World Tourism Forum

Last week an interview was held with the Director of a brand new social networking site that allows travelers to book rooms with locals as well as plan trips in groups. When speaking with the director, it was clear that he felt strongly  the open sharing of reviews as well as the ability for groups to go together and stay with a local will have a drastic impact on the environment as it encourages knowledge sharing as well room rentals (as opposed to hotels). Here is a small excerpt from the interview:

“For the business executives out there, here is one advice I can give you: establishing a strong online presence is very important if you want to gain an edge over your competitors. The fact is, there are a lot of ways by which you can do this. One of which is internet marketing.

Basically, internet marketing, as its name suggests, is the process of marketing or selling your business, products and services via the internet. And since a lot of consumers are already turning to the internet for your various needs, you gain leverage when you do internet marketing since it will give you more and better exposure.

Actually, internet marketing can be done by the business executive himself or herself. But if you want to save yourself from all the hassle, hire an Search Engine Optimization agency so you can focus on your core business.

If your want to do the job yourself, of course, there are perks. For one, you will be able to control everything in the marketing process. Of course, you are the one who is most knowledgeable about your business, products and services. Thus, you will know what attack will be most appropriate.

On the other hand, hiring the services of internet marketing companies will save you from all the extra work. You can just focus your time on other business matters. More so, you can be assured of quality service and results since these people are the experts in the field. They fully understand how the entire process works.

That’s what I did for my business. I outsourced most of the work while I looked for hotels and locals who have environmentally friendly homes and surroundings. As a child I always believed that the best holidays were the ones where you traveled to your Grandma’s house- cozy, warm and inviting. It was those memories that inspired me to create social networking sites as I knew that many people felt this way and did not want a 5 star hotel that requires a small reactor to run.”

With the growth of the internet, the amount of “Travel Buddy” sites are increasing everyday as the world turns into a global village and in my humble opinion, is a great way to champion sustainable tourism. And from what I see and hear from many across the globe who are concerned about the environment, this will be an inevitable future!

Property listing portal Reveal Real Estate has been studying the international real estate and tourism markets in Central America for the last decade. “Our key learning” says co-founder Jane Bakerson, “Is that tourism and residential real estate markets are closely linked. Not only do growing tourism numbers bode well for the real estate market, but the prime tourism spots also quickly emerge as the top purchasing hotspots.

It’s a cycle that is playing out clearly here in Nicaragua. The two main tourism towns, Granada and San Juan del Sur are also the two most important real estate investment areas. In fact there are more real estate developments catering to international buyers located in Nicaragua’s tourism heartland area (the south west of the country on the pacific side that also includes Ometepe, Crater Lake Apoyo, Lake Nicaragua, the “islets” and Mombacho volcano) than the rest of the country combined. A recent study revealed for example that over 70% of beach-side real estate communities are located between El Astillero and the Costa Rican border – an area that only makes us around 1/8 of the entire coastline – (and of course and even smaller fraction if one were to include the Caribbean coastline in the calculation.)

Seeking Nicaragua real estate listings in tourism areas not only caters to “speculator investors” who purchase in the hope that tourism and infrastructure will arrive in a location, but also to the so-called “lifestyle investors” looking for an existing community and an opportunity to rent out their property to visitors. This whole relationship is further boosted by the fact that tourism areas are often the most attractive parts of the country – places with the kind of inherent value that real estate investors are attracted to.

This concentration of real estate and tourism activity in Nicaragua and other Central American countries has important social and environmental implications which need to be monitored closely. I have listed three of them below:

• Lax real estate developers can undermine the environmental integrity of key tourism areas if their projects don’t take into account sustainability principles.
• Infrastructure provision can be severely tested in the more remote tourism areas that are getting the attention of real estate investors.
• Without an overall water management plan there may simply not be enough water to fill all the swimming pools and golf courses that are being planned by ambitious real estate developers.

The trends are clear, now the development community needs to come together with the tourism ministry to seek a sustainable way forward that balanced economic capital with social and environmental concerns.  I have no doubt that bodies such as the WTO and this site have best practice case studies available that could serve as a good starting point.

There are growing numbers of people following a fruitarian diet today. If you have never heard of this lifestyle choice before then you may feel that it is an extreme kind of diet. You’ve probably guessed that a frutarian eats fruit. That’s about it. If all a person is going to eat is fruit, it’s imperative that they get enough calories from their food sources. Even though fruits are sent all around the world from where they are grown, to get the best quality produce, you really want to go to the regions where your fruits of choice originate.

In fact fruit holidays are a real and many people choose their holiday destinations based upon the types of fruits that can be found. It is the tropical countries that offer bountiful harvests whether it be in the Americas, e.g. Costa Rica or in Asia, e.g. Thailand. There are a wide range of options as to the countries that offer great fruit harvests. At home, many of us spend time searching for the best juicer in our efforts to stay healthy. But when we go on holiday we can enjoy eating some of the tastiest fruits on the planet.

Tropical fruits include bananas, mangoes, durian, guava, jack fruit, longan, lychees, mangosteen, pineapple and many others. For Americans and Europeans, some of these fruits can be hard to find at home while others are impossible to purchase. Even when we do find somewhere at home that sells these fruits, the quality may be questionable and the price fairly high. When we visit regions of the world where these fruits are grown, we can expect to pay low prices for delicious sweet fruit.

The greenhouse effect is like a garden greenhouse whose temperature is not maintained properly. Read on to find out what you can do to help save our planet.

If you are considering traveling, then you should know that world tourism is a critical issue. As a tourist, you need to be aware of various environmental issues that threaten to destroy natural habitats and wildlife sanctuaries. Although you cannot change certain things alone, such as the big companies that pollute our oceans, rivers, lakes and other ecosystems with industrial oil production and fracking, what you can do is to become aware of basic environmental issues and to make sure that you strictly keep to these values to protect the planet we live on.

Shrinking coral reefs

Coral reefs are beautiful to behold, and I’m sure you have felt at some time that you would like to have some decorative coral in your bathroom. Many people who go traveling to exotic tropical locations and also go scuba diving in coral reefs will break off parts of the coral to dry and take back to their houses. But did you know that coral is actually alive? Did you know that this can start a process that kills much of the reef? What if everyone did this, would there be any coral left in the sea? You should consider some decorative plastic coral for your bathroom and leave the coral where it belongs — in the ocean.

Hiking and mountaineering

There’s a reason why park rangers are always going on about staying on the trails and it’s because there are many flora and fauna which are endangered. You could inadvertently destroy a rare plant or crush a rare insect or reptile. In addition to this, the hiking trails go through areas that have a minimal impact on erosion, whereas if you would just go anywhere you wanted, then you might erode significant parts of the natural habitat you are in. If everyone did this, the effect would be cumulative and after a while top soil would disappear, underbrush would become damaged and that can cause landslides and flooding in the spring. It’s very important that as a world tourist, you stay on the marked trails.

Cultural heritage

As a world tourist, when you visit historical and cultural treasures, you should be very careful to leave them intact. If you are visiting castle ruins in Europe, do not break parts of the walls off as souvenirs. Be careful when you are in museums and make sure you do not damage anything. Also, many countries prohibit their cultural treasures being removed, so be careful you do not bring any rare paintings or coins with you as there are serious consequences if this is discovered.

The greenhouse effect

The greenhouse effect is a bit like garden greenhouses. The sun shines in the top and the plants wither and die inside if they are not taken care of and the temperature is not regulated inside. That’s what our planet is like too. Carbon dioxide emissions are slowly destroying the atmosphere and also heating up the temperature at the same time, which means the earth warms up globally. Our planet is not like greenhouses for sale — we can’t just get up and go to a new one when it’s used up. We have to take care of it now, while we still can.

So do your part!

The only thing that holds me back from seeing the entire world is the fact that I just can’t afford it.  I caught a break with this last trip to the Arctic Ocean as I was able to fund it entirely with my income tax refund.  I made a car donation at the beginning of the year that qualified me for a substantial deduction that upped my return quite significantly.  It’s really a good feeling to be able to give to charitable cause and essentially get paid by the government to do so.  It’s truly a win, win!  Now I’m trolling about other non-profit organizations tryign to determine where my next donation in-kind should go so I can get another sizable deduction for next year’s return.  I think French Polynesia is definitely in my future!

Believe it or not, using paper currency or traveler’s checks incur the most fees to the traveler; you can lose anywhere from 5% to 10% in conversion fees and other charges. So if you were thinking about trading in your US Dollars for Euros before your trip, don’t bother. Pack your plastic instead.

By using a credit or debit card, your fees will be much less. The standard percentage charged by the international networks is 1%. Credit card processing banks will also tack on their own fee, just because they can, but it’s rarely more than an additional 2%. And if you travel overseas quite frequently, you might want to open up a Capital One card. At this time, they do not tack on a surcharge for international purchases.

Be sure that the foreign merchant charges you in the foreign currency and not in US Dollars. Some merchants use this as a scam to charge a horrible exchange rate to make money and you wouldn’t be the wiser.

If you do end up needing paper currency when you are traveling, use your debit card at the ATM. Some banks just charge a flat fee for a foreign withdrawal no matter how much money you take out. If you open a debit card with Citi, they have ATMs in many foreign countries and do not charge a transaction fee when you use them.

So when you’re traveling, don’t forget that to save some money, leave the cash at home.

Many people travel the world all the time. They go to different destinations by all sorts of transport. The top 5 destinations for people to travel to in 2011 were France, United States, China, Italy and Spain. These are very popular because of many things landmarks, food, accommodation, for example china has the great wall of china which attracts thousands of visitors a year to see how far across the ancient wall they can get. Italy and France have fantastic skiing. Not to mention the Eiffel tower and the lining tower of Pisa.

People travel for different reasons such as weather, family, a break, an experience. Booking a holiday can be a stress for some, as there is a lot to do from deciding where to go to how much it is going to cost. Greece has very cheap accommodation compared to Thailand. Yet they are both very popualr country to visit. The cost of small thing can build up and add to the overall cost to a holiday. for example eating out, this is why many people decide that the hotel restraint could be the best and cheapest option for them.

The choice of travailing abroad than staying in the UK for your holiday is narrowing, this may because of the economy or the fact that people are more aware of  environment and how travailing is one of the major factors effecting it.

Some people own numerous houses in country’s miles away from there home land.  These house are often available for anyone to rent, this has its benefits as it usually cheaper, you have more freedom, more space, possibility for pets, feel more comfortable/at home.  Houses to rent can be very convenient as there is more flexibility for you renting homes abroad is a great way of seeing the world.

If you are looking for an excuse to travel, then visiting the world’s top tourism destinations is an excellent reason to hit the road. While there is some discrepancy as to what makes that list from one source to the next, the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) actually maintains world tourism rankings based on the number of international visitors to each country. The list of rankings is updated each year based on the previous year’s tourism numbers. The top country, by more than 18 million annual visitors in 2011, is currently France. In fact, France has held the title since 2006.

France has a lot to offer travelers, from the sunny beaches of Nice to the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Paris is the most visited city not just in France, but in the world. The French Alps also attracts a lot of tourists who are looking to ski. Other popular cities in France include Marseille, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Lyon and Strasbourg. Of course, travelers can go off the beaten path as well. Some travelers may prefer spending the evening around the glow of fire pits at small campground outside of Giverny as opposed to strolling along the Seine.

The country that ranks second on UNWTO’s list is the United States. Popular places to visit in the U.S. include New York City, Las Vegas, Orlando, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. According to a USA Today article from September 2011, Times Square in New York City is the most visited tourist attraction in the U.S., followed by Central Park. Rounding out the list is Union Station in Washington, D.C., the Las Vegas Strip, Grand Central Terminal in New York City, Faneuil Hall Marketplace in Boston, Walt Disney World in Orlando and Disneyland in California. Like France, the U.S. has a wide variety of experience to offer travelers from luxury vacations to camping in the wilderness.

Rounding out the top five world tourism destinations are China, Spain and Italy.

There are many environmental hazards when you are trying to travel the world. So traveling in eco-friendly places can be quite a challenge. However, you can find quite a large range of eco-friendly places to go if you know where to look. The first thing that you would need to do is to get a good tour guide.

With a good tour program, they will show you the best places go to while avoiding any environmental hazards. But not all tour programs can provide you with this option, so you must ask them before you plan on traveling.

Another way is to ask fellow travelers who have traveled to the place you want to go before. Most likely, they will tell you if an area is environmentally friendly or not because they have been there before. You can also ask the locals that live there for further advice on eco-friendly traveling. But that might mean you might have to take a flight there before knowing if the area is environmentally stable.

Of course, you can also travel without leaving your home. What does that mean? Well with a program like the pro flight simulator you can literally fly to different parts of the world from your computer. This program comes with realistic views as well as google maps to make it even more realistic. With the pro flight simulator you can definitely travel the world without the worry of environmental hazards and without even leaving your home.

Other then flying and using flight simulator programs, you can also travel to places of nature. What I mean by this is that you can travel to anywhere that isn’t man made. An example could be traveling to national parks, mountains, the ocean or any other country with a nice scenery.

Some good places to go, could be to the tropics, the beaches of any Caribbean islands, or maybe to any mountain-like terrains such as the Grand Canyon. You can find plenty of environmentally friendly places if you just use a little creativity and look where people aren’t looking.

I’ll explain some  tips for organizing your planning. First of all, you should make sure that you pack lightly. I know that many people will disagree with this, but it is better if you go with a free pack and also a free mind than if you go with a heavy load. You can always buy the things you need there, and most of the times, you don’t even need all that much. So, only bring what you really need and leave everything else at home.

Secondly, you should make a calendar of events and also a list of what you want to do when you arrive at your destination. And even though you have a list, the whole point of traveling is to relax, so don’t stress out if you end up not doing everything on the list. Just take things slow and enjoy your travel.

You can also talk to some of the locals to get to know the place better and also to find out where the best places to go are. Make sure to do a lot of adventuring and have some fun. It’s not everyday that you can travel to an environmentally friendly place.

In many countries jeep safaris have long been a way for tourists to get off the beaten track and experience parts of a country that would not normally be inaccessible. Many people swear by these excursions and will make a point of going on one of these trips every time they visit a country.

Due to the popularity of jeep safaris there have, in recent years, been real concerns about the impact they are having on the local environment. One place in particular is Marmaris in Turkey where these safaris are one of the main attractions in the area. Environmentalists have been calling for a ban on these trips but as it stands the governors of Marmaris are reluctant to do so as they bring  much needed tourist cash into the region.

There have also been calls to ban tourists from smoking cigarettes on these trips as there is a real chance of starting bush fires from cigarette stubs. This is proving difficult to enforce though and one of the best solutions could be to promote the use of e cigarettes. This may not be realistic at the moment but taking a look at a some e cigarette reviews to get an idea of what is on offer could go a long way to helping, there are even cost cutting measures that can be taken, for example this electronic cigarette discount code will help smokers save more.

Other steps they are looking to take are with the vehicles that are used,  minimum requirements could be brought in with vehicle emission testing topping the list as to whether the jeeps are passed ok for road use. It also goes without saying the general upkeep of the vehicles and the way in which they are driven will also be addressed.