selling like hot cakes this year and I think the trend will continue to increase. Regards, Chris..." [read]
said: "I'm on disability income. My 17 year old vehicle is beginning to smoke. I don't continue to drive it because I'm ignorant. I continue to drive it b..." [read]
If people feel that it is such a benefit to the struggling peoples of this world why not simply donate all the money that one would spend on an eco-tourist trip directly to those struggling people. Eco tourism just seems too much like those bizarre turn of the century imperialist safaris that the European elite were so fond of. We destroy the fabric of their society, subjugate there population, steal all their resources and then pay a few dollars for one of them to guide us through the forest and all the sudden all of our wrongs are righted. But what the heck, if it puts money in the pockets of the poor and takes it out of the pockets of the rich I’m all for it.
Living in an isolated native village in Northern BC, I can say that, for our region anyways, eco-tourism and it's partner, cultural tourism, are the best alternatives in an area where extreme unemployment means that any work is welcome, and the only other source of income in the area is resource extraction. Of course, we would also welcome value-added industry, but for now tourism (in all it's forms) is our best hope, and I for one would love to see more focus on eco-tourism, especially if it would mean fewer 5th wheels and motorhomes driving the 1800 km north from Vancouver, clogging our highways and dirtying our air.
I think it partly depends on the implementation.. So some places might be really good and some others kinda bad..
But one thing that we must not forget to consider on the "plus" side is that many people have had very little contact with nature, and going on such a trip could convert them to the treehugger cause.
I voted for "mostly positive", but in some cases it's mixed or bad...
The biggest negetive for me is the jet fuel needed to get people and their stuff to far away destinations. For those who really need to get away, I would suggest longer trips, less often - and local eco-tourism.