Looking for good news from the world of travel? Look no further than the second annual National Geographic Geotourism Summit 2010 today in Washington, D.C., where stellar examples of wisely managed tourism and innovative destination stewardship will come together from all around the world.
“If we want to know what the future of travel looks like, this is it,” says Charlie Brown, executive director of Ashoka’s Changemakers, the organization co-sponsoring the event alongside the National Geographic Society.
Below, Tonic takes a look at the three winners of the 2009 Geotourism Challenge — Nature Air from Costa Rica, PEPY (“Protect the Earth, Protect Yourself”) from Cambodia, and Wikiloc from Spain — which will come together for the first time ever today to give presentations on their success stories before an international audience.
All three winners — and seven runners-up — practice and advance the growing trend of geotourism. According to the National Geographic Center for Sustainable Destinations (CSD), “Geotourism incorporates the concept of sustainable tourism — that destinations should remain unspoiled for future generations — while allowing for ways to protect a place’s character. Geotourism also takes a principle from its ecotourism cousin — that tourism revenue should promote conservation — and extends it to culture and history as well, that is, all distinctive assets of a place.”
According to Jonathan B. Tourtellot, director of the CSD, “Geotourism is no flash in the pan: Travelers around the globe are seeking it out in both rural and urban settings. We’re delighted to showcase the winners and runners-up who are leading the way.”
Despite recent challenges in travel, such as the shaky economy, inconveniences in air travel and terrorism threats, people are still traveling and looking for new experiences. The Summit, at National Geographic headquarters, includes business leaders whose businesses range from resorts in major cities to eco-tours run in rural villages — all to discuss how to support sustainable tourism in their communities. Discussion topics will include geotourism policies and practices, as well as identifying what ecotourism customers want.
The three winners were selected from 10 finalists out of 611 original entries from 81 countries, which is almost double the number of entries from the previous year. Each won an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., where they’ll receive a $5,000 prize.
Nature Air
Nature Air is Costa Rica’s 100-percent carbon-neutral airline, which automatically offsets each traveler’s flight. The company offsets 100-percent of its greenhouse gas emissions to encourage the reforestation of tropical forests in southern Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula. The airline fuels its ground equipment and vehicles with bio-diesel collected from local restaurants, and it helped develop the country’s first alternative fueling station.
To date, the airline has compensated for nearly 20,000 tons of carbon dioxide though the protection of more than 500 acres, offsetting more than 6,000 tons of carbon emissions each year. Nature Air’s proactive work to offset greenhouse gas emissions ensures that residents and future travelers to the country will enjoy the lush forests for years to come.
PEPY
PEPY (“Protect the Earth, Protect Yourself”) began in 2005, after founder Daniela Papi traveled to Cambodia and was inspired to raise funds for schools while planning a bicycle trip around the country. The organization has evolved from funding projects to operating education programs, and now works in 11 schools and 15 child education programs in rural villages.
PEPY organizes bicycle tours, featuring one-week adventures and multi-week self-supported tours, but the majority of the organization’s offerings are non-biking educational tours. “Our goal is to give people the skills and connections to become leaders in their communities and create positive changes in their own futures. This applies to our rural education programs, but just as much, if not more so, to the people who travel with us,” said Papi.
Wikiloc
Wikiloc allows communities to create their own maps of points of interest and georeferenced trails, and display them online and in Google Earth. Jordi Ramot started Wikiloc in 2006 as a personal project — from a desire to find an easy way to map weekend outdoor routes to share with friends. The site has grown to add 8,000 new trails and 15,000 new photos each month.
Ramot uses the site himself, to dream about upcoming trips. “Like most people, I’ve many trails and places that are high in my ‘must-see’ list,” said Ramot. “I wish Wikiloc will be used as a tool that motivates people to travel more and stay more time in the outdoors and at the same time an effective channel to promote and give visibility to interesting and emerging destinations.”
The seven runners-up in the 2009 Geotourism Challenge include: Ger to Ger Foundation & Agency (Mongolia), Evergreen Brick Works (Canada), Virgin Islands Sustainable Farm Institute (U.S. Virgin Islands), Context Travel (United States), RiverIndia (India), Trout Point Lodge of Nova Scotia (Canada), Reality Tour Viagens e Turismo Ltda (Brazil).
Do you know an organization that’s a geotourism hero? Nominate it for the 2010 Geotourism Challenge, “Places on the Edge: Saving Coastal Destinations.” Dates and deadlines will be announced at the Geotourism Summit, and we’ll post the info here on Tonic.
Photos courtesy Nature Air, PEPY and Wikiloc