2 WHAT,S YOUR KIND OF TOURISM?


www.globalecotourism.com/environmental/ Ecotourism – is it as green as it is painted?


More and more travellers realize that tourism has an effect on the environment. Ecotourism is a result of this growing awareness. According to the International Ecotourism Society (TIES), ecotourism is ‘responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people.’ Ecotourists or organizers should make sure the impact on the environment is as small as possible. They should provide positive experiences for both visitors and hosts, and create financial benefits and a feeling of empowerment for local people.


Brazil is an example of a country which is developing ecotourism. Praia do Forte claims to be Brazil’s first eco- resort. We sent our reporter, Alison Marshall, to check out its green credentials.


The environmental impact of


travel is huge. Did you know that a return flight from London to Brazil releases 2,606 kg of carbon dioxide per passenger into the atmosphere? That’s four times the annual carbon emissions of an average African. So just getting to the country damages the world environment. Then there’s the long drive from the airport to the resort through the rainforest in a taxi on its last wheels. I’m beginning to wonder if this kind of tourism can be ‘green’ at all.


I try to be ‘green’ in my everyday life. I recycle the Sunday papers, and all my light bulbs are those expensive ones that last for ages, but I also really enjoy driving around London, and can never quite remember to turn the tap off when I’m brushing my teeth. Was this trip part of the green me or the other one?


Praia do Forte calls itself Brazil’s first ‘eco- resort’. The four-star, 247-bedroom hotel was opened by a Swiss–Brazilian industrialist who bought up 30,000 hectares of subtropical rainforest to the north of Salvador. The resort’s motto is ‘use without abuse’. It says it can cater for tourists without damaging the environment.


The hotel certainly makes good use of the environment. There are forest hikes, river kayaking expeditions and moonlit walks to the silver beaches, where you can watch turtles lay their eggs. Biologists and guides accompany tourists on all these trips. They really try to show people the natural beauty of the area. They use local people as guides, and educate and train the local community.


There are some features I do not like as much. For example, they have built a village for employees next door to the resort. They use the village as a toy town which the hotel maps refer to as ‘the fishermen’s village’. It has been nicely done, and it is a lively and pleasant place. No doubt it brings financial benefits to the local economy but the little sandy strip is for the holidaymaker. There are no fishermen in sight.


However, perhaps it is unfair to criticize Praia do Forte for the things it could do better. It is a really lovely resort, and they are serious about the environment. Praia do Forte is not really green, in other words, but it is greener than many other resorts. If you are going to build something right in the middle of a natural paradise, then it is much better to build it like this. It is, after all, better to recycle the Sunday papers than to do nothing at all about the environment.


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