January 2002, its finally official: - the Green Travelers aim to take over International Tourism. With Ecological flowers in wind beaten hair and recycled traveler dreams they travel daily among us.

UN Secretary General Mr. Kofi Annan welcomes the growing number of Green Travelers in United Nations Headquarters, New York in a launch ceremony, today, 28th of January 2002.

You think it's a new Hollywood production I talk about? Oh no, it's all so real, or should I say "green"?.

So what's all this about, is it good, bad or dangerous?

Unlike much last year, this time it's good news. Fact is that year 2002 have been designated by United Nations as the International Year of Ecotourism.

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the UN body that's responsible for IYE (the International Year of Ecotourism) together with the four official IYE partners:

the World Tourism Organization (WTO/OMT)

The International Ecotourism Society (TIES)

Ecological Tourism in Europe (ETE)

and Conservation International (CI).

The major manifestation of IYE will be The World Ecotourism Summit, held in Quebec, Canada from 19-22nd May 2002. Along with this several smaller meetings and events throughout the year, and many pre events as preparation last year.

So what's all this about, what is Ecotourism anyway?

Let me try to give an idea within the larger travel map by using "my own" words.

The travel industry, being the largest industry in the world - have many aspects. If we try to cut a bit down to the bone, Business Travel is a part that stand apart from holiday travel. It got it's own "rules", expertise and market.

Most of what is left is normally thrown in the box called "leisure travel" - it's easy to do so, but if we look into that box we will see that many travelers, destinations and tour operators don't exactly "fit together" here.

A main part, with departure destinations especially from colder destinations - is Beach tourism.

Main target here is "leisure" in form of the combination of Sun and Beach. It differs of course from continent to continent - but especially in Europe, this market is totally dominated by charter flights. As flights normally are the most expensive part of an international travel, some European operators found out that they could compete if they operated as "bulk operators". Rather than regular flights they rented own flights for the season and filled these up. Result is that the price on beach travel dropped drastically.

Soon the most successful of the beach tourism operators had their own fleet with airplanes. They got very good hotel prices, as someone who come with hundred/s of guests every week to an destination is likely to get. While price was the positive result for the beach traveler, the "bulk" feeling was the negative.

Another part was the negative impact on local destinations - a part first discussed during later years.

Cultural tourism is another main area of the tourism industry - and an destination as Greece is a typical destination that live from both Cultural and Beach tourism.

Asia, Europe, Middle East and part of South America and Africa provide all main destinations for the cultural tourism market (the Inca heritage in Peru and the Pharaonic heritage in Egypt is good examples).

Ecotourism is not mainstream cultural tourism or sun beach tourism, it belong rather to what often is put in the wooden box of "Nature Tourism". You find Safari in this "box", adventure travel and other forms of "nature tourism".

Then again, do remember that these boxes we now have put segments of tourism inside, are quite organic. Not all animal safari is Ecotourism, parts of animal safaris is under re-evaluation as it's lack the ecological aspects (note, I said "parts" - non-ecological safaris is happily not the standard - but it does exist).

On the other side, all beach tourism is not "anti Ecotourism". One example is several Red Sea resorts in Sinai that have been developed with far more care and ecological consideration than beach tourism is known for.

It all intertwines as roots between these tourism boxes, and the results and guidelines from Ecotourism is spreading more and more to other parts of the travel industry.

TIES (The International Ecotourism Society) are the largest global organization in the area of Ecotourism. Its 1700 members in over 100 countries are trying to spread the message that Your Travel Choice Makes a Difference.

Read it and think about it, it's not without reason that we got United Nations International Year of Ecotourism this year.

Please, travel like never before - but why don't you first look for tours by Ecotourism operators, remember our children and grand children would like to travel as well when tomorrow comes...