Hello,

In trying to think about tourism alternatives, I came across this IUCN report,
which provides a useful set of guidelines thinking about sustainable
development:
http://www.ahs.uwaterloo.ca/~eagles/EastAsia.pdf

I have a friend who recently paid a lot of money to visit the Gapapagos. She
said there are no facilities at all: not hotels, no restaurants, you can't even
relieve yourself on the island, but only on the launch or ship. She said the
visit was an incredible experience.

The Andamans could be turned into such a high-value tourist site with virtually
no new construction. It has some of the best corals in the world, a fascinating
history, rock climbing--Heinrich Harrer, who crossed the Himalayas, broke an arm
trying to climb an Andaman peak--surfing, archeological relics such as kitchen
middens, caves, and much else. Locals could be intensively trained in local
biology, history, and so on, to work as guides. It would offer not only a sure
income but an increase in local pride and awareness.

Why don't we ask someone who knows the islands intimately--such as the folks at
the Madras Crocodile Bank at Wandoor, South Andaman--to invest some time in
research and come up with, say, ten tours with different themes, designed to
have minimum impact on the environment, but maximum attraction for tourists?

Madhusree

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