Ökotourismus zwischen Sein und Schein - Lateinamerika-Studien ...

FRAGE 5 : “In which year did the first attempts toward ecotourism start?”
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When I built the pole-house in 1992. One year after we were here, we were already trying to
create a visitor´s side which was harmonious to nature and at the same time a form of
international display case of the Vilcabamba environment like building this house on poles in
the flatland of the jumper (?) stream and which is in companion to our own home that is of
the same kind.
It was then that we started and also through that we started creating our own means of
income that way.
Because when we first came from the Galapagos, we had no means of income. So we
created this, I continued as a self-taught guide here, to guide visitors in English and Spanish
in the western section slopes of the PNP and in the puffer-zone where I still go today as a
guide.
In a way we kept on doing what we used to do in the Galapagos, but this time as owners of
this area (and around our home which is here in Vilcabamba) and like before that was a
temporary – long lasting but still a temporary work as naturalist guides in the Galapagos.
FRAGE 6 : “What are the criteria’s for a real ecolodge in your opinion?”
An ecolodge ideally should have to be inserted so harmoniously to this natural surroundings
that it didn´t cause any lasting damage, pollution or contamination to the environment there.
And that it is capable of handling even the overload of pollution that ecotourism generally
tends to bring, that it tends to capitalize to the most efficient way on the sources of energy
that the place can provide within economic reach in our case of the people who are involved
with the project.
Ultimately any attempt in improving ecological conditions for visitors and locals alike is better
than no attempt at all. So that is important.
Finally the place must be pleasant, attractive, likeable to the tourists, without being likeable
and attractive – and that they don´t see it as a burden of responsibility but as a pleasure of a
responsibility and that they can in a way be sure the place is honest and sincere, that there
is no fake pretension, not necessarily that they are going overboard every step of the way
but that they are sincere on a long-term concerning what their aims are as an ecolodge.
Then tourists themselves will see with their own eyes and their own experience that were
they are, they are indeed treating the land honestly, there is no false pretensions, no
exaggerations, there is a certain simplicity of action that makes it viable.
So the people find it easy, not only easy, but pleasantly also.
Like take for example: It´s not difficult to separate the garbage into two containers to be in
with. And then we deal with non-biodegradable including then in the Loja-System and the
other goes into a compost hole.
Only that would make a hotel be a bit of an eco-hotel, just to know that they can recycle and
dispose of the surplus garbage or the garbage that the ecotourism provide, produce wisely
and with honest concern.
There is more to it: education.
That the place inspires people to learn more about nature, a nature trail carefully designed
with information that is not too complicated but at the same time emotionally binding, I find it
more successful than extensive complex scientific information to the abuses (?) that they
don´t really care for.
FRAGE 7: “Many of the tourist offices in Vilcabamba use the word ´eco´ for example:
eco-tours, eco-adventure,… But do they all really practise ecotourism?”
I think that the word “eco” is overused and it involves a marketing effect on a fraction growing
number perhaps in any ways of international travellers that would like to hope at least that
their visiting is not having an impact on the visitor places and so they trust to a degree those
who being prestigious and renowned yet will talk about “ecotourism” and keep themselves
more creditability and better marketing technique.