The world’s first global ecotourism travel mart and festival, which will see over 21 countries participating, is now accepting participant registrations with early bird rates. The event — International Ecotourism Travel Mart — will be in Silang, Cavite from March 29 to April 2, 2023.
This was announced by the Asian Ecotourism Network (AEN) and the International School on Sustainable Tourism (ISST), the co-organizers of the IETM. The theme of the global assembly is “Embracing Authentic Ecotourism”.
IETM program and activities include the following: buyers and sellers mart for ecotourism packages and related services; exhibition of ecotourism, green technology, and environment-management and conservation-related programs, services, and products; and a two-day forum that covers the A- to-Zs of ecotourism.
More details are available on its website www.internationalecotourismtravelmart.com. Early bird rates are available until January 15, 2023.
Masaru Takayama, chair of the Asian Ecotourism Network, which is the Asian initiative of the Global Ecotourism Network based in Costa Rica, noted the timeliness of the holding of the first IETM in 2023, which is a year after the 20th anniversary of the first celebration of the International Year of Ecotourism set by the United Nations in 2002. Takayama stated during the press briefing for the IETM in Makati City that “ecotourism is the star of sustainable tourism”, and that much has taken place to put forward Sustainable Development Goals through the spread of best practices in ecotourism.
“Forum participants benefit from the vital sharing of noted experts, practitioners, advocates, professionals, and planners, on the beginnings, the current situation and best practices, and the future of ecotourism,” states Dr. Mina T. Gabor, president of the ISST, who was former head of the Philippines’ Department of Tourism, and now an internationally acclaimed advocate for the practice of authentic ecotourism which conserves natural environment and uplift lives of communities, including indigenous groups, around the sites.
All aspects including the identification of good ecotourism sites, mapping out the viability of prospects with local communities, setting up camps and eco-lodge design and construction, detailing the marketing plans for target visitors, as well as effective story-telling about the sites and the people, are well covered in the two-day forum.
Ary Sendjaja Suhandi, AEN vice-chair and president of the Indonesian Ecotourism Network of the Asian Ecotourism Network, states that aside from strengthening the network and the learning opportunities at the IETM, it is a significant step to revitalize ecotourism that had suffered in the pandemic.
Lessons learned about recovering from crises such as natural calamities and the pandemic are also shared by presenters from the Asian Heritage Parks under the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity, a major IETM supporter.
Suhandi also added that forward thrusts of IETM help in the field’s transformation into digitalization.
Menu-planning and sourcing of food ingredients for ecotourism visitors is also an awaited segment of the forum which will be taken care of by the World Food Travel Association together with local experts .