Thursday, 18 March 2010
Sunday, 21 February 2010
Saturday, 6 February 2010
BLUE FLAGS IN GREECE.
| Beach name | Municipality | Region |
|---|---|---|
| 4o Km Alexandroupolis-Komotinis | ALEXANDROUPOLIS | Evros |
| Aboula Psarou | ALYKON | Zakynthos |
| Achladies | SKIATHOS | Magnisia |
| Adelianos Kampos A | ARKADIOU | Rethymno |
| Afantou 2 | AFANTOU | Dodekanisa |
| Ag. Panteleimonas | AG. NIKOLAOS | Lasithi |
| Ag. AnnaMaragas | NAXOS | Kyklades |
| Ag. Apostoloi 1 | NEA KYDONIA | Chania |
| Ag. Apostoloi 2 | NEA KYDONIA | Chania |
| Ag. Fotia | IERAPETRA | Lasithi |
| Ag.Galini/YsteroVarkotopi | Lampis | Rethymno |
| Ag. Georgios | KORISION | Corfu / Kerkyra |
| Ag. Georgios | NAXOS | Kyklades |
| Ag. Georgios 1 | CHERSONISOS | Irakleio |
| AG. GEORGIOS 2/PAN.RYZI | CHERSONISOS | Irakleio |
| Ag. Georgios 3 | CHERSONISOS | Irakleio |
| Ag. Gordios | ACHILLION | Corfu / Kerkyra |
| Ag. Ioannis Strogylis | MELITIEON | Corfu / Kerkyra |
| Ag. Isidoros | ANTIKYRA | Voiotia |
| Ag. Isidoros | PLOMARI | Lesvos |
| Ag. Marina | NEA KYDONIA | Chania |
| Ag. Mathaios | MELITIEON | Corfu / Kerkyra |
| Ag. Nikolaos 1 | AG. NIKOLAOS | Lasithi |
| Ag. Nikolaos 2 | AG. NIKOLAOS |
READ MORE
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COMMUNITY TOURISM
What is Community Tourism?
Tourism that benefits local people
Community tourism (sometimes called community-based tourism) is a form of tourism which aims to include and benefit local communities, particularly indigenous peoples and villagers in the rural South (ie 'developing world'). For instance, villagers might host tourists in their village, managing the scheme communally and sharing the profits. There are many types of community tourism project, including many in which the 'community' works with a commercial tour operator, but all community tourism projects should give local people a fair share of the benefits/profits and a say in deciding how incoming tourism is managed.
Tourism that benefits tourists
These tours open up a world of adventure and opportunity. Visit the Amazon… trek through the Andes or the Sinai… experience the magic of the central Australian desert… Good community-based tours take you beyond mainstream tourism. You'll meet people from different countries and learn far more about them and their culture than on conventional tours. You'll feel better knowing that your visit is genuinely helping your hosts. And if you want to simply lie on a beach.... well, there are tours here that feature some of the best beaches on the planet.
You'll find a more detailed discussion of community tourism in Tourism Concern's book, The Ethical Travel Guide, as well as more complete descriptions of the tours in the directory. Click here to buy the book!
You'll find a more detailed discussion of community tourism in Tourism Concern's book, The Ethical Travel Guide, as well as more complete descriptions of the tours in the directory. Click here to buy the book!
Community tourism should...
1. Be run with the involvement and consent of local communities.
(Local people should participate in planning and managing the tour.)
2. Give a fair share of profits back to the local community.
(Ideally this will include community projects (health, schools, etc).)
3. Involve communities rather than individuals.
(Working with individuals can disrupt social structures.)
4. Be environmentally sustainable
(Local people must be involved if conservation projects are to succeed.)
5. Respect traditional culture and social structures.
6. Have mechanisms to help communities cope with the impact of western tourists.
7. Keep groups small to minimise cultural / environmental impact.
8. Brief tourists before the trip on appropriate behaviour.
9. Not make local people perform inappropriate ceremonies, etc.
10. Leave communities alone if they don't want tourism.
(People should have the right to say 'no' to tourism.)
(Local people should participate in planning and managing the tour.)
2. Give a fair share of profits back to the local community.
(Ideally this will include community projects (health, schools, etc).)
3. Involve communities rather than individuals.
(Working with individuals can disrupt social structures.)
4. Be environmentally sustainable
(Local people must be involved if conservation projects are to succeed.)
5. Respect traditional culture and social structures.
6. Have mechanisms to help communities cope with the impact of western tourists.
7. Keep groups small to minimise cultural / environmental impact.
8. Brief tourists before the trip on appropriate behaviour.
9. Not make local people perform inappropriate ceremonies, etc.
10. Leave communities alone if they don't want tourism.
(People should have the right to say 'no' to tourism.)
AUTHENTICITY AND UNIQUENESS
Long term and myopic planning strategies
Julian Zarb
As the saying goes: “a week is a long time in politics.” Perhaps this needs to be applied in some quarters of our political structures here on these islands. Last Sunday we heard about the irreversible (at least that is what the emphatic statement sounded like) question of privatisation of the National Airline, immediately after that we had an equally emphatic reply from the Government Ministry responsible for the transportation – there is no privatization. The real question is – can we predict what will happen five or ten years or more into the future and state with great surety what the national policy could be? Or are we being a little too premature in this respect?
Today’s fast moving economic activity requires a very specific, though sometimes generic and ideal, long term plan and objectives but it also means that we need to be ready to take appropriate action when the moment requires this. Take the situation in 2009 – could anybody have predicted the disastrous impact the economic downturn would have on the global stage? Could anyone have thought that the ripple effect would have such impact on the tourism industry? Up to a few years ago, the UNWTO had predicted a global increase in travel and tourism of 10 per cent - today...well...everyone is being a little more cautious in their statements, even those that are very short term.
What we should be doing for sure, is building on a sustainable tourism infrastructure that will enhance our product offering and emphasize the importance of providing a genuine experience based on authenticity and uniqueness. Government and Parliament set the policy and national strategy based on the needs of the stakeholder and the public quality of life; the aspect of offering a genuine tourism product is dependant on the stakeholder initiative and the local resident response to the visitor participation in local culture, traditions and lifestyles that need to be preserved, not as some side show or theatrical experience but as part of that genuine experience which provides an authentic intercultural exchange. Medium and long term Policy and Strategy plans should provide the guidelines to these unique experiences.
Over the past few years we have experienced a number of government initiatives which have built up this concept of medium to long term planning; admittedly, sometimes these work, other times they do not and at othe
Today’s fast moving economic activity requires a very specific, though sometimes generic and ideal, long term plan and objectives but it also means that we need to be ready to take appropriate action when the moment requires this. Take the situation in 2009 – could anybody have predicted the disastrous impact the economic downturn would have on the global stage? Could anyone have thought that the ripple effect would have such impact on the tourism industry? Up to a few years ago, the UNWTO had predicted a global increase in travel and tourism of 10 per cent - today...well...everyone is being a little more cautious in their statements, even those that are very short term.
What we should be doing for sure, is building on a sustainable tourism infrastructure that will enhance our product offering and emphasize the importance of providing a genuine experience based on authenticity and uniqueness. Government and Parliament set the policy and national strategy based on the needs of the stakeholder and the public quality of life; the aspect of offering a genuine tourism product is dependant on the stakeholder initiative and the local resident response to the visitor participation in local culture, traditions and lifestyles that need to be preserved, not as some side show or theatrical experience but as part of that genuine experience which provides an authentic intercultural exchange. Medium and long term Policy and Strategy plans should provide the guidelines to these unique experiences.
Over the past few years we have experienced a number of government initiatives which have built up this concept of medium to long term planning; admittedly, sometimes these work, other times they do not and at othe
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