Dear Murali,

I disagree with you on the guideline part and completely agree with you on
the rest of your observations and thoughts. I have a few inputs.

First the disagreement - Indian does not have eco guide lines at national
levels. THough countless eco guidelines have been prepared by state level
administration, as soon as the concerned initiator of the guide lines is
transferred, the guidelines is thrown in the dust bin by the new secretary
or concerned officer. Bitter but true.

If there would be a guide line that is effective it must have been
percolated to the eco tourism operators and state level tourism secretaries
and ministry of tourism by now. If you go and scavenge, you will doubtless
find a very thick missing nothing verbose guidelines that nobody in thier
right mind will be able to follow to the tee or even read it cover to cover.
And I repeat, you will have to work patiently to lay your hands on the copy.

I have been hearing it since 5 years now that the administration is working
on the guide lines and it will be released and enforced any day now. But if
it is being made as top secret than God help us.

My first demand is that it must be based on the unique topography of each
destination in India based on internation successful case studies and bench
marks transformed with discussion with locals, eco tourism operators and
government to suit Indian conditions. That is easy to understand, very
brief, easy to implement and easy to orient the eco traveller guest in 15
minutes maximum, and easy to train the local participants in ecotourism in
less than 3 days. In other words it must not be bureacratic, it must not be
written in legal latin language, and it must not use more than 3 pages of
paper, single side double spacing and font size 12.

The guideline must be powerful enough to empower local administration to NOT
ALLOW third grade hotels doing DHABA-DARU tourism.

The guidelines must be fair and in argument free clear concise manner
regulate and categorise all eco tourism projects and provide star rating
based on accommodation, activities, food, community initiatives, local
participation, alternative energy, eco tecture and other eco practises etc.
So that the eco travellers can choose for themselves.

The guidelines must facilitate easy finances for all eco tourism projects
from a single window.

The guidelines must ensure a single "India Experience" online and offline
sales and marketing support for all eco tourism operators that allows a
hassle free transaction for the customers and in return generate a TAC and
participating fee for the department to cover up the cost of infrastructure
in all countries beside being online.

The guidelines must be empowered to repreimand and close down if necessary,
all eco resorts, eco tels and eco camps that do not deliver what they
deliver.

But yet the administration should not become the BIG BROTHER is watching
body as it will only encourage corruption but should come out as a powerful,
we will not tolerate bad experiences for the guest FACILITATOR.

Please note that 50 island being opened for tourism projects has been
dropped like a hot potato by the Andaman administration and they are now
focussing on opening up just 4 island and effectively managing the current
open to tourism islands numbering less than 40 out of total of 572.

The Andaman administration also understands and belives that ATR is the life
line of Andaman and are constantly repairing the same instead of considering
to close it as per the demands of some NGO's. The only concession they have
made is not showing the ATR in Jarwa territory on the MAP though it is very
much real and easy to get a permit.

I feel that if ecotourism guidelines like star hotel guidelines are
structured quickly and effectively implemented than the fly by night
operators who claim eco lodge or eco tourism services can be easily
controlled.

Home Stays must be allowed by only registered eco tourism operators where
the locals have a share in the organisation. Real Eco tourism operatos who
walk the talk. IS'nt easy but we at EcoManra Nature Awareness and Travel are
doing it and pay a very god salary, a good profit share, the price of land
being paid as lease fee within 2 years and thereafter the continueing lease
fee is pure profit for the land owner beside food and kitchen contract. Not
only does the money goes back to the local farmers and citizens but I find
it so easy to make them understand and deliver high quality services to my
guests and have ZERO local trouble, easy permissions and great rapport. What
I lose, I am gaining on the round about and more. The local is happy because
he makes more money than lot of highly qualified people in the city will and
I m happy because the venture is on Auto Pilot and am free to write long
emails to thousands of people and travel with out a worry about how is it
going with my guests in my absence.

One thing is for sure though, we as private ecotourism operators can only
create eco camps/ resorts.hotels/activities/food but we need 100%
administration support in roads, power, guidelines, errain management to be
able to deliver what eco travellers need and will pay for - A Memorable
Experience.

Warm regards,

Ravi Goel

>Dear Friends,
>
>I agree completely with Mr.Ravi Goel. Unfortunately in
>our country we have finest rules and guidelines to
>conserve environment. But poorly implemented/followed.
>While we have some good guidelines available for
>forest based ecotourism or sustainable tourism,we
>don't have adequate guidelines/directions for coastal
>and marine based tourism. Goa is one example where
>mass tourism has ruined the local ecology. Goa is
>slowly loosing its charm.
>
>Conservationist across the county need to be alert
>about coastal tourism in the coming days because
>
>1)In the absence of renewing existing livelihoods for
>the tsunami affected people in Andaman, the government
>is very keen to open up more areas for tourism and
>increase the visitation by mega promotion schemes.
>
>2) Government of India is planning to invest more on
>coastal tourism in the 11th plan programme and will
>attract private investments for opening up new areas.
>
>3) In the absence of proper guidelines and code
>everything will going to be painted as green tourism
>or ecotourism or nature tourism and so on. these three
>are heavily misused and abused in the Indian context.
>
>Real challenge before us are
>
>a) regulating high visitor numbers
>b) season nature of many tourism sites
>c) infrasture/amenities development
>d) community owned/run approach over community
>consulted/participation (which never happen in
>reality)
>
>Would like to work with like mined groups/individual
>on this issue.
>
>Regards,
>
>J.Murali
>Chennai
>murali_jana@...
>
>--- Ravi Goel <ravigoel25@...> wrote:
>
> > Hi,
> >
> > Genuine Ecotourism - Responsible, sustainable,
> > participative with entire
> > community is the only way tourism must happen in
> > Andaman.
> >
> > Its also the only other industry (other than agri
> > and fisheries) that
> > Andaman has as an option and the only one that can
> > create employment,
> > contribute to the local people and provide revenues
> > to the government for
> > its growth and some more.
> >
> > I was in Andaman for over 3 weeks and was sorely
> > disappointed and shocked by
> > the irresponsible and mass LTC tourism being
> > rampantly encouraged that is a
> > severe and ravaging strain on the delicate eco
> > systems and the
> > infrastructure of the islands, while contributing
> > nothing to the local
> > economy except seedy third grade hotels and taxi/bus
> > operators.
> >
> > We run EcoMantra Nature Awareness and Travel, a
> > genuine ecotourism and
> > community tourism based project near Mumbai and
> > after 5 years of operations
> > have a rudimentary understanding of the model of
> > ecotourism and eco
> > guidelines that India must adopt and practise to
> > unlock the tremendous value
> > of India as a travel destination for the sensitive
> > nature lovers. And not
> > drug addicts Isaerali and European backpackers that
> > is flocking to and have
> > ruined Himachal Pradesh and will ruin Andaman with
> > Wandoor already a serious
> > drug centre.
> >
> > We look forward to your and all members in reading's
> > opinions and ideas on
> > the guidelines and eco practises i.e kind of
> > tourist, how will they be
> > oriented, the restrictions on the numbers etc.
> >
> > We will than include these ideas and prepare a
> > guideline which will than be
> > submitted to the Indian Tourism Ministry and
> > administration of the islands
> > as a model and draft which they can use as a
> > framework to prepare an
> > official guidelines with the consensus of the local
> > people and the
> > ecotourism services providers.
> >
> > Regards,
> >
> > Ravi Goel
> >
> >
>_________________________________________________________________
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>
>
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