16. Environmental tourism

Ecotourists must start with finding leisure activities and transportation that go easy on the environment. Travelers must strive to conserve energy, avoid endangered species and purchase local products, schedule a trip between seasons. Staggering of holiday schedules helps reduce the choking, noisy traffic that tops the list of environmental problerns. Another important way to mitigate the environmental assault from autos is to take public transportation whenever possible.

The environmental ethic should continue inside the hotel.

Responsible tourists should reduce their own demand for energy whenever possible by flicking off unnecessary lights, by turning down heat, and by finding out how often the hotel changes sheets and towels, and letting the concierge know if they can get by with the same laundry for a longer period of time.

Tourists can try purchase locally made products when possible. Goods made nearby require less energy to transport, and their sale supports the economy of any country.

Finally, ecotourists should take their environmental ethic onto the ski slopes and hiking trails of the mountains. Snow protects plants and animals through the winter and skis can slash the blanket the enables them to survive.

The future of world ecosystem depends on the behavior of the millions of tourists each year who enjoy the beauty of the nature. Damage done by the unthinking tourist can be irreversible.

But if everyone cooperates, the payoff will be rewarding vacations in the lush environment for generations to come.

17. Tourist promotion

Tourism boom started in the 1960s. In 1975 the United Nations established the World Tourism Organization (WTO) to promote tourism throughout the world.

The beginning of the XXI century is characterized as the era of globalization and integration. Tourism is global nowadays. According to the WTO tourism is the world’s largest industry. Nowadays about 127 million people work in the world’s tourist industry.

The WTO prognosticates that by the year 2010 number of tourist all over the world will have reached 935 million people and the world’s total tourism receipts – 1550 billion US dollars.

The international tourism is important not only for the development of national economies. It also contributes to:

1) a deeper knowledge of the life, culture and history of other countries;

2) the growth of the understanding among peoples;

3) the improvement of contacts and the broader use of leisure;

4) exchange of international achievements in various spheres of the tourism industry.

So, main targets to promote international tourism are:

1) encouraging the improvement of the tourism infrastructure and co-operation;

2) joining tourism projects;

3) encouraging the exchange of information, including relevant laws and regulations;

4) examining the possibilities of exchanging specialists and students in the field of tourism, with a view to improving their qualifications;

5) promoting conferences and symposiums on the planning and development of tourism;

6) studying the problems arising in areas where the development of tourism may injure or has injured the environment, art, historical or cultural heritage in the countries;

7) uniformity of hotel classification;

8) expanding links and co-operation in the field of sport;

Now 142 countries and territories are members of the World Tourist Organization. In October 1997 Ukraine became the member of the WTO. It enhanced the prestige of our country in the world’s tourist community and created conditions for the further development of national tourism according to the tendencies of the world’s tourism market.

Word list

1) promote – підтримувати; допомагати;; 5) prognosticate – передбачати; 6) contribute – вносити, робити внесок; 7) improvement – поліпшення, удосконалення; 8) broad – широкий; 10) encourage – підтримувати, заохочувати; 11) joint – об’єднаний; сумісний;

12) relevant – що має відношення до справи; 13) injure – пошкодити; зіпсувати; завдати шкоди;

14) environment – навколишнє середовище; 15) heritage – спадщина; 16) expand – поширювати;

17) enhance – підвищувати; 18) prestige – авторитет; 19) community – товариство;

21) condition – умова;