News

Oslo Conference: The role of ecotourism associations

June 13, 2007 :

Ecotourism Kenya was among the national, regional and international ecotourism associations that were represented at the recently concluded Ecotourism conference in Oslo, Norway. At this conference, these associations held a series of meetings to discuss their role in the advancement of ecotourism and came up with the following conclusions:

·      Ecotourism is a grassroots movement that develops from within the ecotourism community. The ecotourism community represents all the people who share a passion for sustainable tourism including accommodation providers, tour operators, local community groups, ecotourism associations, governments, NGOs, etc.

·      National and regional ecotourism associations are a core partner in advancement of the concept of ecotourism. To achieve this, they require the support of the ecotourism community

·      By acting as a collective voice and resource for the ecotourism community, ecotourism associations are a critical resource for the collection and dissemination of information on a variety of issues including training & education, product values, sharing of best practices, consumption patterns, sustainable production systems, marketing, threats & opportunities, advocacy, promotion and certification

·      Ecotourism associations operate best as collaborative ventures providing guidance (not top-down governing or quasi-governmental roles)

·      Standards, certification and labels are a critical role for ecotourism associations. It is important for them to be based on universally accepted standards and be adapted to the unique needs and nature of their ecotourism communities

·      An international association like TIES best serves the world’s ecotourism association by providing:

-         Information sharing

-         Educational resources

-         Forums for the exchange of best practices, ideas and networking

-         Opportunities for national ecotourism association to collaborate on a regional basis

·      TIES is committed to advancing these conclusions to real action in the coming years:

-         Commitment to membership service

-         Acknowledgement of the critical role of national and regional ecotourism associations

-         Development of the tools that enable TIES to collect and communicate the information ecotourism associations need to advance their mission.