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I was out in the Caribbean last week at CHTA Marketplace, an annual trade expo for Caribbean tourism, and attended a press conference by Green Globe – one of a burgeoning number of eco-certifying bodies for the tourism sector.

CEO Guido Bauer revealed the difference that a Green Globe certificate can make to a hotel’s bottom line: having the certificate lets hotels increase their room rates by 3-7%, reduces their operating costs by 3-11%, and adds 1-3% to the property’s value.

It’s great that they have proof of the financial benefit – in a cash-strapped economy like… Continue reading

I was pleased to hear that Cancun has devised an underwater museum as a new tourist attraction. Not because I thought the world necessarily needed an underwater museum (more on that later) but because this is good news for the threatened coral reefs in the Cancun area.

The massive expansion of tourism over the last 40 years has led to the rapid decline in the quality of the… Continue reading

I had a fascinating meeting at WTM yesterday with NatureAir, the world’s first (and only) carbon neutral airline.

It’s going through an exciting period right now. It’s hoping to sign codeshare agreements with international players like Continental Airlines, Copa, Mexicana and Iberia in the near future.

This means passengers won’t have to check their luggage back in at Costa Rica’s San Jose airport before they fly onto their final destination with… Continue reading | 1 Comment

I’m now back in the Big Smoke after a recent trip to Honduras. It was a brilliant trip, but also quite a sad one. The country has been in the midst of a political crisis since June, and tourism to the country has been decimated as people are afraid to visit.

The UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office is advising against all but essential travel to the country, but from what I saw and… Continue reading

I thought it was about time I calculated my carbon footprint. I have some factors which work in my favour. I don’t have a car, and I take the bus or even jog to work. I also try to be careful with turning appliances off, and our TV is so old-school I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s powered by some kind of dynamo instead of electricity.

There’s a massive range of carbon calculating websites and companies - some are in it for the money and some are not-for-proft… Continue reading

I’m on a work trip in Japan at the moment, on the island of Okinawa way down off the south coast.

They have one of the longest life expectancies in the world here – 86 years for women and 77 for men. This is put down to their chilled-out lifestyle and healthy cuisine so I came to Emi’s Place to try some of the Okinawan specialities.

These range from seaweed and aloe vera (bit gross) to pickled cucumber (quite nice) and prawns in dill-tempura (lovely).

The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) has announced the winners of its Tourism for Tomorrow Awards. There are four different categories and the winners were a refreshing surprise…

The ‘Conservation Award’ went to an airline – not an entity you’d usually associate with environmental excellence! But NatureAir is not your usual airline. The Costa Rica-based airline offsets all of its greenhouse gas emissions by preserving and restoring tropical rainforests, and uses biofuel for its company road vehicles. It… Continue reading