Responsible Travel - A Twist to Tourism Business?

Ever wondered what Responsible travel is about?  Respecting and benefiting local people and the environment. It brings together conservation, communities and tourism. It is a ‘means’ to more benefits from the environment accruing from responsible tourism practices.

Responsible travel revolves around these entities:

1.     Traveler/Tourist

2.     Destination

3.     Travel agent (if any)

4.     Local community

Let’s take a keen focus on the traveler/tourist entity and in successive articles we will; focus on the rest of the entities) and what he/she can do to promote responsible travel. Here are a few tips we thought to be of interest:

1.     Make flying a last option?

Of course, air travel is the fastest way to get to faraway lands. Unfortunately, it is also the single most environmentally harmful mode of transportation available to travelers. Airplane emissions are more detrimental to the ozone layer than those from ground transport, partly because the pollution simply occurs higher up in the atmosphere. One way to reduce your impact is to take longer, less frequent trips. Rather than jetting around the world in a whirlwind tour, why not stay in one place until you’re living like a local? You’ll use up less jet fuel and have a deeper experience.

Another way to approach the issue is to look closer to home for your adventures. The area around where you live may seem a bit boring at times, but with a little research, you’re bound to find some kind of cultural or natural attraction that’s close enough to travel to by car. If you keep your mind open, you could discover something in the next county over that’s just as exhilarating as something you’ve experienced halfway across the world.

2.     Eat and drink local

It’s an approach that not only reduces pollution and carbon emissions (from transporting food long distances), but supports local economies as well. It can also mean the difference between having an authentic travel experience and feeling like an uninformed tourist.

3.     Reduce waste at hotels

Have you ever taken a longer shower, left the lights on, or cranked up the air conditioning in a hotel room? It’s all too easy to overindulge on energy and resources, especially when away from home. Staying in a hotel, you get that delightfully anonymous feeling that almost wipes away your accountability to anyone.

Maybe it’s time you opted for eco-friendly lodges where electricity is generated by solar power, waste recycled, water drawn using hydro power, hot water supplied by efficient 'kuni' boilers, cooking done with gas and eco-bricks from sustainable sources etc

Think about it, responsible behavior matters just as much in a hotel as it does any other place and when you’re a guest in a foreign land, respecting the local resources becomes especially important. Just keep that idea in mind, and you will not be likely to use up water and electricity with such recklessness.

4.     Bring home thoughtful gifts

Rather than buying plastic key chains and t-shirts, why not get some more thoughtful souvenirs? Picking out special items at craft fairs, antiques markets, farmer’s markets, and other places that sell locally sourced products can add cultural depth to your trip.

Knowing the back story of how something was made or where it came from, makes it that much more interesting to bring home. Better still, you could learn some of the basics directly from an artisan. By taking a lesson, you would be supporting an independent business owner, and at the same time, getting hands-on insight into the local culture.

Sales from these merchandise are shared between the vendors and some saved in the fund for future community projects

5.     Pack light

Vehicles have to go through more fuel in order to carry heavier loads. By simply bringing less stuff, you can help make your trips on airplanes, public transportation, and cars more energy efficient. As an extra incentive, it will help you cut down on those luggage fees that airlines charge.

If you pack lighter, you will also be more inclined to walk or take public transportation to get around, rather than hailing a taxi every time you have to move your suitcase.

Images courtesy of © Johann du Toit of Maasaimara.com

Rwanda raise costs for gorilla permits

Effective 01st of June 2012, gorilla permit fees, excluding permits already pre-booked until the time of the announcement, will be increased from the present US Dollars 500 per person to US Dollars 750 per person as announced by the Rwanda Development Board.

‘This increase comes at a time when there is significant growth of the gorilla population as well as an increasing demand for gorilla tourism. We are very committed to sustain our efforts in conservation in order to protect their environment as well as the rich biodiversity that exist in our national parks.”  Mr. John Gara, CEO of the Rwanda Development Board which falls under the Rwanda Tourism and Conservation board said.

The extra charge is being subjected to further strengthen protective measures for the prized Gorillas, fund conservation, research, community outreach projects, all of which depend on income from the tourists who come to visit / track gorillas.

Mr. Gara also stated that Rwanda's gorilla conservation had shown significant success, saying that at present they had ten gorilla families that could accommodate a maximum of eight tourists per day per family a number that indicated a double over the past five years.

The Rwandese move has however sparked an open debate with their tri- "gorilla" nation Uganda and Congo DR, particularly Uganda who only last year had reneged from a uniform approach to the permit fees, subsequently reducing the costs to attract more tourists.

Rwanda whose tourism is on a high zenith compared to all her neighbouring East African countries, has immense tourism attractions such as mountain climbing at Volcanoes National Park, visiting Rwanda’s Genocide Memorial Sites: Kigali Memorial Site; Murambi Memorial Site; Nyanza Kicukiro Memorial Site; and Ntarama Memorial Site, canoeing, kayaking, and wind surfing on Lake Kivu at the edge of Rwanda’s Western Province and many other attractions. 

NB: For gorilla or chimp tracking safaris, refer to our website www.uniglobeletsgotravel.com 

 or email us info@letsgosafari.com

Does Paperless Travel Sound too Futuristic for our Imagination?

A few years ago when the travel industry got introduced to e-tickets and online check-ins, it all seemed unimaginable.

Now imagine a world where you fingerprint boarding passes and eye-scanning passport control systems, i know, it all seems a bit too futuristic doesn’t it?  A report recently done named From Chaos to Collaboration report released by technology expert Amadeus suggests it is only eight years away.

By 2020, all airports will be paperless and bags will be electronically tagged, according to the predictions, technological innovation will take the stress out of travel so that passengers will have nothing to remember and can track the exact location of their bag at any given time.

Automated identification systems will use fingerprints to check in, avoiding the lengthy queues and delays in manual check-in and deleting the now online check-ins. Travellers will cruise through customs and immigration with just a scan of their eye retina! The experience does not end there! Passengers will be able to use virtual tour guides - through the same principles as gaming on smart phones and computers - enabling them to visit sites of interest.

Andrew Curry, director and co-author The Futures Company, said: "We wanted to avoid making techno-centric assumptions about the future of travel - and painting a picture of flying cars and intelligent robots in a world that is otherwise unchanged from today.

"We hope that this study will challenge, provoke and stimulate thinking around how we will all be travelling in the future."

Now tell me this is not something we are all looking forward to!

January; A Traveller's Forecast

January is the month we love to complain about everything! It is the month we realise we over spent during the Christmas holidays and now we have too many bills pending! It is the month we make new year resolutions and swear that this time round we will stick through the resolutions! It is also the month where should agent or any holiday planner tell you that  you should go on a holiday...you feel like you could strangle them because it is as though they are mocking you considering all the bills you have pending!

Have you ever considered planning your holiday getaway trips for 2012 as early as now? In recent past, we blogged about how planning your trips in advance could save you money and with the economists forecasting a rise in inflation on all world markets this could mean if you do not plan now, you may have to wave goodbye to your getaways!

Depressing as that sounds, this does not mean that your holidays have to come to an end. It just means that you have to take our advice and plan now. Look at the calender dates and pick your prefered dates and start your search now by comparing options with what fits your budget but at the same time choosing what you want to experience during you holiday...

In just a few weeks from today, Valentine's day is upon us. There so many offers currently in the East African market especially weekend getaways for couples! Also in about two months the long Easter weekend is approaching and serves well as an option to treat yourself to a holiday, so why not take advantage? 

Planning ensures that not only do you get to save some money but it also gives you ample time to pick a destination that you wanted and not just pick what was available; more so, it gives you peace of mind  to know you do not have to hustle up the last minute to find availability for your desired destination!

Happy Holidays!

We take this opportunity in wishing you a very Happy Christmas and all the very best for the festive season.

Please be careful in your travels particularly on the roads as they will be busy and for flights, be at the airports in good time.

This last Saturday Royal Jordanian Airlines just started a service to Nairobi from Amman (4 times a week) and have a wide network via Europe and to the East.  Jordan has some great history and a visit to Petra or float in the Dead Sea are well worth the experience.  Make a plan for next year.  

Call us for more details.

With best wishes at this time and may 2012 be a better year for all of us and hopefully throughout the world!

Emergency Numbers and when our offices are closed

Should you need to contact us during this holiday period, please remember we are on call 24/7 and it will be best to try any of the Managers listed below.

Dennis 0722753095, Roda 0721206166 or 0733753452 of ABC Head Office, and Angelica 0722370681 of Karen branch office. If calling from overseas please add country code 254 without the first 0 ! 

These numbers and the regular office numbers are on your air ticket documents.

We are closed from Saturday 24th December midday through to Tuesday 27th December inclusive. Again from Saturday 31st December midday through to Monday 2nd January, inclusive.

Tourism a threat to the Watamu endangered Turtles

For those of you who have ever had the chance to enjoy a holiday at Kenya’s Watamu – Malindi beach,you  know how much of heaven these sandy, white, lovely beaches have to offer. This week I happened to stumble upon a very interesting and educative article written by Jessica Aldred of the online portal of the guardian magazine. I had always known that Turtles were among the many species on the IUCN list of endangered species but it is only after thoroughly reading this article did I realise the level of seriousness about this matter. In the article, she brought to light the fact that as much us we are embracing tourism at the coast, Irresponsible tourism could result in destroying one of the main reasons as to why we have tourists at our beaches!

A baby green sea turtle – one of the five turtle species that can be found in Kenya. Photograph: Michele Westmorland/Getty Images

Facts:

•   Eight tourists at the beach equal to one job created in the tourism sector.
•  Female Turtles nest their eggs on the beach shores.
•   Five of the world’s seven species are found in Kenya, green, hawksbill, olive ridleys, loggerheads and leatherbacks.
•   All  turtle species are listed as critically endangered by the IUCN. In the past 50 years the population has declined by 80% and the WWF say if the trend continues, there will be no marine turtles in existence in eastern Africa.
• Of the turtles admitted in Turtle help centres such as the Local Ocean Trust’s Watamu TurtleWatch, 62% of the turtles are brought to the clinics because of human related causes many associated with tourism. 

As I read these facts moving from one point to the next, I reminisced on what would happen if marine life was extinct and how the sea would no –longer be appealing or be one of the main attractions that undoubtedly bring in so many tourists at our local beaches. This also led me to thinking about the root of the no tourists’ consequence that we would face as a country! So the ultimate question that needed to be answered was, how was tourism taking turtles from Kenya’s blue waters?

Photograph by Nick Caloyianis - National Geographic

•  Disposing of litter in the sea is one of the hazards. This is dangerous to Marine life as turtles may mistake the clear plastic waste for jellyfish and can die if they eat it.
• Buying products that have been made from sea turtle parts or any marine life. This will only make those who sell to you these items go back in the sea for more of the animals so they can sell more!
• Stay at beach resorts that do not have responsible beachfront management practices, for example banning bright lights that face the beach and can confuse nesting turtles.
• Driving motorised vehicles on the beach and as a result compacted sand from vehicles makes it difficult for turtles to dig nests.
•  Restaurants that serve undersized crabs and lobsters as this contributes to the species’ demise.
• Snorkeling and diving are encouraged but under the supervision of KWS wardens who work closely with local tour operators and hoteliers to ensure strict adherence   to marine wildlife code.
•  Removing, damaging or touching corals. They are living organisms that take years to grow and support the many species.

These are just but a few things that if observed could save our marine life. It may all not be 100% possible at present but we can meet at least 99.99% if we keep our conscious awake and practice responsible tourism, and as KWS say, “Leave only footprints in the sand and air bubbles in the water.”

NB: Some resorts at Kenya's Watamu Coast that have good beachfront mahagement are Hemingways Resort, Turtle Bay Beach Resort, Ocean Sports.

Embracing December

December is a month highly associated with festivities, the main reason being because of Christmas and also the New Year! As Christmas hymns dictate, it is a season to be jolly!

One year ago, we posted our first blog, writing about Christmas, posing the question whether or not you had booked your Christmas getaways early enough to secure your dream holiday? I remember advising that to avoid the sound of our ever charming consultants saying to you  "I am sorry sir, all places are fully booked!" Well, let's just say that the advice may have gone out through the window, but hey, do not despair, there are still a few places here and there that still have availability, all you have to do is give us a shout, your budget and we will be quick to match your holiday desires.

With December, this not only means  holidays, chocolate cakes, parties, gifts and all the fabulous treats, but it also means that next year is only four weeks away! This means, new year resolutions,plans, budgeting, purchases, targets, the list is endless! With this running through our minds we started to question, which places did we visit this year that we thought were awesome or thought were exaggerated and were not as good as said? We also started wondering which places would be great for 2012 in terms of location and attractions? Where would we and our clients love to explore? The questions just kept on moving from this to that.... we even got the point where our thoughts were asking, who do you think would make the top10 must visit destination in 2012, if we were to create our own list? Lonely planet already have their top 10 cities,countries and best value for 2012?! What and who would our list contain?

The Pelican Lodge Elementaita

In 2011, we saw hotels such us The Emakoko emerge as an amazing attraction in the world's safari capital Nairobi, Serena Hotels Lake Elementaita Camp and even The pelican Lodge still in Elementaita, a place we once nicknamed, the undiscovered gem in the Rift Valley! Many high - end, sophisticated and unique places that could take up at least five separate blogs with us just naming them! This means that there are so many new places that we are yet to enjoy and have a taste of. The more we think of this, the more we look forward to 2011, bearing in mind that alot of speculation about 2012 being the year that the world supposedly will come to an end! Reports even suggesting this could be our last ever Christmas to celebrate?!

All said, there are many properties and destinations that remain untapped and would serve as great adventure and treats for our holidays. The best 2012 resolution we would suggest is for you, is to contact us so that you can start finding out more about these raw and fresh destinations and properties. This will help you budget and plan in advance, that way making sure you do not strain your budget when the vacation time comes. This will also give you an added advantage and a reason to brag and show off your travel skills and knowledge infront of your family, friends or spouse by showing them how well your knowledge in the new travel products are, and yes... we will not ruin your moment when it comes,by saying you got all that information from us!

*Happy Holidays!!*