On September, 18 1502, Christopher Columbus anchored offshore near present day Puerto Limón, Costa Rica. A lot has changed since then. Costa Rica is probably the #1 visited tourist country in Central America.
Why?
Because Costa Rica goes out of the way to protect its natural beauty and resources. Both present and future generations (meaning you) can experience portions of a natural environment similar to what Columbus saw hundreds of years ago.
Costa Rica has become something of a South American “Mecca” for tourists. Which might explain why Hollywood stars such as Bran Pitt and Angelina Jolie love spending time there.
A few real estate investors refer to it as “the Switzerland of Central America” because of its political stability and native beauty. The high standard of living enjoyed by many who retire here from different parts of the world — called “expats” a.k.a. “expatriates”– is very attractive too.
“This concept should not be adopted. The ones who would benefit are big traders not small ones, and certainly not endangered wildlife,” shot Surapol Duangkhae, former secretary general of Wildlife Fund Thailand.
Last week Traffic, a wildlife trade monitor, and World Wildlife Fund International issued a report called “Trading Nature: the contribution of wildlife trade management to sustainable livelihoods and the Millennium development goals”.
It said a managed trade on wildlife and wildlife products can offer opportunities to poor people and communities.
The report recommended governments explore “semi-intensive production methods”, experiment with management regimes, develop “pro-poor” approaches to standards and certification schemes, and consider co-ordinated approaches to different components of wildlife trade. Read the rest of this entry »
BEIJING, June 2 (Xinhua) — Zhou Yongkang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Political Bureau, stressed security for the upcoming Beijing Olympics on Sunday.
After overseeing the security work at major venues including the “bird nest” and “water cubic”, Zhou stressed the importance of a safe Games.
“Security is a top priority of the Beijing Olympics. It guarantees a successful Olympic Games and has a great deal to do with social stability and the national image,” Zhou said. Read the rest of this entry »
According to Forbes.com, around 60.4 million tourists visited South-east Asia in 2007, with many opting for ecotourism offerings. Ecotourism is form of tourism that focuses on volunteering, developing, and finding new way of to preserve environment and live ‘green life’ on our planet. Usually it involves traveling area with huge variety of fauna, flora, and cultural heritage.
A tourism area would become an Ecotourism if:
1.Promote the sustainable use of bio-diversity and cultural-diversity
2.The main attractions are flora, fauna and local culture
3.Sharing the socio-economic benefit to the local communities
Indonesia is one of the most preferred ecotourism destinations in south-east-Asia. It owns 3rd-largest island in the world, Borneo, with more than 15.000 flower species, 3.000 trees species, 221 species of terrestrial mammals, and 420 of birds’ species.
Below are Three Top Picks of ecotourism in Indonesia: