http://www.speakupforblue.com/ocean-solutions/ecotourism-for-the-oceans
Time For More Ocean Friendly Businesses
Are you sick of always hearing about industries, which has the sole purpose to extract natural resources from the Earth and Ocean to make money? Well, I am too. It's about time that we, as Ocean Leaders, analyze new ways to make money that will also benefit the environment, particularly the Oceans.
One industry that will do this is Ecotourism. If you don't know what Ecotourism is, well, it's pretty simple...It's tourism, which highlights a place's unique ecological aspects such as species (whales, dolphins, fish) and habitats (rivers, swamps, estuaries, coral reefs). Tourism is on rise around the world. I guess as business has gone global, so has travel. In many places around the world, tourism is the number 1 industry.
So how can Ecotourism be good for business and the Oceans?
It's simple...tourists will visit a place based on the Ocean's ecological features and the tourism industry has a vested interest in the well being of the Oceans because it depends on healthy Ocean features to attract their tourist clients.
Examples of Ecotourism are whale watching companies, sailing excursions, SCUBA and snorkelling excursions, beach clean ups, surfing, and river rafting excursions. There are plenty more, but too many to list here (if you think of some sort of Ecotourism type not listed here, add it in the comments!).
Ecotourism's Passion For The Oceans
If you've been following any of the stories on Speak Up For Blue, you will know of examples of Ecotourism types working hard to protect Ocean species because they have a passion for the Ocean and it helps their business to make sure they protect their environment. One recent story featured on Speak Up For Blue was a case where a captain of a whale watching company worked tirelessly with his team to free a whale entangled in a fishing net.
As Ocean Leaders, we should make an effort to support Ecotourism companies wherever we travel to ensure the Ocean species and habitats are conserved. It's probably easier to book with a large all-inclusive resort in a tropical country, but it WILL benefit the local Ocean species and habitats if you spend that extra time and effort to search for something more Ocean friendly. I say this because many huge resorts alter beaches and remove vital habitats such as mangroves and seagrass beds to make the beach more attractive to tourists, but in reality the Ocean is altered in a negative way. So when you book your next hotel in the tropics, perhaps we should book at a hotel that caused less disturbance to the Ocean environment. Our choices will change the way business is done.
3 Questions of the Day:
1) What are your thoughts of the Ecotourism industry?
2) Do you prefer booking with an Ecotourism outfit rather than a regular Tourism outfit?
3) Would you like us to continue to profile Ocean Friendly Companies on Speak Up For Blue?
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Please watch: "Manatee: Are they still at risk?"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIs3oXJRUtk
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