Antarctica has been man’s last unchartered territory but only till sometime ago. Now the cold continent is seeing unprecedented growth in tourism and up to 40,000 people visited Antarctica in 2007. However, the tourists have a negative effect on the ecology of Antarctica and environmentalists have started to worry. Maastricht University in Holland seeks to solve this problem by dramatically controlling the number of tourists to the continent.

The problem lies in the fact that Antarctica has no government of its own and hence, no regulatory body. The university has proposed to auction off parts of the continent and limit tourists and their numbers in the auctioned parts. This could have a positive impact on the way the continent sustains itself and protect the unique fauna of Antarctica. Perhaps tour organizers and travel agencies must get in touch with the regulatory bodies in their own countries and inform prospective tourists about how their visit to Antarctica can affect the continent.

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Its holiday season and the internet, newspapers & magazines are rife with travel options and eco-tourism offers. For those who like to spend their money on quality deals like a concern for nature and like to opt for a LEED certified hotel, here’s another option-Blue (tourism) if you are bored with ‘green’ one!

Blue tourism is the latest offering to the environmentally concerned vacationers. This new concept in world travel is an initiative taken by Kerzner Marine Foundation. The latter is a private, non-profit foundation by Kerzner International that owns and operates the Atlantis on Paradise Island (Bahamas). The foundation is dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of endangered global marine ecosystems which have become the poor victims of over-exploitation by humans. It has started The Blue Project in the newest hotel there, The Reef and to ultra luxurious Cove Atlantis hotel (already a preferred choice among tourists).

The Blue project offers resort guests & visitors an opportunity to support the ocean and interact with marine life through a carefully crafted combination of ocean-based experiences that are also benefiting the marine conservation programs.

A portion of revenue collected from booking fees for the recreational programs and ocean tours and hotel stay per se is donated to the Blue Project. Both the project and the foundation lay stress on scientific research, education and community outreach to preserve the marine flora & fauna via eco-tourism.
The Reef spells innovation at many levels. It is the Atlantis resort’s 1st Condotel. The latter means that a guest can purchase an ultra-luxe suite (furnished and equipped by the hotel) for his/her use for any ninety days in a year and for the rest of the time, this condo remains in the hotel’s rental pool. The owner receives 50% of fee.

The condo suites are designed for an ultimate experience of luxury and relaxation. Every suite has a master bedroom, living spaces, gorgeous bathrooms, ocean view and Nassau harbor view and a personal kitchen all fully furnished! The Reef lacks a restaurant which explains the presence of your own kitchen in your suite. Besides, on rainy days one can explore a host of indoor facilities provided by the resort. These include a movie theatre, a pottery studio and an arcade.. At the Reef, kids can enjoy a 24-hour “Toy Room Service as well.

In case you like fishes and love to explore marine life there’s snorkeling to do at the 171 acres of beach area at The Atlantis. The latter also provides a stupendous view of aqua-life in its own aquarium which has more than 50,000 fish, a predator pool and a Dolphin Cay (Wow!).

One can participate in the Kerzner Marine Foundation’s efforts by visiting the fish hospital, fish nursery, special food-prep areas and state-of-the-art labs to monitor water quality. Bahamas is a heaven waiting for you and your family. For further details and more information on reservations, visit the Reef Atlantis but don’t be lazy for the resort runs choc-a-block with tourists across globe during the peak-season!

Via: roadandtravel

If you happen to be bitten by the eco-tourism bug here’s something that might interest you and make your holiday experience a greener and richer one. National Geographic Traveler recently did a vast surveyed about United States’ greenest travel& tourist destinations. It has picked up seven great and green places to be in for their sustainable practices. The latter includes:

· Energy and water savings

· Recycling efforts

· Least-toxic cleaners

· Use of renewable energy sources

Besides these, other parameters, which helped these seven wonders to emerge out as the best in green-travel industry, are:

· Sense of place

· Community involvement

· Ambience

So, here is the list of these 7 places that might be just the ones you were looking for so far!

1) Destination: Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska

Camp Denali offers you an unspoiled paradise as you step out from your cabin and adore the pristine beauty of the tallest peak in North America.

Package: A 3-7 days stay will cost you $1,365 to $3,185.

Contact details: campdenali.com and/or nps.gov/dena.

2) Destination: Rock Harbor Lodge, Isle Royale National Park, Michigan

You can experience the northwoods in this hidden heaven located in northwestern Lake Superior. Isle Royale is accessible only by boat or seaplane. (Sounds adventurous!)

Expected Expense: $223-$386. For further information, visit their website: rockharborlodge.com

3) Destination: Orchard Garden Hotel, San Francisco, California

Located in America’s greenest city, Orchard Garden Hotel is LEED-certified offering tram services to its customers. You may also opt for a Prius to visit nearby Point Reyes National Seashore and savor local cuisines at Alice Waters’ Chez Panisse in Berkeley.

Costs incurred: $169-$450. More details available at theorchardgardenhotel.com.

4) Destination: Sundance Resort, Sundance, Utah

Located at the base Mt. Timpanogos, Sundance boast s 6,000 wilderness acres of flora and fauna. Go hiking or skiing in the summer season. Expenses incurred: $294-$1388.

Reservations open at sundanceresort.com.

5) Destination: Asheville Green Cottage, Asheville, N.C.

Your stay at Asheville will be comforted by organic cotton sheets and natural latex mattresses, organic restaurants, farmer’s markets and mountain ranges. And you visit it now you shall be greeted by Bele Chere (Southeast’s largest free arts and music festival).

Costs: $110-$180 and Contact at ashevillegreencottage.com.

6) Destination: Buttermilk Falls Inn and Spa, Milton, N.Y.
This inn is at 90 miles distance from New York and located on Hudson River. Specialties include local, organic foods grown on-site. The resort relies on solar energy & geothermal power to warm its spa waters. Prices: $225-$650;
Contact: buttermilkfallsinn.com, 877-7-INN-SPA.

7) Destination: Dunton Hot Springs Resort and Spa, Dolores, Colorado.
Famous for its honeymoon lodgings and romantic spas, the resort built in a former ghost town is located in the San Juan Mountain chain of the Rockies. You can take a trip to
Monument Valley and Canyon de Chelly (both at nearby distances from the resorts).
Expected expenses: $325-$520 per individual per night.
Book a suit today at duntonhotsprings.com.

So, green holidaying to all who are visiting these places!

Via

Parisians are known for their innovative trends world over be it in fashion& beauty, art& architecture, literature& cinema and even eco-concerns. Parisian skyline these days adores a giant tethered helium balloon which is in fact a pollution indicator! The concept is about giving a real-time report of breathable air quality and display the level of air pollution produced by auto emissions via this balloon. The brainchild behind this concept is a company Aérophile. Its AERO30NG model is no less than a tourist attraction since the time it has been installed in the Parc Andre Citroën. The balloon uses a unique lighting system which is visible from more than 12.4 miles! It can store up to 6,000 cubic meters of helium and take up to 30 passengers at a time for a pollution-free joy ride. One can have a 360° panoramic view of the beautiful city while flying at 150m in the sky!

The innovative lighting system of this biggie informs Parisians about air quality via 2 distinct indices:
A) Ambient air quality gets reflected through general illumination using three projectors located upon the envelope’s equatorial plane. The night time visibility is reportedly better.
B) The quality of air near traffic-jam prone areas and bylanes is displayed using a high-power rotating laser beam. The latter sweeps the envelope’s southern tropical plane.

The data for all this is collected by “Airparif”- organization that uses sensors to collect info. Within the city of Paris and compiles the data with the nouveau European index developed for the CITEAIR project (currently used by about thirty large cities). The displays are made in colors.
Color code:
RED- highly polluted air; ORANGE- polluted air, YELLOW- mediocre pollution, LIGHT GREEN-clean air and GREEN- very clean air (a blessing for your lungs!)

Note: collected indices also reflect the quantity of the 3 most harmful contaminants: Nitrogen dioxide, ozone, particles.

With this latest attraction now we can only imagine the popularity graph of Paris to be one of the most sought-after traveler’s destinations. The cultural hub now becomes an center of green-tourism as well.

Via GreenPacks

Bright mornings and idyllic sunsets, breakfast in lush green gardens and a reconnection with nature. Sounds heavenly, feels heavenly. It’s the Hidden Valley Cabins in Australia.

The award winning eco-friendly resort is Australia’s 1st carbon neutral resort and tour company. Located 1.5hrs northwest of Townsville, near Running river on the western slope of the Paluma range in Queensland, the resort is ideal for a relaxing holiday to recharge your batteries. So, what’s new in that? Aren’t resorts supposed to be relaxing retreats for aching muscles and frenzied souls? Well, yes they are but how many resorts which help you in experiencing nature are actually worried about nature and minimally sponge upon natural resources?? Hidden Valley Cabins sure is eco-loving as it operates on 100% solar power and saves 78 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year.

The tour company has purchased carbon credits to off set the green house gases and their resorts are now CLIMATE NEUTRAL. Established in 1982, the resort is continually improving its facilities and its impact on eco-diversity of the region. Now, a stand alone solar system has been installed to run the entire resort 24X7. The system includes: 12 KVA inverter, 90 x 130 watt solar panels delivering 120 volts DC into 60 x 2 volt 1660 amp batteries. The resort is built up of recycled local timber only. The furniture and décor is hand crafted from again local timber.

The buildings are designed aptly to reduce their environmental footprint. Trees and vegetation planted around the resort are mostly native to blend into the natural landscape and encourage the birds and animals to visit the resort.

The area is abundant with varying species of birds, butterflies, wallabies, Lace Monitors, Platypus, nocturnal animals such as gliders and much more. Hidden Valley Cabins is a great area for bird watching and wildlife enthusiasts. The activities available at the resort are offered accordingly so that visitors and guests make the most of the natural splendours of the area without harming it. The resort has received advanced eco-tourism accreditation through Eco-tourism Australia. Other ideas besides solar energy utilization that are employed at these cabins include:
· Power conservation: Resort’s conventional light bulbs have been replaced by energy-saving compact fluorescent bulbs thus reducing power consumption from 2220 watts to an amazingly low 430 watts!!!
· Waste management: Left over food and paper products are converted into compost manure to be further used in resort’s gardens.
· Education: Hidden Valley Cabins actively educates the public and guests on the importance of protecting the environment in order to protect vulnerable species. It works closely with The Australian Wildlife Conservancy aswell.

Thus the resorts offer a complete holistic experience of being in nature, understanding its intricacies and respecting it. The entire stay can change your perspective towards eco-sustainability. So, if this summers you are in a mood to experience the Australian outback tranquility then, Hidden Valley Cabins is the perfect destination to head for.

Via Inhabitat

Is it essential to convert a sand-and-gravel path into a metalled road? China says yes, but India counters it saying not at the cost of environment. Ready China assures that monitoring the number of tourists visiting that road brush-up every doubt.

Chairman of National Tourism Administration, Shao Qiwei told media that if China respects environment and tourism equally but if the demand of the hour is to choose one then environment is the first priority.

Environmentalists in India and elsewhere have protested China’s move to convert 110-kilometer long sand-and-gravel path into a “black-topped, metalled road, lined with guardrails” for athletes to take the Olympic torch to the summit. China’s concern for environment cannot be doubted as the country can attract tourism through green environs only.

Also, the very climate of the Himalayas doesn’t invite many tourists, making it difficult for the climbers to reach at such a height. Exemplifying it Qiwei said: “This we have discovered when we built Quinghai-Lhasa high altitude train. Many people got breathless when they reached that height in the train. Mount Qomolangma (Everest) is much higher than that,” he said.

So, is this debate enough to water the protest raged by Environmentalists to convert 110-kilometre long katchha road into a metalled one sand for athletes to take the Olympic torch to the summit?