East Asia and Pacific Environmental Initiative USAID and State working with partners protecting the environment and improving livelihoods

Technical links
Tourism and the Environment!

USAID Information on Sustainable Tourism catalogues and describes the portfolio of past USAID activities in Sustainable Tourism (ST) in order to build a strong future program using ST to promote Agency objectives. Since 2000, USAID has initiated or completed 123 projects in 72 countries that either specifically relate to the tourism sector or else use tourism as one component for achieving other, broader objectives. Includes searchable database that provides links to project descriptions and associated documents as well as to other tools and resources that can help Agency field personnel with ST project design, development, implementation, and evaluation.

The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) is an international membership organization dedicated to disseminating information about ecotourism. Our 1,700 members come from more than 55 different professions and live in more than 70 different countries. Most of our members work in the tourism sector, study tourism, or use tourism to support the conservation of natural settings and sustain the well-being of local communities.  The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) defines ecotourism as "responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and sustains the well-being of local people." Sometimes it is defined as a sub-category of sustainable tourism or a segment of the larger nature tourism market.

Conservation International presents The Ecotravel Center, designed to help you find international ecotourism destinations and tour operators.

Practical strategies for pro-poor tourism is a collaborative research project of the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), the International Institute for the Environment and Development (IIED) and the Centre for Responsible Tourism at the University of Greenwich (CRT), together with in-country case study collaborators. It is funded by the Economic and Social Research Unit (ESCOR) of the UK Department for International Development (DFID).

Big Volcano (Australia) Ecotourism Resource Centre:  A comprehensive guide to ecotourism practice, ecologically sustainable development (ESD) and general tourism and travel best practice management sites worldwide

Heritage Design in an interagency service team available to federal, state and local governments. Our Approach: Interpretation as a management tool - building resource protection and creating dynamic and sustainable tourism opportunities.

About.com Southeast Asia for Visitors
Melanesia: Fiji, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands
Polynesia

ecotourism.com: 28 links to sites that discuss ecotourism and places that are ecotourist spots.

Planeta.com is a clearinghouse for practical ecotourism around the globe. As a travel resource center, we host a variety of online forums and conferences and have published more than 10,000 pages of features and scholarly reports. Eco Travels in Asia and the Pacific

Center on Ecotourism and Sustainable Development at Institute for Policy Studies. The CESD's mission is to design, monitor, evaluate, and improve ecotourism and sustainable tourism practices and principles. Its policy-oriented research focuses on ecotourism as a tool for poverty alleviation and biodiversity conservation, as well as socially and environmentally responsible tourism practices.

Rainforest Alliance Sustainable Tourism Program (STP) works to transform business practices and traveler behavior to support environmentally and socially sound tourism operations.

UNEP Tourism Programme. Together with the World Tourism Organization (WTO/OMT), UNEP is the main focal point on sustainable tourism for CSD and the Convention on Biological Diversity.

The World Tourism Organization is the leading international organization in the field of travel and tourism. It serves as a global forum for tourism policy issues and a practical source of tourism know-how and statistics.

Switched on: Renewable Energy Opportunities in the Tourism Industry provides the latest information on solar, wind, hydro, geothermal and biomass (plant and animal matter) resources. The publication demonstrates how tourism businesses powered by renewable energy can reduce environmental impacts, generate benefits for local communities and, often, lower costs.

Updated: June 2, 2005