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| Take an Ecotour to Japan 5 |
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Laurie Lubeck |
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* Use Local Conveyances, Lodgings, Food. Eat at local restaurants. Uselocally owned hotels and guest houses instead of international chains. Use thelocal modes of transportation: walking, bicycles, horse cart, train, subway,trying to travel as the local people do. In these ways more of the money youspend in a country is going back to the local economy to benefit the people youmeet. Ask your tour operator how much of the money from your tour goes to thelocal economy. Ask if your tour operator supports local philanthropic projects(improving health care, education, the status of women, protecting wildlife) andhow you could get involved with them. * Have a knowledgeable interpretive guide. The guide should be wellacquainted with the area you are visiting and well versed in the history,politics, religion and customs of the area. He or she should provideguidelines for how to behave in a polite way to the local people, where todispose of waste products, what to buy or not buy. * Supply Pre-Trip Information. Prepare proper materials for clients to studybefore they begin their tour. Travelers should be provided with clothing andequipment lists, a reading list, information on visas, inoculations, foreigncurrency exchange, customs of the area, and a phrase sheet of common expressionssuch as a greeting, please, thank you, it is so kind of you to invite us intoyour home, etc. Travelers are reminded that they are guests in the country theyare visiting and at the same time ambassadors of good will for their homecountry.
Bio: Kathryn Levenson, CTC, is founder of Top Guides Treks and
Tours in Berkeley,California, USA. She is also Environment Chairperson for
PATA Norcal(Northern California Chapter), Judge for the 1996 PATA International
Gold Awardsfor Environmental Excellence for Tour Operators and Hotels, and
a foundingmember of PIRT (Partners in Responsible Tourism). Contact: Kathryn Levenson
Stephanie Atwood, Director, Guides for All Seasons
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