ECHO -Tourism Engaging Communities’ Honest Opinion on Eco-Tourism
Aug 15, 2015
Ecotourism
A concept incorporating the goal that tourism should contribute to the conservation of the natural landscape and the welfare of the local community.
(Restated) Diamantis, 1999
DESCRIPTIVE
Ecotourism
Nature
Green
Low-Impact Land Development
Energy & Water Conservation
Proper SWM
Community Engagement
BiodiversityConservation
VALUES-BASED
Problem
“Ecotourism” is largely used for marketing and not really understood as a values-based operation.
Proposed Solution
To create a platform (website) where tour operators are able to rate themselves and provide information about their sustainability initiatives; and for guests to be able to validate it through a rating and feedback mechanism.
ECHO-TourismEngaging Communities’ Honest Opinion on Eco-Tourism
Proposed Solution
Solid Waste Mgt
Community Engagement
Low-Impact Land
Development
Energy & Water
Conservation
Biodiversity Conservation
Five-Leaf Rating System
Goals
• Ensure that tour operators are practicing values-based ecotourism
• Educate tourists to be responsible travellers and to equip them with a tool for more informed decision-making
• Provide an online review system for tour operators and a real-time feedback mechanism for travellers
Key Steps
1. Identify ecotourism operations in the Philippines and Vietnam
2. Create a rubric for the “five-leaf rating” mechanism
3. Design a digital platform (website) for easy accessibility
4. Market the platform to tour operators and partner with key institutions for promotion and credibility
Human Resources
PROMOTIONS Abyan
Bunroth
TECHNOLOGYAlicia Albert
RESEARCHTiffany Jenica
FINANCIALS Tiffany Alicia
Timeframe
MAY JUN JULY AUG SEPT OCTonwards
sResearch/ Rubric Development
Web development
Beta testing
Launch
Monitoring and Evaluation
Marketing Plan
Target Audience: Tour operators and tourists
Pre • Advertise on ecotourism magazines and websites • Online • Do promotional/ educational talks with university
travel organizations
Marketing Plan
Target Audience: Tour operators and tourists
Mid • Launch event • Partnering with travel bloggers/ social media
celebrities and making them ambassadors of the platform
Marketing Plan
Target Audience: Tour operators and tourists
Post • Engagement • Follow-ups • Continuous promotions through forums/ talks/ other
events
Success Indicators
• Have at least 50 ecotourism operators/ country as members
• Have at least 2000 members at the end of the launch year
• Have at least 50 submitted reviews/ month