UQ School of Tourism Senior Lecturer Dr Lisa Ruhanen and graduate Ms Leonie Bowles have joined forces to research best practices in ecotourism on behalf of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).
The resulting book is titled Compendium of Best Practices and Recommendations for Ecotourism in Asia and the Pacific.
It is designed to provide examples of sustainable ecotourism in practice, and complements previously published UNWTO best practice studies.
“As a niche tourism market, ecotourism is considered to be one of the fastest growing segments of the tourism industry,” Dr Ruhanen said.
“It is a particularly important market opportunity for countries in the Asia Pacific region.
"This compendium provides specific case studies demonstrating ecotourism in practice and illustrates how tourism operators are aiming to meet the principles of sustainable tourism in their ecotourism operations.”
The comprehensive study is primarily directed towards private companies and operators, government institutions, and individuals involved in the ecotourism sector.
It also is of interest to people concerned with the environmental, social and economic sustainability of tourism organisations.
After graduating from the UQ School of Tourism with a Bachelor of International Hotel and Tourism Management in 2009, Ms Bowles travelled to Madrid to commence her internship with the UNWTO’s Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific.
The internship provided Ms Bowles with the opportunity to immerse herself in a new culture while gaining invaluable experience in the global tourism industry as a recent graduate.
The UQ School of Tourism/UNWTO Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific internship is now in its fourth year.
This study was undertaken as part of this ongoing collaboration between the two organisations.
The book can be purchased from the WTO online store at http://pub.unwto.org/epages/Store.sf/?ObjectPath=/Shops/Infoshop/Products/1522/SubProducts/1522-1.
Media: Claire Shuter (07) 3346 9259 or c.shuter@uq.edu.au
