STEEP GREECE (Sustainable Tourism Educational Exchange Project)

Draft Report

2006-05-08T12:43:00.000+01:00

Headline lessons from our exchange;

Tourism that develops without planning, regulation or any kind of longer term vision can result in horrific development and a low quality product that degrades a location for both guests and inhabitants.

Zakynthos is not directly comparable to Cumbria in terms of the tourism offer (this is a low-value package holiday destination), but seeing this worse-case scenario of tourism gone wrong was extremely thought provoking.

Even mainstream guidebooks to the destination are full of negative PR about the degradation of the marine habitat and especially the destroyning of the loggerhead turtle nesting beaches. This is a huge own goal for the local tourism industry and results in the tourism offer becoming ever cheaper and nastier, and higher value tourists being repelled.

Wildlife tourism is viewed by several of the island’s inhabitants as a more sympathetic and authentic kind of tourism that offers them high quality work/lifestyle experiences whilst at the same time attracting higher spending visitors who in turn have a greater respect for the island’s people, values and environment. It is viewed as a counterpoint to the negative impact of tourism in the past two decades on the island.

Environmental/Landscape designations are only worth the paper they are written on if the organisations on the ground have a clear remit and the ability to enforce it. In Zakynthos the local political culture has resulted in a situation where the National Marine Park is little more than a paper exercise and the local people are hostile to any manifestation of it.

The cost associated with non-compliance with EU Directives is massive, the Greek government is incurring millions of euros in unpaid fines for non-compliance with directives on their marine habitat. Given the implementation of the Water Framework Directive Cumbria should continue to plan ahead to resolve our issues.

Cumbria is by no means perfect, but we should continue to develop our green holiday credentials, and should perhaps bring further attention to our successes to potential consumers as a selling point in the future.

‘THIS IS NOT GREECE!’
Team Leader’s Report from STEEP ZAKYNTHOS exchange

Anyone on the team who supposed that a week on Zakynthos (Zante) studying tourism sounded like unadulterated pleasure, was soon disabused of this notion. This exchange was often depressing and frequently thought provoking.

The Vasilikos Peninsula is the frontline in the battle of ideas about the future of tourism. The STEEP Zakynthos Team, met the people fighting to protect Zakynthos (Zante) from rampant development and commercialization through cheap package tourism. The trip was accompanied at all times by gunfire and at times we witnessed outright hostility (see below) to our hosts.

Our host, Ioannis Vardakastanis, is a pioneer in environmental tourism, and he has fought to change the island’s behaviour and its tourism offer. He was originally a mainstream businessman, but over time he became disillusioned with the damage that development was doing to his island and became a champion of a more sophisticated and sympathetic kind of tourism.

Tourism development is highly politicised on Zakynthos. Taking the position he takes has led to many problems; like him being shot. The first information centre built by Ioannis to educate tourists about the damage being done to the turtle nesting beaches was burnt down. Conservationists on Zakynthos have been beaten up on many occasions, and some have even been shot. As everyone on the island is armed to the teath to shoot turtle doves, and we were travelling with the most famous conservationist/businessman on the island it was a rather edgy experience.

The Vassilikos peninsula is a place of such polarisation that it is already the subject of a rather interesting book, Troubles with Turtles, Cultural Understandings of the Environment on a Greek Island, by Dimitrios Theodossopoulos, this book charts the social and cultural history of the local farmers and explains how they were effectively peasants with very few rights and little access to land they could own or control until well into the 20th century.

The farmers who had the poorest land on island were in the coastal areas and scraped a living. Then, in the 1980s and 1990s this island suddenly underwent an economic revolution created by package holidays and charter flights to the island.

As our host explained, the farmers went from being very poor to ‘unbelievably rich’ overnight. No sooner did they get access to the land and the money that can been made from tourism than environmentalists started to campaign against the damage to the environment… to cut a long story short, the result was a polarisation between locals and environmentalism that is aggressive by anyone’s standards and continues to this day.

This book and the tale it tells about Gerakas was echoed in Ioannis’s words and is a lesson for us all in taking the local community with you when you attempt to implement policies or designations.

***

In a few moments of arriving in Zakynthos we were made painfully aware that this is island has very serious problems. One of our team counted the gunshots from our accommodation and recorded 600 shots per hour from the hunters in the surrounding woods. We had stumbled into the annual massacre of turtle doves (and anything else that moved) as they migrate north. Some of this shooting is illegal, but there is no enforcement of the legislation. Our first meeting took place with cartridge pellets rattling on the roof!

On the first day we met our hosts, who represented three organisations; Earth, Sea and Sky, Nature World Travel and Ionian Eco-Villages. The STEEP CUMBRIA team did presentations and fielded questions from the hosts (including a searching question about how our own visitor numbers have risen in the last few years and how we cope with such numbers in the landscape).

We met at the Gerakas Information Centre near Gerakas beach, an important nesting beach for the endangered Loggerhead Turtle. Our host then explained the history of tourism on the island and his own history (he was born on the Vassilikos peninsula before the tourism development and later lived in England for 15 years). We learnt that our accommodation was part of his family’s diversification and it enabled his family to remain on the land as farmers.

Ioannis’s father had a small mixed farm that consisted of 30 sheep, some pigs and a few dozen hens, geese, and turkeys, alongside some vineyards and cultivated land for household vegetables. During the week we had the pleasure of meeting with the wider family, and talking to them about the tensions on the island about the future of tourism.

This farm tourism pattern is common in the Ionian where 6 months of tourism takes place alongside year round farming in the traditional manner. The island is a complicated mix of olive groves, villas, hotels, tavernas, beaches and wilderness scrubland. It alternates from the stunningly beautiful (the coast is as beautiful as anything in the mediterranean) to the utterly horrific (if you ever find yourself in Laganas a) leave, or b) do not swim in the sea!).

We repeatedly met inhabitants of the island who were sickened by the way that tourism is spoiling their home, with seemingly no organisation able to stem its onward march. We also met several people who could see very clearly that pursuing the cheapest kind of tourism was a mistake that would utimately leave the island spoiled, and the tourists would eventually tire of the poor quality offer and go elsewhere, to their even lower cost competitors elsewhere in the Med.

A day spent touring the island in a mini-bus showed us the villages to the North of the Island where life continues in a more old-fashioned form, to see the contrast between what now covers most of the island and what was there until a few decades ago. We saw lots of signs claiming to sell ‘local produce’ but sadly, were told that most of it is made in China or elsewhere. Our hosts were interested in how Cumbria markets itself and its products but Zakynthos seemed to be a long way behind us in terms of this aspect of its identity.

On the Thurday we met Laurent Sourbes, National Marine Park of Zakynthos. Laurent faces massive problems trying to get anyone to comply with even basic legislation regarding the marine park, but was doing his best to protect what was still worth protecting. Earlier, we had witnessed a bulldozer carving a hillside that is part of the area protected by legislation but seemingly nothing could be done to stop this. Laurent explained to us that ‘it was an economic problem’.

Interesting comparisons emerged between our own interest in more sustainable tourism and their efforts. We spent a great day on the yacht of local businessman Dennis XXXXXXX and XXXXXXX, who take tourists out on their yacht to show them the island and its wildlife.

Wildlife viewing trips are a sizeable economic activity on the island. Ioannis, also has a catamarran, and seven days a week takes between 10 and 20 people out per trip at 40 euros (the standard charge was 55-65 euros).

Wildlife tourism in the form of turtle trips is a core part of the tourism offer, with very few other ‘outings’ available, but the quality of most of the offer was a matter of deep concern to to turtle organisations. We passed the large and ugly ships used to take hundreds of tourists out in the peak season, and heard horror stories of how they offer money back if you do not see a turtle. Some years ago they were caught with plastic turtles chained to the ocean bed, or, far worse, a dead turtle anchored off the coast. 200ft long ships surround a turtle whilst tourists hang over the rails.

With hundreds of people per day paying 50 euros per head this was generating a lot of money during the season. However, it was clear that whilst money was to be made from this kind of activity, and more can be done in Cumbria, regulation was needed to ensure the offer is of a high quality from the start, the higher value tourists likely to be interested in this kind of activity in Cumbria are not likely to be impressed unless the offer is extremely professional, perhaps the conservation/landscape organisations and CTB should discuss how this might develop in the future. This regulation is now being attempted by the greek authorities but the horse has already bolted the stable.

We experienced the higher quality wildlife tour offer, spending an enjoyable day on a yacht on the coast, including a brief but close sighting of a family of common dolphins, several sightings of peregrine falcons, and some stunning coastal scenery including many caves along the coast. The flora of the island is stunning, where it has not been bulldozed for olive groves or hotels and villas. We sailed to Keri Caves, Pelouzo Island, Marathonissi and Laganas Bay and got a unique and wonderful view of the best and worst of the island.

However, we could see, even more clearly than from the roads, the spoiling of the island, through unsympathetic development. Whole hillsides being bulldozed into terraces for olives groves or villas. Corruption is rife on the island with developers leaving developments unfinished for many years.

Our guides around the island and our hosts could see that pursuing a tourism based upon the quality of the offer, would result in fewer tourists but would result in both a nicer island and also potentially a vastly increased spend, but it they were very much outnumbered by other islanders who are racing to get a share of the easy money that is on offer from developing new land for villas and hotels.

It is hard to convey in words the situations that we witnessed, the sheer lack of authority or planning control. And even the most tourism-business-friendly amongst us, were repelled by this lawless and unsympathetic development style. Looking at the negative impact of tourism is a rather ugly and tiresome business.

Our host, Ioannis, conveyed to us his utter dismay and embarrassment at the things that are being done to his island. As he repeatedly stated, ‘This is not Greece’.

His embarrassment was matched by ours when we realised that the effects on the island were the result of consumer choices in our own country for cheap, lager-fuelled breaks in the sun.

***

The idea behind these exchanges was threefold; firstly, that we would travel to other tourism destinations and learn from their experiences in offering sustainable tourism and eco-tourism; secondly, that we would be spending time with each other and building working relationships that would be beneficial for Cumbria in the years to come, and, thirdly, that we would bring back ideas or contacts for the future that will enable us to work with European partners.

The exchanges therefore will result in totality in an overall perspective on these issues that ambraces several markedfly different experiences. It is to the credit of the Zakynthos team that they visited and gathered evidence on some of the worst practices and effects of tourism, and endured what was at times a slightly depressing experience. When we bring our evidence together at the end of the exchanges we will hopefully be able to show a range of experiences from the awful through to the fantastic.

One of the more pleasing aspects of the exchange was the fact that wherever we went conversations began between the team about our work, our organisations and what we are all trying to achieve. A number of meetings were set to result, and some common ground emerged that will be fruitful in the future.

***

Lessons for Cumbria on wildlife tourism

Wildlife tourism needs quality equipment and transport
It needs to be linked into decent quality ‘green’ accommodation
Wildlife viewing will always be hit or miss – it needs depth and interest created by the guide and the overall package
The guide needs to have the dynamism/charm to enliven an empty/wet day
Wildlife tours need to be linked to cultural heritage and flora
Cumbria has a wealth of wildlife that is suitable for such packages
The average consumer has limited attention and patience – packages need depth of topics and flexibility

Draft Itinerary for STEEP UK visit to Zakynthos

2006-04-18T11:55:00.000+01:00

Hosted by Earth Sea & Sky (ESS)

Monday 24th April – Sunday 30th April 2006

Monday
24 April 2006
Arrive at Zakynthos Airport at 20.45 hrs, to be met by Yannis and Maddy and escorted to your accommodation at Gerakas by taxi transfer.
We will ensure that there is a taverna open for dinner for you.

Day 1
Tuesday
25 April 2006
Breakfast in your accommodation – fresh rolls, coffee, tea etc.
Welcome at Gerakas Information Centre at 10.30am:
Presentations from Yannis, Earth Sea & Sky. – About ESS, the history of Zakynthos, tourism, current situation generally and at Gerakas.
Coffee break
Presentations from Cumbria Group
Approx 1pm: Lunch and then siesta/free time
5pm: Tour of Gerakas and our properties
Free time, perhaps walk the self-guided Gerakas Trail – take your cameras.
7.30pm: Welcome dinner at Gerakas in the evening, exact restaurant to be confirmed, but meet at Gerakas Bar at 7.30pm.

Day 2
Wednesday
26 April 2006
Breakfast in your accommodation
10am: Meet at Information Centre for tour of Zakynthos by people carrier, with ESS. We will drive you around the island showing you as much diversity as possible. We will take in Kalamaki, Laganas – hideous tourist resorts, Keri Village and Keri Lake (salt water marais), Volimes – traditional Zakynthian mountain village. Bring cameras/video equipment.
5pm approx: Return to Gerakas. Free time.

Day 3
Thursday
27 April 2006
Early breakfast in your accommodation
8.45am: Meet at Information Centre. - Beach clean at Gerakas Beach at 9am, involving ESS, Cumbria team, NMPZ and potentially local school children. Take part for 1 hour. Strong gloves and refuse sacks supplied.
Coffee break/Lunch
11-12pm (approx) at Info Centre: Meet with National Marine Park*
Afternoon: Free time.

Day 4
Friday
28 April 2006
Weather permitting:** Eco-tourism catamaran cruise in the area of the National Marine Park, Laganas Bay. Take in Pelouzo Isle, Marathonissi (Turtle Island) and Keri Caves.
Breakfast in your accommodation
10am: Meet at Information Centre for transfer to Porto Roma by car.
ESS will be your guide for the day, Akis will be your captain.
Environmental information on the turtles will be given, and hopefully we will see them. Bring your swimming things, camera and lunch. Drinks and snacks available on board.
4pm: Return to Porto Roma, transfer back to Gerakas. Free time.

Day 5
Saturday
29 April 2006
Breakfast in your accommodation
10.30am: Meet at Information Centre for meeting with local Zakynthians: business people, hoteliers, small scale property owners, excursion company reps etc, farmers/vineyards – Zakynthian Farming Cooperative?
Discussion and coffee
Lunch and then free time.
7.30pm: Fair well dinner at Gerakas Taverna.

Sunday 30 April 2006
Early departure from Gerakas, 2x taxis to take you to the airport will arrive at 05.45 hours.

I have tried to factor in as much free time as possible for your group. This also gives us flexibility with the weather for the catamaran trip.

* James, can you let me have your ideas for the agenda for discussion with the NMPZ on 27th April. Topics could include constitution/make up of Park and avenues of funding, working with local people, product initiatives etc. I have contacted Laurent Sourbes to confirm his participation, and also get his ideas for the agenda.

** If the weather is inclement we will have to change the programme around slightly
I will confirm nearer the time who will be attending the meeting on 29 April, but will probably include groups listed

Agenda for meeting with NMPZ

2006-04-18T11:52:00.000+01:00

Quick intro from NMPZ and its remit – Laurent Sourbes (5 minutes)
Brief history of the work that NMPZ has undertaken and continuing fight to preserve habitat and species in tourism hotspots – Laurent Sorbes (5 minutes)
Quick intros from the Cumbria Group, who we are, (present Laurent with our info pack mailed to you yesterday) – James Rebanks (10 minutes)
Explanation of the STEEP exchanges and its goals (5 minutes)
Group discussion on shared problems, especially getting communities to care about the issues (20 minutes)
Group discussion of possibility of collaborating in future projects on coastal conervation/regeneration for European funds (15 minutes)
Short meeting between Laurent and myself to get him to sign our short contract (a legal necessity as he is our formal partner for the exchange, I will e-mail this in advance) 5 mins.

Book Review - Sarah Caley

2006-04-18T11:45:00.000+01:00

WWF’s Species Action Plan for the conservation of marine turtles in the Mediterranean Sea (December 2005)

The report discusses the current situation regarding turtles in the Med and also plans for the future. It covers each of the main turtle habitats around the Mediterranean; I have attempted to pick out relevant information on Greece and Zante although I got pretty bogged down in all the details!

3 species of marine turtles found in Mediterranean waters.
1. Caretta caretta (loggerhead turtle) most common species, with nesting sites in Greece, Libya, Turkey and Cyprus.
2. Dermochelys coriacea (leatherback turtle) enters the Med from the Atlantic, although has no nesting sites in the basin.
3. Chelonia mydas (green turtle) found in easternmost part of the Med, with major nesting sites in Turkey, Cyprus and Syria.

Both loggerhead and green turtles are globally listed as Endangered, while the leatherback is listed as Critically Endangered. WWF considers all marine turtle species to be Priority Species. Main threats to turtles include habitat degradation (particularly on nesting beaches), incidental catch and intentional killing.

WWF sees the potential that the conservation of marine turtles can have a positive impact on ecosystem conservation and the overall management of marine habitats. Furthermore, the conservation of marine turtles may bring important benefits to local communities and induce sustainable use of natural resources in general, as in the case of well-managed ecotourism.

WWF’s…
· VISION: Marine turtles worldwide are protected and restored to healthy levels.
· 10-YEAR GOAL: Threats to marine turtles, the loss and degradation of their critical habitats, the impacts of unsuitable use, and incidental capture are reduced.
· OBJECTIVES:
1. Reduce the loss and degradation of critical marine turtle habitats.
2. Reduce unsuitable use and illegal trade in marine turtles and turtle products.
3. Reduce the negative impact of by-catch on marine turtles.

The international trade and harvest of eggs and adult females at nesting beaches are no longer conservation issues due to the protection of species through specific legislation.

The situation in Greece:
The National Marine Park of Zakynthos was established by Presidential Decree in 1999, largely due to pressure from NGO’s. The management body of the park was established in July 2000 and is the first management authority for a protected area in Greece.

The Caretta caretta nesting site at Laganas Bay, Zakynthos is a National Marine Park. Regardless of legal protection, law enforcement on Zakynthos is still a major problem.

WWF priorities for Greece (starting with highest priority):
· Protection of the major nesting beaches that are not yet protected.
· Protection of other nesting beaches
· Enforcement of management of the major nesting beaches already protected by law.
· Assessment of interaction with different fishing gear.

Marine turtles frequent different habitats and areas during their lives and migrate long distances, therefore international cooperation is vital for the conservation of the species. This is particularly true for the Mediterranean which is an almost enclosed basin surrounded by 21 countries, each with its own unique culture.

Conservation of turtles seems to be an ongoing headache in the Med as it is not an easy task - it requires international commitment.

Book Review - James Rebanks

2006-04-18T09:40:00.000+01:00

Wild Solutions - How Biodiversity is Money in the Bank, Andrew Beattie, Paul Ehrlich and Christine Turnbull (Melbourne University Press, 2001)

This was my effort to learn more about biodiversity and why it is important to preserve it. Thought it would be duller than an afternoon at the cricket with John Major. I was wrong.

The basic premise of the book was to explain why all of us, especially greedy capitalist business people, have a vested interest in preserving biodiversity. Every inch of this planet is teeming with life forms, billions of little bloody things that none of us seem to know about, and everything is at war with everything else in an endless cycle of biological attrition. And survival depends upon the ability to evolve mechanisms to overcome your enemies. So far, so Darwin, but apparently recently scientists have started to get really smart and look for naturally evolved mechanisms that are useful for humans, and this is where it gets amazing.

The book is teeming with examples, my attempts to mark interetsing bits by turning over page corners resulted in all the pages being turned over and the book sort of ruined.

The thing I can't quite get my head around is the sheer quantity of species, a square inch of rainforest soil if studied in enough depth contains hundreds of new species of bacteria and stuff, one study showed that every kilomotre of ocean floor revealed a new species... There are millions of things out there that we have not yet discovered, any of which might be useful, and many of which are being destroyed.

A pinch of soil contains as much as 30,000 protozoa, 50,000 cells of algae, 400,000 fungi, billions of bacteria, and an uncountable number of viruses... I thought this was maybe nature showing off needlessly, but apparently they all keep each other going, and we need them badly.

There is a great passage from page 41 about the failure of humans to create an ecosystem that is capable of surviving any length of time. Yes, that's right, the idea of a sealed Eden Project or space capsule to take us to other planets years away is not humanly possible. Why? Because the interaction of species is too complex for us, and needs regulating at times by other things that are not in the biosphere. Ecosystems interact... Or in my language, the Eden Project is teeming with ants because it is not a proper natural ecosystem with the right diseases, predators etc. In the real world the predators would arrive, even if they flew in from a distant ecosystem. They tried this in the Biospheres in California (the best scientists money could buy, and $200 million of kit). The soil went mental, the air deteriorated, the pollinators (bees etc) went extinct almost immediately, the plants that relied upon them could not reproduce, 19 of the 24 veterbrate species went extinct immediately, and the 8 people would have died if they hadn't cheated. Bad news, we can't get to another planet unless we take lots of sandwiches, or tinned fruit.

The recent breakthroughs in crop protection and performance (with two billion new people on the way in the next few decades this matters a lot, even to me) have come from the DNA of wild relatives of oats, wheat, barley, corn or rice and finding genes that naturally protect the plant against diseases. If we lose the wild, seemingly insignificant, relatives we potentially lose the life sustaining super crops as their enemies overcome them through evolution. The soil in your garden may literally save the human race someday as it may contain a 'wild solution' that exists nowhere else in the world. So raise the price of your house, its amazing!

Plants develop chemicals to put off insects that eat them, so scientists realised that a species of ant in South America was decimating the cabbage fields, but leaving the bean fields. Solution; spray extracts of the bean plants onto the cabbages. Result? Ants leave the cabbages alone, something that millions of dollars of chemical research had failed to achieve. Some of this stuff is basic observational science, some of it is so technical my head hurts, like spider silk being 300 times stronger than steel and computers manufacturing stuff to copy it.

We all know the story about smallpox being cured because some smartass realised that milkmaids didn't die of it, and made the link to the dairy girls having had cowpox and gotten immunity to the far worse smallpox. This is the motif of this book, the world is full of these solutions that we are only starting to understand, cures for diseases, and ailments, and preventative solutions for crops, people and animals, and product ideas that the wit of man has never got close to figuring out.

I won't go on, this is well worth reading. It is not your usual green rant about how evil I am for shopping at supermarkets and flying to Corsica for my holidays. It is sort of grown up and sensible, and it advocates a sensible mix of new human technologies and practices and using wild solutions created by evolution. And it makes the sensible point that biodiversity is our genetic library, and it would be a mistake to throw lots of the books away before we get a chance to read them, because we will never know what we have lost, until it is too late.

I'm really looking forward to Greece now, I'm going to be wondering what genetic secrets the endangered Monk Seals and the Loggerhead Turtles might hold. This book makes you wonder.

Final point, how do earthworms eat muck, germs and crap all their lives and never get ill. Answer; they do get ill, but very rarely, even when they are eating soil packed with deadly stuff, and something in their bodies enables them to beat bacteria that would finish off any of us, it is for scientists to identify how they do this, and find whether the genes responsible can be tranferred to humans to beat certain diseases etc. Then we will live forever and eat soil if we want to.

End.

Book Review - Iris Glimmerveen

2006-04-12T14:02:00.000+01:00

Summary of Preserve or destroy – Tourism and the environment by Jonathan Croall

Chapter 1 paints a doom and gloom picture of how touists have destroyed destinations in the Mediterranean, Nepal and Lakes District. Tourists are also affecting alternative destinations such as Bali, which in 1968 had 5,000 visitors per year, and in 1989 had 450,000. The Peak District is used for a case study where a tourist management plan was developed by locals with the help of consultants. Ideas implemented are parking money and volunteers contributing to a Trust with the aim to alleviate problem.

Chapter 2 explains sustainability and ecotourism and the need to maintain a balance between tourism and the environment. It gives 7 do’s and don’ts. Case study Seychelles have limit bed availability and have designated half of island as National Park.
Isle of Purbeck is example where locals have been involved in sustainability project from start.

Chapter 3 countryside matters. Lakes National Park get 20M visitors per year, exerting pressure on roads infrastructure and all facilities, as well as cultural honeypots.
Tarka Trail – 180 mile route – 7 pledges made, in conjunction with Tarka Country Tourist Association (140 members) producing green guide and has group of local volunteers.

Chapter 4 highlights the need to change public perception away from Benidorm tour operators, Galapagos, where visitor numbers are controlled, but any proceeds are going to the government, not to islanders, and sex tourism in south Asia.

Chapter 5 talks about limiting tourism damage through changing tourist behaviour, interpretation, boardwalks – preventing physical damage, and attracting visitors away from honeypots, developing tourism codes and tourist strategies, e.g. Wales.

Chapter 6 tackles car use as preferred mode of transport by listing alternatives, e.g. Carlisle-Settle Railway, bus, shuttle busses, cycle, walk & ride schemes and park & ride schemes.

Chapter 7 covers the impact on business of exploitative tourism. Some tour operators are homing in on ‘Holidays that don’t cost the earth’. Others pay a contribution to green organisations as a pay off. Better info exchange between hotel chains on green issues, and some hotels taking action, e.g. brick in every cistern. In west France a ‘back to wilderness’ project even cleared buildings to restore it to former wilderness state. Attitudes are changing so the notion that industry and tourists have to pay to compensate for their impact.

Chapter 8 acting locally. Rural fora and local involvement and local products are seen as crucial to future development of sustainable tourism. This is helped by changing land management practices – farm/forestry diversification, as well as involving arts in the countryside. Sculpture trails, walking festivals, Eden benchmarks, Goldsworthy, etc.

Rural connections – Ireland is used as an example of how rural areas have developed to attract tourists, with both positive and negative examples.

The conclusion says that we should take action, even though failures may arise, as doing nothing is not beneficial.

Latest from Maddy on other orgs.

2006-04-12T10:37:00.000+01:00

Hi James

I don't think we are going to manage Medasset as they have to come all the way from Athens or the UK for this. Will keep trying for WWF. Have had no joy with Archelon, as they are not yet in Zakynthos and have recently changed project leaders here.

Could Dave do his diving on Day 3, as the catamaran will take place on Day 4 (weather permitting) and that finishes @ 4pm so it's quite a long day. - Has Dave already lined something up, or does he still want me to try and arrange it? - Just bear in mind that it is April and not much will be open as the season starts in May.

Maddy

Travel Information

2006-04-10T16:30:00.000+01:00

Dear All

I have booked Alba Travel to take everyone to Manchester airport and to pickup on return from Greece. The pickup times are as follows: -

Iris: - Alba Travel will be going past your house so they said they would pick you up at 3.50am to save you walking to the yard (Iris is your house the lodge at the bottom of their road?)

James and Jan: - Alba Travel will pick you both up at B&Q car park at 4.00am

Keri: - Alba travel will pick you up about 4.45am (James will call you when leaving the M6 at J37)

Sarah: - Alba Travel will pick you up about 4.50am (Keri will call to let you know they are on their way)

Dave: - Meeting all at Manchester Airport

Can you all please email your mobile numbers to me and the rest of the group so everyone can get in contact with each other in case there are any problems etc

The tickets for the trip will be arriving tomorrow the tickets used for Swiss Air are E Tickets and Olympic Air tickets are proper tickets.

If anyone has any queries please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Best Wishes

Kelly Allison
Receptionist / Administrative Assistant

Rural Regeneration Cumbria
Hackthorpe Business Centre
Hackthorpe
Penrith
Cumbria
CA10 2HX

Email: - kelly@ruralcumbria.co.uk
Tel: - 01931 711130
Fax: - 01931 711131

Carbon Footprint

2006-04-10T14:36:00.000+01:00

Have a look at our Carbon footprint for flying to Athens and back... http://www.co2balance.com/pages.php?pageid=6

Website of interest

2006-04-10T14:15:00.000+01:00

Have done some more digging and have found a good website (not specific to Zante) Friends of Ionian www.foi.org.uk, found a good map for the island whats where as opposed to just place names, and a list of other species we might see, Spring is the best time of year for wildlife, but is a low season for visitors.Some of the other creatures areSwallow tail butterfilesTortoiseGreen LizardGlass Lizard (up to 4ft long)Sardinian warblerSubalpine warblerRed rumped swallows Golden eaglesGriffon vulturesBlack kitesOpsreysEurasian scops owl Kingfishers, the list goes on but possibly some good stuff.

CheersDave

Websites of interest

2006-04-10T13:46:00.000+01:00

Have done some searching on the web, and found some more “wildlife watching options” there are several glass bottomed boats, that go looking for Turtles they go to somewhere called Turtle Island (might be somewhere we could look at), there are also Jeep Safaris, and a place called Keri Caves which is a boat trip and visits a shipwreck. A petition has been started to persuade the government and other bodies to take better care of the Turtles and their environment so far 17,000 have signed it which is impressive.
Follow this link for more info http://www.justzante.co.uk/zante\petition.htm
The www.justzante.co.uk has some interesting stuff on it written by visitors so is good reflection.Will find out more
Cheers
Dave

Book Review - Keri Smith

2006-04-10T10:29:00.000+01:00

Corporate Futures, Consultation on Good Practice; Social Responsibility in the Tourism Industry, Tourism Concern

This report examines the ways in which Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policy and practice can bring economic success to tourism organisations whilst protecting the earth’s resources and providing a better way of life to host communities. It provides a range of practical suggestions for implementation of the social and economic responsibility of tour operators (primarily selling holidays overseas) to ensure that policies can be matched by practice in the destination.

The concept of “Fair Trade in Tourism” emerged in the late 1990’s and signifies a commitment to finding positive and practical solutions for the tourism industry through a more equitable international trade system and ethical trade practices. The increasing popularity of the “Fair Trade” label can have a beneficial impact on the tourism industry. In a number of studies about tourism consumer behaviour a large number of respondents were concerned about the local environment, poverty and beach erosion in a number of countries. The demand by this significant segment of consumers for greater CSR is an ideal opportunity for the tourism industry as a whole to capture a growing market for sustainable tourism.

A number of large companies in the tourism industry have been instrumental in taking forward sustainable and responsible tourism and initiatives such as British Airways with its “Tourism for Tomorrow Awards” for tourism related services with an outstanding environmental performance, First Choice Responsible Tourism Award (which our host won in 2005), the International Hotel Environment Initiative which gives support and advice on energy efficiency, waste management, child labour and promotes community participation in resort design and the Tour Operator Initiative which is a membership organisation that strives to oppose abuse and exploitative forms of tourism and co-operates with local communities and people respecting local cultures.

Sustainable development becomes integral to product development and quality control, for instance, tour operators often refrain from using local businesses or recommending them to their customers because they are dissatisfied with the quality of local provision, particularly where this is dictated by poverty and lack of expertise. Through collaboration with the local tourism industry as part of CSR, tour operators can assist through sharing knowledge and communicating effectively to assist local shareholders to improve their own provision and facilities. This will have a positive impact on product quality and, in turn, customer satisfaction. Excellence in service through “Total Quality Management” through regular training and awareness raising of locally recruited staff and rewarding staff is also very important for satisfied customers.

Customers also need to be informed through brochures, country guides and tourist guidelines about environmental and socio – economic issues in destinations and the ways in which tourism benefits local people. First Choice for example, introduced
in-flight videos to the Gambia featuring advice for tourists about sensitive tourism issues and encouraged greater awareness of the needs and wishes of the people of Gambia. The video was produced by Tourism Concern and VSO.

Working in partnership with local communities can ensure sustainability through improving basic infrastructure, employing local staff in key positions, using local products and materials, enhancing opportunities for local investors and developing products/brands that benefit local communities.

The report concludes that CSR integrated into core business values and operations, has been proven to provide a workable framework for the implementation of sustainable development but within the tourism industry awareness and practical tools for social and economic sustainability still need to be explored in greater depth.

Tourism Facts

2006-04-10T10:27:00.000+01:00

The Greek National Tourism Organisation is a similar organisation to VisitBritain. It has a number of tourist offices throughout Greece (don’t think there is one in Zante) and supplies information on legislation, brochures in a number of different languages, documentaries and videos on Greece and they attend a number of key tourism exhibitions throughout the world promoting Greece.

The Organisation of Tourism Education and Training provides tourism education and training in Greece and the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels is the official state consultant concerning issues of tourism. All the hotels which operate legally in Greece are Members and it forms part of the National Union of Hotels Confederation of the EU.

The tourist sector in Greece contributes annually more than 18% to the GNP and creates approximately 700,000 jobs. Tourism in the UK accounts for 3.5% of the UK economy and was worth approximately £74.2 billion in 2003 supporting 1.4 million jobs (5% of all people in employment). In Cumbria tourism is worth £1.12 billion and supports 44,563 jobs (25% of all people in employment).

Gifts

2006-04-06T10:24:00.000+01:00

Hi everyone,I have been busy buying presents for Greek hosts and have currently spent £111 out of our £120 budget. I have based it on the fact that we are buying for four hosts (if we end up meeting more or less people then the gifts can be divided up).
So far I have....prints, slate coasters, marmalade, beer, cumberland sauce and fudge. I will probably purchase some kendal mintcake to use up our last few pounds. I will be bringing everything to the meeting on Monday so we can divide everything up between the team!
CheersSarah

Insurance

2006-03-31T10:57:00.000+01:00

The Greek STEEP team are all now covered with ‘Premium’ insurance for the trip.

Each of you (all those who did not already have cover) have to read and sign your declarations before the trip. These are at RRC and I will give them to you all at our prep meeting before the exchange. If any of you wish to have these sooner to read at your leisure then they will be available at RRC.

UK Partner Interests

2006-03-29T12:35:00.000+01:00

Jan,
I did not know about these trips however can you look
at waste recycling - how do they handle the mountain
of waste tourism seems to generate.
How does loss of labour from agriculture to better
paid tourism jobs put pressure on the local labour
market. How does the local labour market cope with the seasonality of tourism - are the tourism operators farmers taking a cash crop in summer and going back to the land in winter.
Perhaps we can add your report to our website: http://www.farmtourism-matters.org/overseas.htm
Have an interesting trip,
Carl

UK Partner Interests

2006-03-29T12:34:00.000+01:00

Hi Jan. I’d be interested to know how the Greek authorities are:

Planning for tourism (do they have any kind of strategy, for example to develop certain islands for particular activities - nature tourism, water sports etc - and how does it work in practice?)
Planning for climate change (and especially measures for water conservation)
Promoting the ‘sustainable tourism’ message to European tourists (presumably their biggest market?)

I’ll be keen to know how it goes. I have very happy, hippie and hazy memories of island hopping….!!

Helen Houghton
Recreation and Tourism Adviser
Lake District National Park Authority

Book Review from Dave Kennedy

2006-03-29T12:07:00.000+01:00

IMPROVING PERFORMANCE, BOOSTING PROFITS
A guide to best practice in the tourism, hospitality and leisure industry.
J. Logie and M. Quest 2004
Published by the Best Practice Forum

This is the distilation of virtually every management training course I’ve ever been on, trying to convince mangers and directors that they should listen to their staff and involve them in the decision making process, no arguments there it is definitely a good idea, but it never seems to happen in practice.

It has some facts but mainly quotes from un-named sources (things like Hotel Receptionist, Devon) which worries me, with the notable exception of quotes from Claridge’s, London.It covers what it calls the nine steps to boost productivity, which areLeading from the front, Communicating internally, Communicating externally, Setting standards, Retraining staff, Adding value, Planning and controlling the business, Measuring and evaluating performance, and Networking – and entering into partnerships.

It does point people towards the Tourist Board for getting help and advice, and to various professional trade organisations, which you would have thought was obvious, but if they have put it in a book I guess it isn’t.The section on adding value, makes a case for standing out from the crowd, and creating unique selling points, that would then have the potential to increase customer spend, playing the eco card has been done to achieve this before with hotels and resorts, some I’ve been to have been excellent, however I feel you would need see the evidence of it being really eco-friendly, rather than it being a profit bandwagon.

Most of this is common sense, and it is short on real evidence based data, but it makes sense and would be useful to most industries not just hospitality etc.

David Kennedy

Latest information on clothing, weather, etc

2006-03-23T16:57:00.000Z

The weather in late April should be around 20 degrees celsius in the day, though it will be cold at night. - We have log fires at home, so bring some warm clothes (jumpers, fleeces, jackets etc) if you are going to be out at night, eating dinner outside, etc. It may also be a bit rainy still, so a waterproof jackets, umbrella and decent shoes would be an idea. Otherwise, bring swimming gear, beach towel, sunhat, suncream etc, clothes that will suit 'spring-like' conditions. I normally get away with jeans/light trousers, and keep a warm top handy just in case.

Mossies should not be too much of a problem, but if people are particularly prone, bring some citronella/anti-mossie lotion to be on the safe side.

The accommodation will be comfy and clean, and everyone will have their own space. The aircon system should also have a heat-generating facility in case anyone gets a bit chilly at night, though there will be lots of extra blankets available.

Our address to send any post (leaflets etc) to us in Greece before the seminar is:

Madeleine Doggett & Yannis Vardakastanis
Post Restante Zakynthos
29100
Zakynthos
GREECE

It should take 7-10 days to reach us, and I will acknowledge receipt.

I will endeavour to hurry up with the itinerary, and have taken into account Cumbria group discussion/write up time, so have left quite a few afternoons free for this. If the weather changes the itinerary, e.g. for the cat trip or the island tour, it will mean that we have flexibility to change the programme around. We would be really interested to hear presentations from your team, and I am sure that people in Zakynthos will value your input as well. Particularly the Marine Park.

I think that is all for now, if you need anything else, please let me know.

Website of interest

2006-03-23T16:13:00.000Z

Website of interest... http://www.zanteguru.com/intro/intro.html

Flights and Accommodation Booked

2006-03-23T11:38:00.000Z

I have organised the accommodation and worked out prices.

We are staying together in 4x 1 bedroom apartments and 1x villa with 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms and a large kitchen/dinner.

The accommodation cost includes breakfast, airport transfers, maid service, bed linen and towels, and welcome refreshments on arrival.

We have also organised the catamaran, and a people carrier for two days when we are mobile.

Maddy's Greek mobile is 0030 697 993 4746. If we are delayed we should call her. She will meet us at the airport on 24th April and take us down to Gerakas. Because we are arriving late, they will try and make sure that there is a taverna open so we can all eat, but we can have a proper welcome meal on 25th April when we are less travel weary.

Maddy is working on the itinerary and will send it to us early April.

Book review - Jan Darrall

2006-03-20T14:55:00.000Z

Sustainable Tourism in the Mediterranean Islands and Small Cities – Fsadri and Selwyn, 1996

Not until the coastal regions experiences mass tourism in the 60s that concern about the environmental consequences of tourism began. In the early days of tourism, it was assumed that the main problems of tourism would be the relationship between the hosts and the tourists. Now, it is seen that the relationship between tourism, economies, societies, and the natural env is more multi complex and multi dimensional.

The paradox is that tourism lives off cultures and the env, but more often that not takes little/no account of the residents, e.g. increasing frustration in Malta and some Greek islands that tourism is intrusive and imposed on them. Clear that the management of tourism needs to be integrated with other aspects of the local economy and social structures in a way that the needs of locals are served above others, including tourism. If this isn’t done, the natural and built env becomes a museum for tourists only.

Mallorca – argue that increasing tourism has led to the loss of their autonomy – increase in the price of goods and increasingly dependent on outsiders. But it has decreased disparities of wealth, and there has been immigration not emigration. Same in Malta.

There are pros and cons to tourism, but the challenge is to build on the positive and not reproduce the negative.

Paradox – increasing interest in historical tourism, replacing sun, sea and sand holidays of the 60s, but locals see this as backward and move out. Industry, new houses, and developments are not seen to fit with the historic env, so people are forced out to other places and ghosts towns occur. There must be investment and social interaction in historic cities or historical based tourism will fail.

Tourism could provide for the economic viability of rural economies and societies, but to integrate economic and social policies and the rural hinterland, there is a need for co-operation and holistic policies, and this is increasingly hard with the increasing free market policies across the EU.

The value of tourism has to be not in its capacity to replace traditional local economic activity, but to complement it and create opportunities for locals without destroying what attracts people in the first place. Tourism can provide new employment but there is a danger in over reliance and developing a ‘mono crop’, and there is a need to diversify employment – this was the problem in Kos, and they are now trying to solve this by planning and intervention – to do this there needs to be a long term vision of the future and its relationship to the past.

At the end of the 1990s there was a shift in tourism in the Med and population dispersal. There will still be mass tourism, but there is an increasing amount of tourism linked to culture and the nature of the region’s historic and island centres, e.g. Turkey, Malta. The challenge here is museumisation and the citizens becoming exhibits.

Need greater co-operation between destinations, so instead of being in competition with each other, they work to co-operate and develop similar goals, involve locals etc.

Mdina, Malta – given over to tourism and locals feel they have got nothing in return. The culture has been exploited, and residents have left due to decreasing quality of life. To try and help this situation, they have developed a leaflet for tourists on dos and don’ts, e.g. respect the culture, they are putting some tourism money back into the env, and local councils are trying to deal with the effects of tourism.

In Majorca, insular agricultural rural economy was based on inland areas, the coast was seen to be marginal. Tourism brought foreign workers and rapid dev on the coasts, moving the economic activitiy from inland to the coast. A once marginal area has therefore become the most valuable economic resource. The power of the rich has decreased and there have been changing social structures and liberalisation of behaviour.

Turkey – urban and vernacular heritage has been ignored and destroyed. Now they realise the historic towns are a marketable commodity for tourism – there are conservation schemes, e.g. in Izmir, Ankara. The locals are moving out. Where the locals do remain, the buildings are in poor structure, but there is a sense of community. There is a need to balance tourism and local needs, too many tourist shops leads to increased prices which marginalises the locals and drives tourists away. The same dept needs to be in charge of tourism and conservation and also to meet the needs of locals.

Greece – Dimitsana – local plan – co-ordinates tourism development and links the public and private sector – have resotred a monastery, open air water power museum. To meet the needs of locals they have set up a welfare fund of farmstead land to be cultivated, and the income from it goes into road schemes, buildings, lighting. They have used LEADER to fund agrotourism and conserve trad buildings, est community enterprises, education and training in trad crafts. They recommend :-
- small scale tourism residential buildings, avoid mass building of the 60s
- identify local resources – buildings, skills
- to prevent abandonment of trad buildings, identify profitable uses that fit in with the env
- promote the educational aspects of trad buildings
- co-operation of local authority planners and the private sector

website of interest

2006-03-20T11:49:00.000Z

A useful website for the exchange - http://www.greeka.com/ionian/zakynthos/zakynthos-map.htm

Flights confirmed

2006-03-16T21:48:00.000Z

The flights have been booked, we went for different ones in the end, which means we will have to juggle with the itinerary and will have slightly less time in Zakynthos, but it is for the best. We have also had to spend more on the flights than is normally allowed but we have got Leonardo to approve this.

With Swiss and Olympic airlines:-

OUTBOUND
Monday 24 April

Depart Arrive

08:40 Manchester 11:50 Zurich
12:55 Zurich 16:35 Athens
19:45 Athens 20:45 Zakynthos

INBOUND
Sunday 30 April

Depart Arrive

07:15 Zakynthos 08:10 Athens
14:20 Athens 16:05 Zurich
17:05 Zurich 18:10 Manchester

The total cost of flights is £430pp which translates to 595€ at today’s exchange rate of 1.39.

Flights

2006-03-15T22:24:00.000Z

Dave Kennedy has suggested some alternative flights that might make our lives easier, and we will suggest these to the travel agent. I have also learnt that Leonardo funds travel only in the sense of paying for the flights from the UK and transfers in the host country, so we may need to be creative in how we get around the island.

Flights

2006-03-15T12:30:00.000Z

There is no such thing as easy in this life.

The travel arrangements look like this (the flights will be held like this until Monday when I am back in the office, then we will have to book them).

April 24 - Flight from Manchester 22.35 departure
April 25 - Arrive Athens 04.25
April 25 - Departure from Athens 05.55
April 25 - Arrive Zakynthos 06.50

So we lose a night's sleep, but the return is the problem!

April 30th - Depart Zakynthos 21.10
April 30th - Arrive Athens 22.05
One day stopover in Athens
May 1st - Depart Athens 19.40
May 1st - Arrive Manchester 21.45

Unfortunately I may have to agree this as the best of a bad job, we could spend the time in Athens siightseeing and debriefing! The other option is to travel from Zakynthos early on the 1st by bus on the return leg to get to Athens for the flight at night. A miserable choice between a day on a bus or a day in the wrong location.

If anyone has a major problem with agreeing the above let me know by Monday, or I will sign us up for the day stopover in Athens.

Booking flights

2006-03-13T18:18:00.000Z

The travel agent has been instructed to book the flights after everyone except Mark Atherton confirmed the would be involved in the exchange. I will confirm in the next few days the flight details and whether we find a solution to the issues.

Tourism info from Keri

2006-03-13T14:31:00.000Z

Hi James

I am having trouble with accessing the blog website but for everyone's information the main Greek Tourist Board website is www.gnto.gr and you can find out about Greek tourism statistics on www.statistics.gr (there is a link from the main website), click into Statistical Data, Trades and Services and then Tourism. I will search for more information and let you know if I find any. Katie Read will bring to your Poland meeting on Wednesday CTB publications to be sent to Greece.

Kind regards
Keri

Latest news from Zakynthos after issues raised at meeting

2006-03-13T13:27:00.000Z

Hi James

Thanks for your email. Coming on 24th April is no problem, I can reserve the accommodation that I mentioned in the first email and the prices will still stand.

We are going to have to work hard to organise a decent travel arrangements. I was thinking that instead of getting the bus and having to rush massively from the airport, it might be better to pre-book a people carrier to Zakynthos and drive over, which you can then arrange to be picked up from Gerakas. I can try and find out which car hire companies at Athens airport will allow cars to be taken to the island and then pick them up, and also prices. Or you might wish to keep the vehicle for the week to give you flexibility when we go visiting different areas of the island etc. It is up to you (our budget may not stretch to this).

Alternatively you could try and get interconnecting flights from Athens to Zakynthos on Olympic Airlines (though you might have to stay over night in Athens at a hotel near the airport) depending on the time of arrival to Athens and departure to Zakynthos.

You can bring a UK laptop with you, and all you need to bring is an adapter plus (standard EU prongs) and also an anti-surge device as sometimes there are power surges/cuts in Greece and this device protects electronic equipment.

We can incorporate a visit to a mountain village during your stay, so you will see a variety of habits and communities, (though April is not yet the tourist season so you won't necessarily see how these isolated villages take advantage of passing tourist trade, though obviously we can explain this). We thought a visit to Volimes, one of very few villages left in Zakynthos untouched by the devastating earthquake of 1953, which is a really traditional farming community, would be interesting. We could also visit Keri Lake, which is a wetland marais (salt and fresh water mix) full of fish, terrapins etc, and which also has lots of tar underneath (there were attemts to drill it out, but these failed) but which is also under threat from tourism, pollution and building. We can also visit other places in the north and east of the island, so you get a rounded view of Zakynthos. Yannis and I will sit down and really put our thinking caps on on areas to visit.

As part of the meeting currently scheduled on day 6, We will encourage people outside green issues to take part, such as farmers (most people farm) and business people (small and medium scale) operating in different area of business.

Greek food is great for vegetarians and there are plenty of veggie dishes on the menu. Also the local mini-markets and supermarkets and especially places in town, stock plenty of food suitable, nuts, beans, pulses, tons of fruit and veg, pasta, rice etc, so your colleagues do not need to worry.

I will check up about diving in Zakynthos. There are plenty of good dive sites, and I will need to see if the dive companies will be open in April so he can go off for the day and prices.

Local produce from Zakynthos includes raisins, olive oil and wine, pottery and honey. There are quite a few vineyards which tourists can visit, taste the wine and buy their own (we could even incorporate one of these on our day around the island!) Pottery is also popular and there is a pottery studio near Gerakas, so if Hanne Mi is open in April we could pop in. - We will try and encourage her to get involved in the seminars too.
I don't think there is a particular initiative to raise awareness of Zakynthian produce and identity for tourists, and there should be, so this is definitely an area that you can work on.

I think that is all for now, let me know if I have missed anything or if you have any further questions.

Best wishes and speak soon
Maddy

Actions from Team Meeting March 9 2006

2006-03-10T17:02:00.000Z

Attendees:

James Rebanks
Kelly Allison
David Kennedy
Jan Darrall
Keri Smith
Sarah Caley
Iris Glimmerveen

Apologies:
Mark Atherton

The date for the exchange will not be changed from week starting 24th April, even if travel is more difficult we will still travel at this time.

The team asked me to ask the Greek partners if we could add the following matters to the itinerary;

Visit the mountain villages if possible, to see the problems associated with these areas and their communities.

Ask about whether vegetarian food is available.

Whether it would be possible for a member of the team to dive on the underwater trail.

Looking at the link between local products and the links to the tourism industry to create a sense of place.

Some contact with people from the rest of the island, perhaps farmers or less sympathetic members of the community and some discussion about how these people can be brought on board to more sustainable practices.

Check that they will supply a laptop for presentations to avoid voltage issues.

ACTIONS

1. Dave to do research on the airports and feedback asap.
2. Kelly and James to arrange travel (Alba Travel for buses)
4. Keri to do research on tourism contacts for Greece and data on industry
7. James to buy 20 books which are the most interesting then Kelly send a couple to everyone
8. All to send material for information packs to Kelly regarding their organisation asap
9. All to send an email to James with a review of the books they have read by date of departure, if possible.
11. Dave to see if he can get a video and camera for the trip
12. Keri to bring a Cumbrian video on the Greece exchange (part of the gifts?)
14. Dave to make contact with WWF on what’s happening on the island
15. Jan to see whether some of the places mentioned by Maddy are on the north of the island
16. Everyone to send £20.00 to Sarah with suggestions for the gifts, asap. Sarah to find out what can legally be taken on aeroplanes
18. All to keep a record of the time spent on preparation
19. Kelly to send an email for presentations if not all sent in a week before the trip
20. Kelly to organise mini bus to the airport (Alba Travel)
21. All to write a report after the trip
22. Allocate one person to put together a master report (James?)
23. All to present a presentation to their organisation on what they learnt while on the trip
24. One person from the group to speak at T&C Partnership’s event
25. Report to go on Blog
26. Everyone on this exchange to think about the methods of spreading the information.

New Information from Dave

2006-03-10T16:56:00.000Z

GreeceDespite EU condemnation, tourist "free for all" destroys unique turtle habitat on Greek island Gland, Switzerland –

Thousands of summer tourists, illegal sunbeds, umbrellas, bars and boats have once again invaded and irreparably damaged Greece’s National Marine Park of Zakynthos, pushing the Mediterranean’s largest nesting population of loggerhead turtles towards extinction, WWF said today.

In 2002, The European Court of Justice declared that Greece was in violation of European Union law because it had failed to protect the loggerhead turtles in Zakynthos, a legally protected marine park. The European Commission is soon expected to announce that it will refer the case to the Court for a second time.

According to WWF, Greek authorities have done little to halt the flagrant abuse within the park in 2005. Reports show that local businessmen installed hundreds of umbrellas and sunbeds above the authorised limit on the beaches. Illegal bars, taverns and parking areas were still in operation, while boats regularly crossed or anchored in prohibited zones. Cars, motorcycles and horses routinely rolled across the sand dunes. The lack of proper controls, financial support and law enforcement also allowed tourists to tamper with nesting sea turtles at night.

"The situation in Zakynthos is totally unacceptable, violations within the protected area happen every day," said Demetres Karavellas, WWF-Greece's Chief Executive Officer. "The Environment Ministry has not effectively responded to repeated calls for urgent action to halt the destruction of one of the most important sea turtle nesting habitats in the Mediterranean."

WWF urges the Greek government to demolish illegal buildings, restore the coastal area, and provide the National Marine Park of Zakynthos with the financial support needed to operate efficiently. The global conservation organization also calls on the EU Commission to define specific requirements and clear standards, which the Greek authorities will have to meet in order to avoid a second conviction at the European Court of Justice and a financial penalty.

WWF wants the EU to urgently enforce European laws protecting endangered species such a loggerhead turtles, and today, in Vienna, presented European Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas with a report on this year's degradations in Zakynthos. "The EU Habitats Directive is being clearly undermined through cases such as Zakynthos," added Demetres Karavellas. "The role of the European Commission is critical in bringing about change and saving these unique nesting beaches. We hope they won’t let us down."

The National Marine Park of Zakynthos normally hosts between 800 and 1,100 nests from the end of May to the end of July. The peak of the tourist season coincides with the start of the hatching of the turtle eggs in August. Marine turtles are very sensitive to human disturbances. For example, lights distract the nesting females and disorientate the hatchlings as they make their way to the sea. Trampling of nests by tourists is also frequent. These impacts exacerbate the natural risks to hatchlings, and it is estimated that out of about 1,000 turtles that hatch, only one will reach adulthood.

NOTES: 1. The loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) is one of the two marine turtle species that reproduce in the Mediterranean. The other species is the green turtle, which nests in Turkey and Cyprus. 2. The National Marine Park of Zakynthos (NMPZ) was established in 1999 for the conservation of marine turtles and the sustainable development of the island. WWF-Greece and the NGO Archelon are represented on the management body of the NMPZ. 3. Zakynthos is a popular tourist destination for UK and German tourists in particular. For further information: Theodora Nantsou, Conservation ManagerWWF-Greece, Tel: +30 697 707 53 45 Marita Panteri, Communications OfficerWWF-Greece Tel: +30 210 331 48 93

Suggested Itinerary for exchange

2006-03-08T16:08:00.000Z

Ideas suggested by Maddy our organising host;

As I said, we can arrange breakfast for all your colleagues as part of the accommodation price, but the acccommodation is self-catering, so you will need to budget for meals. There is a mini market just around the corner at Gerakas which is fully stocked with just about anything you could ever want, and there are also 3 tavernas within very easy walking distance for lunch and dinner. They are very reasonably priced and offer tasty traditional Greek food.

We will ensure that the Info Centre is open and functioning for when you arrive, and we will use the large office area as a conference room for presentations. We have a slide projector and the facility to play DVDs/videos.

We have some guests arriving on the same flight (assuming the UK team agree this date) as you from Doncaster on 1st May, and also another couple coming on 2nd May, but that is in the evening so won't be a problem. We then don't have any further arrivals until 7th May, so we are all yours.

Having thought about it, your flight home will probably be on Monday 8th, as you are coming for a week.

Below is a rough itineray for the week, please let me know what you think.

**We would probably start at about 10am-10.30am most mornings, as we are in Greece, after all!
**Afternoons in Greece mean after 5pm.

Day 1: We will meet you all at the airport and bring you down to Gerakas in taxis. Chilling out and finding feet post-flight sounds good, as does dinner that evening. We could eat at one of the local tavernas. Time of dinner, probably around 8pm. It's chilly in the evenings in May so bring a fleece or light jacket.

Day 2 morning: 10am start? We will give presentations in the office about what ESS does, its history - why it was formed, its aims at the time, achievements, and current/future projects. Also challenges that are being faced, attitudes of people in Zakynthos etc. We can also talk about Ionian Eco Villagers and Nature World Travel (eco-tourism excursions). We will also tell you about the other organisations that we have links with, such as Archelon, the Marine Park, Medasset, WWF and their roles in Zakynthos.

Day 2 afternoon: After lunch and siesta, 5pm, we could have a quick tour of the village, show you around our properties and show you what we are trying to achieve with the property owners in terms of being more environmentally friendly. Then you could just enjoy the area, relax, take the self-guided walk around Gerakas and explore a bit.

Day 3 morning: 10am, We could hire a minibus and take you to see Argassi, Kalamaki and Laganas. Bring your cameras and prepare for a shock to see the worst of tourism on the island, and also some illustrations of pollution, such as the rubbish dump and sewage treatment works above the main nesting beach. There is no official tourism agency in Zakynthos, so we would be your guides.

Day 3 afternoon: Cumbrian team to meet and discuss issues and tasks.

Day 4: 10.30am, We thought that if the weather permits, we could take either our eco-tourist catamaran trip or sailing cruise in the National Marine Park, so you can see the habitat of the turtles and seals and other wildlife, and maybe even spot some turtles. We need to confirm the price, but it should be around 40 Euros pp for the day. Bring your lunch. If the weather is bad we would have to rearrange the days, as this is a great trip and not to be missed!

Day 5 morning: 10.30am, We would try and organise a meeting with people from the NMPZ Archelon, WWF and Medasset. We would probably hold this at the centre.

Day 5 afternoon: Cumbrian team to meet and discuss.

Day 6 morning: 10am - 10.30, We will get some local business people to meet with you, such as local hotel owners, small scale property owners, general excursion companies (sailing, turtle spotting etc), as well as the specific people that we work with for our eco-excursions.

Day 6 afternoon: preparation for journey home and report writing. Farewell dinner.

Day 7 morning: taxi transfer to the airport around 11am from Gerakas.

Latest on the travel and dates

2006-03-08T12:17:00.000Z

Though the timing remains an issue, you will see that we have an excellent partner!

Dear James

I have been checking flights to come 24th April for 7 nights, flying from London via Athens and then travelling on to Zakynthos. In terms of cost, the cost of tickets per person cost about the same (in some cases) as a direct flight from the UK to the island in May. But in terms of travel time and connections, it is a bit of a nightmare.

For example:
Travelling EasyJet from LGW, there is a flight to Athens on 24 April, leaving at 06.30am, currently priced at £75.28 pp. The return leg from Athens to LGW is currently showing at £105.23. (Grand total so far of £180.51). Then you have to add on the cost of either a bus journey from Athens to Zakynthos, which is @ 20 Euros pp each way including the ferry, or an internal Olympic Airways flight from 60 Euros pp each way. A total of @ £294, which is about the same as the price of a return ticket for 7 nights in May.

The bus journey from Athens takes 6.5 hours with a ferry crossing of 1.5 hours. The buses leave Athens every few hours- 6:00am, 8:00am, 12:45pm and 17:00pm, which don't match your arrival times at Athens airport, and you still have to get to the bus station either by taxi or a bus from the airport.

So it will probably easier to adjust the timing of your visit. As I said yesterday, we would be happy for all of you to come our @ 1st May. We have few people staying with us then (some come on 1st and 2nd May), but most guests don't start arriving until after you would have gone, so we would have time with you.

Accommodation would be almost the same as before, except 2 apartments are already booked for guests, so I can offer you the following:

Yannis-Marina 1
Yannis-Marina 2
Ilios Lower
Ourano Upper
Ourano Lower
all the above sleep 1 person

Homa Villa (2 separate bedrooms and bathrooms), so would sleep 2.

The cost per studio apartment for 1 person is : £250 for 7 nights. = £500 for 2 people in 2 apartments
The cost per one-bed apartment for 1 person is : £290 for 7 nights. = £870 for 3 people in 3 apartments
The cost for the villa for 2 people for 7 nights is: £ 550

Grand total:£ 1,920. I've had to increase prices slightly because the visit would be in May and not April, so I hope that's okay.
We also have a bit of flexibility in terms of arrival dates (2-3 days), if you couldn't get a flight until say, 3rd May, we can move your accommodation forward without clashing with other bookings.

I have also checked flights on Flightline for 1st May to give you an indication of costs. There is a flight from London Gatwick at £273 pp return, with all taxes and security levies. If you didn't want to travel all the way Down South, there is also a flight from Doncaster on 1st May, at £301pp, all in, departing at 07.20 and arriving Zak at 12.50.

I hope this helps!!

Best wishes
Maddy

Summary of the funding for this exchange

2006-03-07T14:39:00.000Z

The project officially started on March 1 2006, so we are now eligible to claim costs, and will record them from now on. For our 30 participants on the six exchanges we have the following budget per person;

Management fee for UK work; £60
Cultural and linguistic preparation; £23 for books and materials, £15 for specialist advice
Transport; £300
Insurance; £34
Subsistence; £102 per day

This gives you a total of £942 per person if we were actually in a host country for five working days.

The funding is a 75% intervention rate, the other 25% is our contribution which is the management time I and others are putting in, our preparatory time contributed by our own organisations, and our expenses of getting to the airport and back home in the UK. Depending upon the exchange team members may have to pay some additional small costs themselves.

New information from Zakynthos

2006-03-07T12:11:00.000Z

Hi James

No inconvenience at all, maybe I should have mentioned about the flights, but didn't think, as you can still get to the island via the mainland. You could still come out on 24th April, if you fly direct to Athens (BA or EasyJet) and then take a plane (Olympic Airways) to Zakynthos, or hire a people carrier from the airport and drive (6 hours). It means a bit of a longer journey, but means dates don't have to change. It's up to you, I can look at flight times/prices etc, if you need me to.

We can do the first week in May if you wish, and in a way it might be better as it is after the crazy week of Greek Easter (everything shuts down), and also everything will definitely open then, including our Information Centre. The accommodation will change slightly as I already have some bookings in the first week, but I will have a look to rearrange things and let you know.

Please let me know what you would like to do as soon as you have had your meeting!!!

V.much looking forward to do, let's get it sorted!

Best wishes
Maddy

Houston we have a problem!

2006-03-06T22:56:00.000Z

To my absolute horror I now learn that Zakynthos (Zante) is not connected to the rest of the world by charter flights until May 1, so our suggested dates are probably impossible. We may have to travel a week later, even though this may create problems for several of us.

New Information from Host

2006-03-06T13:05:00.000Z

Here are costings for your group to stay at the Eco Village, Gerakas from 24 April - 1 May 2006 (7 nights).

I have reserved 3 studio apartments (Yannis-Marina) and 4 one-bed apartments (Ilios & Ourano) so each person has their own room and privacy. For further information you can visit our website http://www.relaxing-holidays.com/ and click on Accommodation.

This site has excellent links to the partner organisations and team members should do their research before the meeting.

The cost per studio apartment for 1 person is : £233 for 7 nights. = £699 for 3 people in 3 apartments
The cost per one-bed apartment for 1 person is : £275 for 7 nights. = £1,100 for 4 people in 4 apartments

Total cost: £1,799.

All costs include bed linen and towels, maid service and airport transfers. Please let me know if you would like breakfast, as we can arrange this. If you would like the accommodation, please let me know so I can formally book it and send you our payment details.

If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to ask.

Maddy

First Team Meeting

2006-02-27T15:22:00.000Z

Thank you to all of you for replying so promptly with availability for the Greece Exchange Meeting. Due to diary constraints the best date for the meeting is 09/03/06 at 2.00pm, the meeting will be held at RRC and it will last approximately an hour and a half.

Setting a date that suits everyone is impossible so we will have to ask people to make sacrifices to attend if necessary.The issues for the meeting will be fundamental ones like;

What exactly is the exchange about?
Who are our partners?
What do each of us have to do?
What does each of us want to get out of the exchange?

We will bottom and finalise these issues and others at this meeting. I will confirm the flights and the accommodation after this meeting as time is of the essence. So we all need to be there if possible.

Is the date of the exchange set in stone?

2006-02-21T16:09:00.000Z

Sarah Caley has difficulties with the end date of the exchange. I explained to her that I entered a seven day long exchange date for bureaucratic purposes, but it may be possible to shorten this. Also the initial meeting that we will hold will discuss the date, duration and the content.

Introduction

2006-02-21T15:56:00.000Z

The team of participants that has been selected for the Greek STEEP exchange (targeted for April 24-May 1) is as follows;

James Rebanks, RRC
Phil Gray, East Cumbria Countryside Project and Wild Cumbria project
Sarah Caley, Tourism and Conservation Partnership
Mark Atherton, NWDA
Keri Smith, CTB
Jan Darrell, Friends of the Lake District
Dave Kennedy, Wealth of Wildlife Project/Cumbria Wildlife Trust

For the Greek trip the timescale is quite tight for the preparation and organisation. Given the this timescale we need to meet asap to discuss the exchange and what we want to get out of it, and also to set ourselves some preparation work so that we hit the ground running. At this meeting I will make it clear exactly what we are trying to do and what the funding makes possible, and also what each of us can do to make this a success both for our own benefit and for our host’s benefit as well.

My colleague Kelly Allison will try and coordinate a meeting time in the first few days of March (official start date for the project is March 1) that enables as many of us as possible to meet.