March 15, 2006 – In an effort to secure St. Croix's spot as an ecotourism destination, the St. Croix Hotel & Tourism Association is hosting a public meeting to discuss how to encourage low impact activities that are educational and minimize environmental hardship. The meeting will be held at 5 p.m., on Thursday, March 23, at Hotel Caravelle.
The International Eco-Tourism Society defines ecotourism as "responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people."
"St. Croix has a distinct character and is the ideal destination for ecotourism activities," said Fred Laue, president of the SCHTA. "We already have some ecotourism activities, and we hope this meeting will serve as a stepping stone to encourage new ideas, promote them collectively, and brand St. Croix as a Caribbean ecotourism destination."
Some of the topics that will be addressed are: the definition of an eco-tour, development of an eco-tour certification program, creation of an eco-tour web page, creation of an eco-tour fact sheet for hotel staff, and training sessions to help hotel staff match tours with individual visitors
To RSVP or for additional information, call SCHTA at 774-6835 or email Tanya Duran at [email protected].