Nigerian president pushes for Ecotourism

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I am constantly looking for eco lodges in the Tropics that have websites so that I can add them to my directory.  Nigeria is one country that I have not yet been able to find one in.  I was heartened when I read about the following:

At the 11th Africa Travel Association conference held recently, President Olusegun Obasanjo talked about attracting funding from the private sector for ecotourism.  He stated that: “There are 1,129 Forest Reserves, 29 Game Reserves, 4 Game Sanctuaries and seven national parks spread across the length and breadth of Nigeria.” The country is ripe for green travel.

Ecotourism is a way for poor countries to attract tourist dollars and help preserve the environment at the same time.  I’m hoping this outlook by the president of Nigeria will help promote eco-tourism for this African country.

 

Sri Lanka

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I added an Eco lodge in Sri Lanka yesterday called the Kumbuk River Lodge.  Whenever I add a lodge I try to contact the owners or managers to make sure that they are promoting sustainable tourism.  Dinesh, the owner, had this to say about the travelers warnings in Sri Lanka “It is true that we have a protracted conflict in our country with some incidents recorded in peaceful areas from time to time.  But if one studies the global situation, and take the time to visit Sri Lanka, one would agree that the popular tourist destinations of Sri Lanka are as safe as London, New York or Paris.  Sadly the world media only highlights the conflict and the coverage makes it look like the whole of Sri Lanka is a war zone.”

On this same note, I had an email from Ron at Planeta about the situation in Oaxaca, Mexico.  He said that things are not as bad as they are made out to be.  I think it’s easy to scare people about visiting some foreign places but the truth is more likely that we will be harmed in our own backyards.  Don’t let journalistic sensationalism keep you from travelling!