DAPITAN CITY, Philippines (July 9, 2008) - The Peninsula Media Network, in collaboration with the local government of Dapitan City under Mayor Dominador Jalosjos, will hold the “1st National Media Summit on Ecotourism” at the posh Dakak Beach Resort in Dapitan, the Shrine City of the Philippines. The summit is scheduled on July 24 and 25.
Journalist Cheng Ordoñez, lead convener of the Summit and head of the Peninsula Media Network, said the two-day media gathering of national and provincial journalists will serve as a large-scale campaign to promote ecotourism in the countryside.
The Summit adopts the theme “Responsible, Sustainable and Conservatory Travel Through Ecotourism,” and aims to promote ecotourism with support from media industry, academe, research communities, and tourism-related agencies. “The summit's goal is to initiate awareness among media practitioners all over the country on the potentials of ecotourism in the countryside.
Ecotourism, also known as ecological tourism, is a form of tourism that appeals to the ecologically and socially conscious individuals.”
“Generally speaking, ecotourism focuses on volunteering, personal growth, and learning new ways to live on the planet; typically involving travel to destinations where flora, fauna, and cultural heritage are the primary attractions,” Ordoñez said in a statement.
He said responsible ecotourism includes programs that minimize the negative aspects of conventional tourism on the environment, and enhance the cultural integrity of local people. “Therefore, in addition to evaluating environmental and cultural factors, an integral part of ecotourism is in the promotion of recycling, energy efficiency, and water,” he said.
A research conducted by PMN shows that for many countries, ecotourism is not simply a marginal activity to finance protection of the environment but as a major industry of the national economy. Ecotourism represents a significant portion of their gross domestic product and economic activity, it said.
The same study shows that, although academics disagree about who can be classified as an “ecotourist” and there is precious little statistical data, some estimate that more than five million ecotourists - the majority of the ecotourist population - come from the United States, with others from Western Europe, Canada, and Australia.
With its great potential for environmental protection, the United Nations celebrated the "International Year of Ecotourism" in 2002.
“In the continuum of tourism activities that stretch from conventional tourism to ecotourism proper, there has been a lot of contention to the limit at which biodiversity preservation, local socio-economic benefits, and environmental impact can be considered ‘ecotourism’. For this reason, not only environmentalists but the media, as a special interest group, must know the real definition and concept of ecotourism,” Ordoñez stressed.
Ecotourism experts that will speak during the summit include head of a national ecotourism organizations and top officials of line agencies promoting tourism.
Councilor Apple Marie Agolong, chairperson of Dapitan City Council’s Committee on Tourism, said aside from media practitioners, key players in the ecotourism summit from the private and public sectors are also invited to the event, where participants have the chance to visit tourist spots within Zamboanga del Norte, including the famous Rizal Shrine in Dapitan City and the internationally renown Dakak Beach Resort.
Councilor Agolong said the participants will be doubly treated because the media event coincides with Dapitan’s Kinabayo Festival, an annual festivities visited by local and foreign tourists for its unique communal and religious week-long celebration.
“A big surprise awaits participants who are particularly interested with historical developments appertaining vintage travel,” she said.
Ordoñez said those interested to join can call the Peninsula Media Network Secretariat at telephone number (062) 922-2120.
No comments:
Post a Comment