UN Secretary General Mr. Kofi Annan welcomes the growing number of Green Travelers in United Nations Headquarters, New York in a launch ceremony, today, 28th of January 2002.
You think it's a new Hollywood production I talk about? Oh no, it's all so real, or should I say "green"?.
So what's all this about, is it good, bad or dangerous?
Unlike much last year, this time it's good news. Fact is that year 2002 have been designated by United Nations as the International Year of Ecotourism.
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the UN body that's responsible for IYE (the International Year of Ecotourism) together with the four official IYE partners:
the World Tourism Organization (WTO/OMT)
The International Ecotourism Society (TIES)
Ecological Tourism in Europe (ETE)
and Conservation International (CI).
The major manifestation of IYE will be The World Ecotourism Summit, held in Quebec, Canada from 19-22nd May 2002. Along with this several smaller meetings and events throughout the year, and many pre events as preparation last year.
So what's all this about, what is Ecotourism anyway?
Let me try to give an idea within the larger travel map by using "my own" words.
The travel industry, being the largest industry in the world - have many aspects. If we try to cut a bit down to the bone, Business Travel is a part that stand apart from holiday travel. It got it's own "rules", expertise and market.
Most of what is left is normally thrown in the box called "leisure travel" - it's easy to do so, but if we look into that box we will see that many travelers, destinations and tour operators don't exactly "fit together" here.
A main part, with departure destinations especially from colder destinations - is Beach tourism.
Main target here is "leisure" in form of the combination of Sun and Beach. It differs of course from continent to continent - but especially in Europe, this market is totally dominated by charter flights. As flights normally are the most expensive part of an international travel, some European operators found out that they could compete if they operated as "bulk operators". Rather than regular flights they rented own flights for the season and filled these up. Result is that the price on beach travel dropped drastically.
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