EcotourismNZ has just held a conference on the West Coast, Shantytown to be exact and it was a great success.
We at EcotourismNZ would love to get some feedback and discussion following some of the workshops to continue dialogue on the many issues arising in this new and exciting industry.
There is not a clear definition of Ecotourism throughout the industry but at Tai Poutini we have devised what we think is a good start, this has 5 points
1 - The activity has a light footprint on the environment
2 - The local community benefits from this tourism activity
3 - Has an educational dimension
4 - Activities Include considering the local culture
5 - Involves interaction with the natural and heritage environment
What do people think of these as a start, we are interested in any more suggestions and ideas.
Don't forget the Blog session we are running with Ron Mader and Planeta.com in September.


