North Dakota Ecotourism
From sustainable tourism to adventure travel, ecotourism unites travel and responsibility.
What is Ecotourism?
The term "ecotourism" has a variety of definitions. It even goes by different names, including sustainable tourism, responsible tourism, community tourism, adventure travel, rural tourism, civic tourism, geotourism and voluntourism.
Each of the above terms vary slightly in their meanings, but they all have a central theme: the combination of travel and responsibility towards better care of the Earth.
Among the many definitions for "ecotourism," The International Ecotourism Society's best sums up North Dakota Tourism's ideology: "responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the welfare of local people."
Tourism cannot exist without environmental and ecological species richness; tourists will not travel to see dry, brittle grass or attractions that are known for not being socially responsible. North Dakota has been involved in the ecotourism sector for a few years; the 2005-2007 North Dakota Blue Book dedicated the special feature section to Ecotourism and its application to the state.
The Tourism Division is interested in learning more about what communities and lodging providers are doing to enhance energy-savings and promote environmentally friendly attributes. Please help by taking our brief surveys:
Learning about Ecotourism
Before making any huge renovations to your existing building or infrastructure, North Dakota Tourism recommends learning about this complex branch of tourism. The following sites have been found to be informational in understanding this idea.
Definitions of Ecotourism from Planeta.com
National Geographic's The Green Guide
Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria
Defining Ecotourism and Responsible Tourism -Transitionsabroad.com
Implementing the Idea
There are numerous publications from internationally recognized organizations that give suggestions on how to "go green."
WWF: Guideline for Community-based ecotourism development
http://assets.panda.org/downloads/guidelinesen.pdf
National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds Plan-it Green program
Friends of the Earth Scotland: Greening the Office Online Audit
National Geographic’s The Green Guide
Responsible Travel Handbook 2006
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