Category: Eco Tourism

Photo Courtesy: Voice of Sikkim The Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve (KBR) in Sikkim, surrounding the world’s third highest peak Mount Khanchendzonga, has been added to UNESCO’s World Network of Biosphere Reserves, making it the 11th biosphere in India to be included in the network. It is to be considered an opportunity for joint collaboration and conservation of biodiversity with neighbouring countries like Nepal, and Bhutan. The Khangchendzonga National Park (KNP) in Sikkim is popular among trekking and hiking enthusiasts, is also the starting point for several stunning trails, taking explorers up and through a dizzying variety of forests and terrains to ... Read more

Stream in Amani Nature Reserve Tanzanian tourism is planning to explore the possibilities of nature-based tourism in the east African nation’s forest reserves. “The project will enrich the country’s tourism sector and open up more unexplored investment opportunities, which in turn will also enhance the conservation activities,” said Dos Santos Silayo, CEO of the Tanzania Forest Services. “We have a number of nature reserves with its inimitable tourist destinations; but they’re yet to be explored to its maximum. With this promotion campaign, we hope to increase their visibility to domestic and foreign tourists,” he added. Amani Nature Reserve located in ... Read more

Sikkim Tourism has bagged an award for “Best Eco-Tourism Destination” from the North-East together with the Tourism Department of Meghalaya at the recently concluded Travel & Tourism Fair (TTF). The three days long TTF, India’s largest travel trade show, took place in Netaji Indoor Stadium, Kolkata (West Bengal). The award was received by the Special Secretary, Namrata Thapa and Joint Director, M K Pradhan from the hands of the Chairman-cum-CEO, Fairfest Media Pvt. Ltd., Sanjiv Agarwal, Director for Tourism, Government of Bangladesh and Director of Nepal Tourism Board. Renowned music composer A R Rahman has been appointed as the Brand Ambassador of the ... Read more

Six wetlands in five districts in the Konkan region of Maharashtra to be declared ecotourism destinations. It is with the intention to highlight the ecologically important areas and to increase awareness to conserve them. Conserving wetlands becomes very crucial these days as thousands of acres of wetlands have been disappeared from our country due to human activities. Wetlands are important parts of our nature as they help take out carbon dioxide from the air, act as an important buffer between land and sea and are home to several species of marine animals.

With an aim to attract nature lovers to state, Odisha has laid focus on development of eco-tourism and sustainable practices in nature-based tourism. At a time when the state has introduced an eco-tourism policy, Forest Department has been declared as the nodal agency for development of eco-tourism in the State. “An eco-tourism scheme has been approved with the financial implication of Rs 56 crore for five years for its sustainable development and promotions,” said Tourism Secretary Vishal Kumar Dev. He was speaking at a workshop on ‘Sustainable Eco-tourism’ jointly organised by Department of Tourism and Forest and Environment in collaboration with Ecotourism Society ... Read more

The UAE has launched National Ecotourism Project, with an aim to position the country as a leading green holiday destination. The project launched by the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MoCCAE), is aimed at promoting the country’s eco-tourism attractions in three phases that focus on environmental, economic and social factors. “Over the past few years, the pioneering vision and directives of the UAE leadership have enabled the country to consolidate its leading global status across diverse sectors, with travel and tourism at the forefront,” said Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al-Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment. Last year, the UAE recorded ... Read more

Malabar River Cruise project will kick start on 30th June 2018. The project targets comprehensive development in the tourism sector of Malabar. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will lay the foundation stone for the project at Parassini kadavu in Kannur. “Once the project is in operation, it will be a big leap in the tourism sector of Malabar”, said the Tourism Minister Kadakampalli Surendran. Dream Project of Malabar The government aims at generating 2 lakhs new employment opportunities within 5 years of the project. Renowned travel guide book publisher ‘Lonely Planet’ has ranked Malabar in 3rd Place among the ‘top ten ... Read more

Rajasthan’s proposal to create an eco-tourist circuit will soon be sanctioned by the Union Tourism Ministry under Swadesh Darshan scheme. As per reports, the tourism circuit is expected to have a projected investment of Rs 100 crore and the work will commence within one month. The proposal to Union Ministry includes developing three circuits comprising eco-tourism, desert and tribal tourism initiating new infrastructure works, aimed at expanding tourism prospects in the state. The eco-tourist circuit proposal demands to improve amenities in Sariska Tiger Reserve (Alwar), Raoli Tadgarh Sanctuary (Rajsamand), Mount Abu Sanctuary (Sirohi), Kailadevi Wildlife Sanctuary (Karauli), Kumbhalgarh Sanctuary (Rajsamand), ... Read more

In an initiative to boost tourism prospective in the country, Myanmar tourism authorities has decided to develop one more ancient limestone cave, Hpa Baung, located at Kyaikmaraw township in Mon state as an ecotourism zone inside one year. The Hpa Baung limestone cave conserved by the Archaeology, National Museum and Library Department is one of the largest natural of its kind in Mon state. The authorities also plan to develop a spring in that area in harmony with the ecotourism spot. According to forestry department, Hpa Baung and the surrounding areas are expected to be extended to 446 acres as ... Read more

One more eco-tourist spot to be adorned in Tamil Nadu as the works for developing the Villivakkam lake into an eco-tourist spot officially began on Wednesday. The project was inaugurated by S P Velumani, the Minister for Municipal Administration. The lake that has of total area of 36.50 acres will have its 24.64 acres developed into an eco-tourist spot. The eco-tourist spot will be developed by The Greater Chennai Corporation at a budget of 16 crore as in their plan to restore 32 water bodies under Smart City project. The residual 11.5 acres of lake will be utilized to setup ... Read more

With an aim to help the small villages earn consistent revenue all throughout the year and protect the biodiversity of the places, the ecotourism board of Maharashtra is planning to develop 320 villages into tourist destinations. These sites will include tiger reserves, national parks, forts, hill stations, religious places and biodiversity parks, said Sunil Limaye, additional principal chief conservator of forests. “Our priority is protecting wild life and forests and we can only do this with the help of local villagers. The development of such places will help villagers realise that it can be their regular source of income and ... Read more

February 2nd is considered World Wetlands Day. This day marks the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian Sea. Each year since 1997, the Ramsar Secretariat has provided materials to help raise public awareness about the importance and value of wetlands. The international theme for World Wetlands Day 2018 is ‘Wetlands for a sustainable urban future’. The Ramsar Convention Secretariat has developed a number of downloadable World Wetlands Day materials for 2018, including posters, infographics, Power Point presentations, fact sheets and a t-shirt ... Read more

When you are heading up the dense forests and slippery boulders of Agasthyakoodam, you need to be very careful as it is a difficult climb. What would a trekker keep in mind while climbing the steep Agasthyarkoodam? Here’s some expert advice from Viswanath of Summiters India, who has climbed the peak more than 10 times!

Luambe National Park, one of the oldest and smallest national parks in Zambia, is declared the most carbon neutral National Park in the world. The 254 km² park located on the eastern bank of the Luangwa, is awarded the most carbon neutral in the world by a USAID-funded Community Forests Program (CFP) implemented by BioCarbon Partners (BCP), in partnership with the Zambian Government. This world-first level of carbon neutrality means the emissions of all tourism and conservation management activities within with the park are offset, including all international tourist airline travel. Platinum is the highest possible carbon rating available from ... Read more

Web Desk Mangalajodi Village located on the northern banks of Chilika Lake in Odisha has bagged the UNWTO (United Nations World Tourism Organisation) Award for Innovation in Enterprise. The 14th edition of the award was declared on January 17, the first day of the five days long Fitur 2018 held in Madrid. photo courtesy:media.unwto.org Sanjib Sarangi of Indian Grameen Service, which overlooks the Mangalajodi project and Renna from Mangalajodi Ecotourism Trust attended the award event and unfurled an Indian flag while receiving the award. Mangalajodi eco tourism’s strong principles of positive contribution to ecology, environment and economic upliftment of the ... Read more