Global ecotourism conference Held At Oslo 2007 Was Well Represented By Nations From All Over The World
The first global ecotourism conference was held in the capital city of Norway, Oslo in May 2007 and as expected was a grand success with more than four hundred and fifty participants that represented about seventy different countries which led to many positive outcomes. This global ecotourism conference was to have produced as one of its outcomes, the Oslo Statement on Ecotourism that was to list the main questions as well as challenges that are sure to be faced in the times to come, and also to make a commitment to strive continuously in improving ecotourism.
First Conference Following Declaration Of International Year Of Ecotourism
Being the first global ecotourism conference since the designation of the year 2002 as the International Year of Ecotourism, this conference had the goal of reviewing and also celebrating the many achievements accomplished by the ecotourism industry and also to assess the future challenges that lay ahead.
This global ecotourism conference had been organized by the International Ecotourism Society (TIES), along with Ecotourism Norway as also the United Nations Environment Program. It had many leading experts that came from different countries, but who shared a common interest in ecotourism and who came together to discuss the critical issues as well as challenges, and also opportunities that ecotourism as an industry throws up and many workshops and also plenary sessions were conducted.
The main topics discussed in these workshops during the global ecotourism conference of 2007 were ecotourism and local sustainable development, communications, ecotourism and nature conservation as well as critical issues and current trends in ecotourism. The global ecotourism conference also discussed education and global branding of ecotourism.
We can expect to read the Oslo Statement on Ecotourism that was an outcome of the global ecotourism conference of 2007 and which is yet to be published which is sure to provide many answers to the main questions and challenges facing ecotourism and also making a commitment to improve the practice of ecotourism. As part of this statement, current issues in ecotourism as well as priorities for action to be taken are mentioned as also all of the matters that were discussed at the conference.
The global ecotourism conference of 2007 at Oslo also had many presentations as well as manuscripts presented by various speakers at the conference that touched on various topics including ecotourism and local sustainable development and also ecotourism and nature conservation.
Also, represented at the global ecotourism conference 2007 were member associations from many different parts of the world that only goes to show how seriously ecotourism is being considered by diverse nations that are concerned about the worlds diverse environments and natural resources.
About Ecotourism
These ecotourism statistics further shows that nature tourism has generated, it is believed, as much as seven percent of all international travel expenditure and they further reveal that this rate is increasing by about ten to thirty percent each year.
Ecotourism brings with it many local arts and crafts being developed and revived while mass tourism may see the renovation of sites of historic importance as also the many monuments that are mass tourist attractions. The present day represents everyone who looks to the future in trying to preserve our world and its resources. Even for the compulsive traveler, ecotourism is a wonderfully fresh and enervating way of spending free time and also showing responsibility in ones travel. Lands that in the past were left unexplored and even unreachable are now available to tourists due to ecotourism. Ecolodges can be found through agencies that cater to ecotourism, or through methods of word of mouth. People would travel from all over the country to rest on the bans of the river and bask in the sun, fish or spend a little time swimming.
This kind of traveler is usually socially conscious and is in the mindset that polluting our world can be fixed.
Among the negative effects of ecotourism that affects many ecotourism countries is that higher and management level jobs generally are gobbled up by white people leaving the local population being satisfied with the less paying jobs. Tourism brings with it a number of consequences that include social, cultural and environmental as well as economic growth and it is bound to have positive and negative aspects to it. If we could find a place that was worth visiting and it did not cost more than what we could afford, then that was all there was to taking a holiday. All you have to so is search the internet or visit your local travel agency. This is not to mention people, while camping, cutting branches for firewood.
The public had simply not been educated towards understanding the severity of the situation.
The global ecotourism conference also discussed education and global branding of ecotourism. We can expect to read the Oslo Statement on Ecotourism that was an outcome of the global ecotourism conference of 2007 and which is yet to be published which is sure to provide many answers to the main questions and challenges facing ecotourism and also making a commitment to improve the practice of ecotourism. A good example of ecotourism in general is the prohibition in many countries of removing found treasures from ancient civilizations from the ancient Greek, Egyptian and Roman Empires are good examples. With ecotourism projects such as this, there has also been seen a rise in the economic welfare of the local people which is almost guaranteed through ecotourism projects that utilize local resources as well as the culture of such communities while also making certain that these are preserved now, and also for the future. Depending on your beliefs, you will have to come to your own conclusion in whether or not ecotourism is becoming a problem. However, most benefits seem to only percolate to the lower strata of the local population, which means that there is a general drainage of labor and also abandonment of land, thus concentrating the economic benefits to just the ecotourism destination and not affecting the rest of the region and country. |
