People of the year 2009

donkey-trekking
Donkey trekking with Itinerance in Mercantour National Park, France

I once had an editor who told me that I shouldn’t write about people in travel. “Holidaymakers only want to know about the place, not the people. They’re irrelevant to travel articles”, he told me. However, writing about beaches and budget airlines, is not really my bag, as regular readers will know by now. People who create incredible places to stay or things to do, and also care deeply for their local environment, community and climate change, sell a holiday to me just as much as any piece of ‘beach lit’. And 2009 has definitely been a year about people in tourism.

 

 

 

Those who survived this worldwide recession without compromising their principles of responsible tourism merit huge recognition in my book. Some even dared to set up new businesses this year, such as Tripbod (tripbod.com), which puts travellers in touch with local guides before they travel. For a small fee, you get email contact with carefully selected local guides, who give you all the inside, finger-on-the-pulse information on the place you plan to visit. Tripbod works with an ethical ethos, and sources ‘bods’ who think the same way as they do, and top bods they are too, in my book.

 

One organisation which nearly lost its battle for survival in 2009, was Tourism Concern (tourismconcern.org.uk) a charity which has been fighting for human rights in tourism for twenty years. They put out an international appeal for rescue funding, and have managed to see their way into 2010, when the appeal will continue. Taking on tourism multinationals over employment conditions, governments on indigenous land ownership issues, as well as equal access to basic resources such as water, so often usurped for tourism purposes, its role in protecting people affected by tourism is invaluable.

 

Many thanks also for all the lovely feedback during the year, such as the two women who travelled to Africa with People and Places (travel-peopleandplaces.co.uk), which won Best Volunteering Organisation at this year’s Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards. These readers had great volunteering experiences, and felt as if they had made a genuinely positive contribution to the communities they visited. People and Places won this award because they not only offer a sustainable, transparent approach to volunteering holidays (they are externally audited), but they actively campaign for an end to the many cases of bad practice in the sector. Such as lack of consultancy with local communities, no police checks, abandoning volunteers in situ and, very importantly, where the volunteer’s money is actually going at the end of the day. People and Places gets what ‘voluntourism’ is about and, if you are thinking of giving time and money to people who need it, they are the people to call.

 

But my ‘People of the Year’ award goes to the Kieffer family in France. They run a walking holiday company in the Mercantour region of France, called Itinerance, They sent us off into the Lower Alps earlier this year, walking from gite to gite with a donkey to carry our bags. They bring hundreds of visitors to their spot in the Alps every year, teaching chlldren about the joys of nature, bringing money to many rural villages, sharing their love of slowtravel and slowfood, and running one of the most exemplary ethical tourism businesses I have come across (itinerance.net). So, bah humbug to that editor, he was wrong. It’s people like this who are creating a truly ethical tourism industry, and ensuring that travel is still one of the most exhilarating, eye-opening ways to spend our precious time.

 

An edited version of this article was first published in The Irish Times, 2 January 2010

 


 

 

 

 

 

Ecotravel gifts this Christmas

burren-book_opt2I can’t avoid it anymore, Christmas is nearly here and, with it, the usual brain battle for gift ideas. So if you have a loved one with the ecotravel bug, here are a few of my favourite things, which might ease the pain. The best gift I was lucky enough to get this year was a Roberts eco-radio. Already a faithful camping companion, it is bright green inside and out, functions on solar powered energy and is all round DAB cool. So now that Ireland is going digital, grab one at my favourite eco-shop nigelsecostore.com £79.99 Sterling)

Travelling light is one of the secrets of being a more ethical traveller. Lighter aircraft is a good thing, and avoiding that pre-holiday shopping expedition means less packaging to dispose of when you are there. So invest in a few ethical goodies such as an Indian handwoven mohair throw from Oxfam Ireland (oxfamirelandshop.com currently on offer at €29.99), or an invaluable hemp bamboo pashmina from eco-chic Ascension, (ascensiononline.com €24.05,), and leave the jumpers and jackets at home. 

For outdoor travel gear, Patagonia is always my ‘top’ shop. They measure the carbon footprint of everything they sell, use organic cottons, make fleeces out of recycled plastic bottles, and use hemp and chlorine-free wool. Visit their shop in Exchequer St., Dublin or online at www.patagonia.com.

Camping just got camper with the solar powered baseball cap. It’s a bit gimmicky, but I love it, as do my kids.  With a solar panel on the peak, it powers LED lights to illuminate those midnightSterlingIreland for €13.50.  Mine will be top of my backpack in The Burren next Spring, where I am exploring some of the walking routes laid out in a stunning new walking guide book,  The Burren & The Aran Islands (collinspress.ie, €14.95). I can’t think of a more inspiring book to give this Christmas. Its beautiful line illustrations (by Carles Casasin),  detailed maps and superbly informative text (written by Tony Kirby, a professional walking guide) will have you leaping over the Limestone in search of that much needed New Year detox. ). ‘Rambling’ relatives will also love the BioEtic Organic Care for Light Legs, a natural oil designed to revive tired trekkers’ legs. With recyclable packaging, it’s organic, Fairtrade and available from Oxfam trips to the loo, or for nighttime reading (also from nigelsecostore.com , £29.99

 

For other books, Rough Guides’ new Clean Breaks is my number one for 09 – A worldwide guide to the greenest and greatest places to stay, and things to do, it is  thoroughly researched by green travel experts Richard Hammond (not the one off Top Gear) and Jeremy Smith (available from easons.ie , €24.69). Another exciting development in guidebooks is Writing Travellers (WritingTravellers.com), which provide free online guidebooks. A non-profit making organisation set up by two young Dutch guys, they gather information on destinations in Wiki style format, i.e keen travellers send in their contributions about places they know and love and,  after careful moderation, are then published. A bit like a Pick ‘n Mix, you choose the info you are interested in, and download it. You can also pay to have it printed in a book, although at the moment they only do printed versions of South AfricaIndia. They vary in price depending on how much information you choose. My 400 page guide to The Netherlands cost €18.58, and packed with recommendations, which I hope to try out in time for Tulip season. 

 

The best way to use one of these guides is, of course, by rail, and a European Interrail pass has to be one of the greenest tickets around (irishrail.ie). You don’t have to be a student either. Take a month discovering the superb European rail network, and get into the heart of countries in the best way possible. Prices range hugely depending on where you want to go, and for how long, but for the price of the latest Wii and a few games, you could send someone around Europe for a month for real, not just virtually. Happy days, happy travelling and happy Christmas.

 

 An edited version of this article was first published in The Irish Times, 13 December 2009 

 

Shopping strop

Moroccan beads. Photo: Catherine Mack
Moroccan beads. Photo: Catherine Mack

At the risk of biting the hand that feeds me,  Go’s ‘Shop through the drop’ article (14.11.09) about the ‘great’ return of Irish women to the New York shopping trip,

in search of a credit crunch bargain, took me on a nostalgia trip. I did exactly that in my youth, which was also back in the last century. But I thought we had all moved on a bit since then.  Consumer excess is a personal choice, I guess, but carbon excess in order to feed that frenzy is just not on anymore. I am not against flying per se, but there are limits, and chasing the SJP lifestyle in Barney’s is verging on carbon trashy these days.  

 

If you have signed up for Ireland’s 10:10 challenge (1010.ie) where people are committing to cut their personal carbon emissions by 10% in a year, you will have noticed that the first tip is ‘Fly Less, Holiday More’, encouraging us to take fewer but longer trips. The sixth tip is “Buy Good Stuff”, and think about waste and ethics on our shopping trips.

 

So if, for example, you are limiting your flights to one a year, and your Christmas shopping trip is it, use the Carbon Friendly Flight Search tool on flysmart.org, which finds the cheapest flight as well as the greenest. It does this by assessing the carbon efficiency of each fleet and whether the route is direct or not. It shows that a return flight from Dublin to New York, 10209.56 kms, emits1.25 tonnes of carbon per person.

 

For about the same price, and half the amount of carbon, you can get a real bargain in the markets of Marrakech, and keep money in the local economy, with grotto after grotto of gorgeous artisan jewellery, leather, rugs and, of course, spices.  Morocco’s argan oil, for example, has to be one of the finest beauty products, and now sought after by those in the know.  And no over-heated malls, over-packaged goods, and over-loaded plates of food either. Take a local guide around the souks, such as one recommended on tripbod.com (share the cost with a group of girls) to find all the best bargains and get your head around haggling. You will have to swap the Margharitas for mint tea though.

 

Even strolling the streets of Istanbul is half the carbon cost of fighting your way along Fifth Avenue. Choose a locally owned accommodation, treat yourself to a Turkish Bath, and bring back a load of Turkish Delight for granny. You can book a great short trip, with use of local guide, on responsibletravel.com.

 

Staying closer to home, take the boat and train to Edinburgh or Glasgow, where you can buy plenty of local crafts or produce, not only in some superb boutiques, but also at the capital’s Ethical Christmas Fair from 12-20 December (edinburghschristmas.com).You will feel as if you have walked onto a set of Sex In The City in Glasgow’s Che Chamille (checamille.com), which works with young designers directly, using ethically sourced materials. There are lots of other ways to enjoy Scotland in winter while you are there, as seen at white.visitscotland.com which has taken a whole white theme this year.

 

Or just stay at home, and support some of Ireland’s local producers. Take the train or bus to a town you don’t normally visit and stock up on local produce. The choice is endless, such as The Burren Perfumery, Sligo’s Voya seaweed products or Kenny’s Bookshop in Galway. The list is endless. Please feel free to send me all other suggestions as a comment to this article on my website, and I will add them to the list.

 

An edited version of this article was published in The Irish Times, 28 November 2009

 

 

 

 

 

Power to the people

Photo: Whale Watch Kaikoura
Photo: Whale Watch Kaikoura

 

Four years ago I watched a Maasai warrior stand up in front of a roomful of tourism executives and academics, and say, very politely, “All we want is a voice”. This was in response to endless Powerpoints on sustainable tourism, ethical policies and community empowerment strategies. The Elder was making his point that we can have all the strategies we want in the world, but it’s only through talking to the local people in tourism destinations, that we really achieve a truly responsible form of tourism. There was silence in the room. This wasn’t in anyone’s ‘script’, and noone was really able to give an adequate response or offer of support.

 

Which is why I was overjoyed to see so many indigenous communities, or organisations which are whole heartedly committed to sustaining them,  being recognised at the Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards 2009, which took place at this week’s World Travel Market in London.

 

Such as Village Ways in India (villageways.com), winner of Best Tour Operator for Cultural Engagement. This community-owned company has brought previously vulnerable and disadvantaged individuals from the Dalit community back into their society by creating positions of porters and guides, who now lead guests around sites of cultural interest.

 

In the Small Hotel category, the winner was Rivertime Resort and Ecolodge in Laos (rivertimelaos.com), a role model for many small accommodation providers, because it has signed contracts with its three local villages, setting out the responsibilities of the company to maximise benefits for the local community. Another example of inspirational community involvement was Adventure Alternative (adventurealternative.com), an adventure holiday company which provides long-term employment to local communities in Nepal, Kenya and Tanzania. According to the judges, its founder, Gavin Bate, ‘works round the clock to keep local individuals at the heart of what they do’ and,  in so doing, won  Best Personal Contribution to Responsible Tourism

 

In Mongolia, Selena Travel (selenatravel.com) has worked with the nomadic community in Tuv to found a nomadic cultural festival, which opened in 2004. The Festival now receives hundreds of visitors every year, and is recognised by the Mongolian Ministry of Nature, Environment and Tourism. Consequently, it was awarded the Conservation of Cultural Heritage award.  

 

However, it was the Maori communities which showed everyone how it can be done. Winner of Best in a Marine Environment as well as the Overall Winner, Whale Watch Kaikoura (whalewatch.co.nz) is a 100% Maori owned company, in the small New Zealand town of Kaikoura. Originally set up by four Maori families in 1987, it now  takes one million visitors whale watching every year. Its Chairman, Wally Stone, told me “Our own legends of the whales, which represent the migration of our ancestors, inspired us. This is my blood line, our story, and we are now able to pass it on from generation to generation”.  One of the most inspiring aspects of this community-led organisation, is that it has spread into mainstream tourism. Mr. Stone also went on to be Chairman of New Zealand Tourism and is proud that “we evolved together”.

 

I couldn’t help thinking of an Irish Tourism Board executive who recently balked at the very notion of community-based tourism at another conference I attended, saying “I just don’t want to know about it. Our job here is to make money, and community tourism just doesn’t do that”. The proof that nothing could be further from the truth was written all over this prestigious awards ceremony. Many local community tourism projects are fighting strong. Thankfully, they are no longer having to shout from the wings, but are up there with all the others now, centre stage. The difference compared to four years ago, however, is that people are really starting to listen to them.

 

For news on all other Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards 2009 see responsibletourismawards.com.

An edited version of this article was published in The Irish Times, 14 November 2009