Ecotourism in Ireland

 

Looking for eco-friendly activities, transport, accommodation and organic food in Ireland? We discover the Emerald Isle’s many shades of green.

Ecotourism may be a recent travel concept, but it has a long history in Ireland where small-scale, sustainable, culturally sensitive and nature-based eco-escapes have evolved naturally around the country’s wild landscape.

Ireland’s natural beauty has always been its biggest attraction, with misty green mountains, a lush interior and wild craggy coastlines attracting everyone from serious climbers, cyclists and surfers to gentle ramblers, history buffs and wildlife spotters. And even now that tourism is a multi-million Euro industry, locals and tourists alike are fighting to keep Ireland true to its green roots.

For those coming from the UK, the temptation is to hop on one of Ireland’s famous low-cost airlines. But it’s surprisingly easy – and much more fun – to keep your feet on the ground.

Environmentally sound places to stay are commonplace in Ireland: a fact less surprising when you consider that many areas didn’t even have electricity until the 1970s and a traditional ethos still prevails. To witness people living simple, low-impact existence, take a trip to Tory Island, Clare Island, Rathlin or the Aran Islands. Alternatively, there are plenty of places to sleep that combine modern comforts with a clear conscience. posted by b01m

Launching of the “Green Passport”

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has launched an online ‘Green Passport’ campaign to raise tourists’ awareness of their ability to contribute to sustainable development by making responsible holiday choices.The new campaign, launched at the Berlin Tourism Fair, is aimed at shrinking the environmental footprint of vacation travellers, according to UNEP.

 

Among many tips on the Green Passport website, the campaign encourages tourists to choose responsible service providers, reduce the consumption of energy in transit or in hotels and buy locally made, environmentally-friendly souvenirs.

The website, developed in English, Portuguese and French, together with additional communication tools, is available for dissemination among other partners in the tourism community, UNEP stated.

“Packing a Green Passport along with airline tickets, the swimming costume and the sun lotion means tourists no longer need to leave their green credentials at home but can make them part of the holiday of a lifetime,” UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said.

Stressing that tourism had great potential for development, he noted that by 2020 the number of international arrivals by air and by sea could reach 1.6 billion annually.

He further added that as tourist numbers grow, so will their demands for energy, water and natural resources to support their holidays.

Pointing that the challenge is to manage this growth sustainably, Steiner said that governments have a key role to play, but so too do individuals and families when planning and going on holiday.

The French Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Spatial Planning, and the Brazilian Ministries of Environment and Tourism co-sponsored the campaign launch, UNEP stated.

The industry of tourism called to fight against climate warming

Joined together at the time of the World Travel Market in London, a hundred ministers and representatives of the countries of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) approved a declaration recognizing the role of tourism industry in the phenomenon of the planet warming and proposed some tracks to cure it.

Among the tracks proposed, the members of the WTO evoked the increased use of renewable energies, and the introduction of mechanisms allowing the travellers to compensate for their greenhouse gases emission. The replacement of the old fleets of the airline companies by models which consume less fuel could also help to limit the gas emissions to greenhouse effect.

All the ministers are in accord… it is time to act and the earlier we will act, the less it will cost us.

posted by nicolas nys for tourismtobe