EXPLORING ECOTOURISM

The Value of Place
by Ron Mader

PLACE WIKI

Take a walk in the park.
- City Notebook

FLICKR ALBUM: Place

Travelers are seeking place-based information. This is not to say that those seeking travel tips are not looking for eco options, but first and foremost on their minds are the basics of getting from here to there.

Effective google searches regularly include multiple terms that include a place name and an activity or interest. Examples: Australia + Permaculture, Oaxaca + Weavings.

ABOUT PLACE

Places comprise not only the physical realm, but also the environmental and spiritual worlds.

Places are enjoyed best by those who pay attention. Even those looking for a weekend-getaway are seeking a connection with a particular place and even that level of engagement requires some preparation.

Places are also interpreted via collective and individual 'memory' which varies among stakeholders and age groups. Those interested in place-based travel tend to be interested for longer periods of time.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND PLACE

One of the hot topics of the 00s links development and tourism by focusing on place.

Locals and visitors have long cared about place, but only since the '80s has the notion become articulated as a concept worthy of reflection and review. E-conferences such as the 2001 Media, Environment and Tourism Conference focused on the urgent need to improve media coverage of place as opposed to destination.

MEDIA

Some of our favorite place-based websites are created by those who live in the locale. We argue that travel writers ought to be paid fairly and that the best coverage -- online or as guidebooks -- are written by those who live in a specific place or by those who cultivate long-term relations with locals.