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EUROPEAN ECOTOURISM CONFERENCE 2010
29. SEPTEMBER 2010, PÄRNU, ESTONIA
THEME: ECOTOURISMO FOR EDUCATION, EDUCATION FOR ECOTOURISM
Convener: Carlos
Participants: Lea, Cees, Mart, Kate, Moonika, Maarja, Erika; Saale, Liina, Marta, Peep.
SUMMARY / RECOMMENDATIONS / RESULTS
• Ecotourism and guiding
o How to enhance an eco-touristic experience through the work of the tourist
guide: promote specialized qualification, consider charisma as a value for
qualification assessment
o What should be the standards for guiding? Communication skills and
personal skills apply to ecotourism as for other types of tourism. Intensive
training and the learning of intercultural aspects, interpretation specific to
the site or the tourist resources, group dynamics, communication skills, and
personal skills should be promoted.
o Is there place for the specialization of a tourist guide in ecotourism? It
depends on the market addressed and what the country has to offer. “Basic
certification + branching” is a theoretically feasible step towards developing
the profession of eco-tourist guides.
o Finding working personal with technical and interpretation skills is difficult
and a tough goal to achieve for ecotourism businesses.
o Making a difference between nature tourist guides (for big and smaller
groups) could facilitate the link of city guides towards developing their
functions in nature environment as “light” eco-tourist guides (bigger groups).
o What happens to those local persons that act as tour guides, who have the
knowledge (as local people living in the area) but not the official recognition
for their guiding functions?
• What can do ecotourism for conservation awareness, sustainable economics and
academic education aspects?
o Problem: University do not recognize the time used for guiding profession as
academic curricula.
o Open discussion: can ecotourism be used as a segment to thrust learning of
the English language in rural communities?

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o It is not easy to convince, not easy to change habits on local community.
How to start? Interact directly with politicians, farm trips, press trips, be
aware of how you present yourself, keeping respect of local decision in
bottom top approach.
o Moving on in ecotourism development within a community: strong cohesion
and building enough capacity should facilitate sustainability of learning and
education process in the community. Key issues to be aware of: know the
reality of the destination, promote a participatory approach, find funding
programs and define strategies that provide financial availability and
efficiency throughout time, including teaching business development risks
and opportunities.