The document discusses ecotourism as a business. It defines ecotourism as uniting conservation, communities, and sustainable travel. It lists ecotourism principles like minimizing environmental impact and providing benefits for conservation and local communities. It then discusses characteristics of ecotourists and what motivates them, as well as how to develop a successful ecotourism business through improving environmental and economic impacts.

1. Eco Tourism as a Business Jacqui Doyle Outdoor Tourism Training

2. ECOTOURISM Ecotourism is about uniting conservation, communities, and sustainable travel. This means that those who implement and participate in ecotourism activities should follow the following ecotourism principles: minimise impact build environmental and cultural awareness and respect provide positive experiences for both visitors and hosts provide direct financial benefits for conservation provide financial benefits and empowerment for local people raise sensitivity to host countries’ political, environmental, and social climate

3. ECOTOURISM ‘ Rapidly growing movement towards creating a greener and more ethical form of tourism’ ‘ Ecotourism is about maximising the positive impacts of tourism for everyone and everything’

4. ECOTOURISM ‘ if everyone working in tourism worked to the same eco principles, there would be a nationwide change in attitude towards keeping Ireland GREEN ‘ Ecotourism has been growing since the 1990’s at a rate of 20-34% per year’

5. Ecotourist ‘ typical eco-tourist’ has more of everything ‘more education, more money and more years on them than most other tourists’ Beyond sustainable development ‘ Tourism’s contribution to mutual understanding and respect between peoples and societies’

6. Ecotourist Failte Ireland Research ‘ the majority of visitors to Ireland in 2020 will be over 55 years old’ ‘ Tomorrow’s customer will be better educated, more individualistic and more discriminating than their predecessors’

7. Ecotourist Consumers are developing an increasing ‘desire to reconnect with traditional values, things like simpler ways of living, slower pace of life and family centred lifestyles’ Ecotourism products suit all of these needs and interests

8. What motivates the Ecotourist Meeting local people Experiencing local culture Learning something new Small locally run accommodation Good available information Good local guides Good local food Being in untouched wildlife areas

9. How to become a successful ecotourism business What is the environmental impact of your business? How much do you, and could you, feed into the local economy? Should you have an ecotourism policy in place for your business? How can you develop a business plan to specifically suit your ecotourism product? What is eco-labelling and how can you get it? What funding and training is available in ecotourism? How do you market or sell an ecotourism business?

10. Improving your environmental impact Change the lightbulbs Bring sunlight into darkness – sunpipes Install a carbon counter Use more energy efficient appliances Reduce heating costs – insulation Reduce temperatures Use sustainable building techniques and technologies

11. Improving your environmental impact Convert to carbon free forms of energy Use biodegradable cleaning products Save water Reduce waste and recycle Use local, seasonal produce Optimise use of technology Carbon footprint - transport

12. Improving your environmental impact Improve your eco creditials Improve your knowledge of conservation Plant Trees Offset your carbon emissions

13. Improving your economic Impact Get involved with your local community Get involved with local tourism businesses Feature local artists Buy food locally Share your activities with guests Use local guides Support local charities

14. Business Entrepreneurs and Enterprise

15. Entrepreneurs and Enterprise An entrepreneur is a person who provides the initiative and takes the risk in establishing a business. An entrepreneur is innovative and uses society’s needs to create business opportunities and takes the initiative in setting up a business to avail of the opportunity and make a profit

16. Entrepreneurs and Enterprise Some famous entrepreneurs Richard Branson (Virgin Group) Michael O’Leary (Ryanair Airlines) Feargal Quinn (Superquinn) Local Entrepreneurs?? Construction Shop owners Hotel owners

17. Entrepreneurs and Enterprise Skills and Characteristics A characteristic is a special attribute or trait that distinguishes one person from another, stubbornness, impatience, tidiness are all characteristics A skill, is an ability people have gained through practice and knowledge. Some people might be skilled at football, others painting. Some skills are born of natural talent, others are developed through training, education and practice. It can be hard to distinguish between skills and characteristics

18. Entrepreneurs and Enterprise Characteristics of enterprising people 1. 2 3. 4. 5.

19. Entrepreneurs and Enterprise Skills of Enterprising people 1. 2 3. 4. 5.

20. Entrepreneurs and Enterprise Characteristics Independent – enterprising people like to do things their own way & do not like to feel controlled by others Analytical – they have the capacity to analyse situations & data, and make quick decisions Motivated – they are self-motivated & will work long hours to achieve their objectives Ambitious – they have in built ambition & always want to achieve something new Confident –they have the self-belief & confidence to begin and, more importantly, complete, projects Ruthless – more concerned with achieving their goals than with other peoples feelings

21. Entrepreneurs and Enterprise Skills of enterprising people Inner control – to have a strong belief in our own ability to control our actions and decision Planning & Setting goals – one must practice planning both for the future and in their daily lives by setting goals and targets to be achieved Reality Perception – this means and ability to see objects, people and situations as they are rather than as we would like them to be. Risks and risk-taking – the financial risk of losing money, and the personal risk of failure.

22. Entrepreneurs and Enterprise Business risk can be controlled though a careful analysis of the facts, i.e. by using market research. In general there are three types of risk-takers 1. Risk avoiders 2. Risk neutral 3. Risk acceptors Which category do you fall under? Innovation - means applying ideas, borrowed or original, to new situations.

23. Entrepreneurs and Enterprise Methods of Innovating 1. 2. 3. Decision Making – there are different types of decision makers The dependent person lets others make decisions and then joins in with them The delaying person holds off making decisions until all possible facts are known Impulsive people make quick decisions based on speedy analysis and facts

24. Entrepreneurs and Enterprise Intuitive people making decisions based on instinctive analysis (or feeling) of situations Paralytic people make decisions but then do nothing about them Feedback – always important to use information gained from data and research to find out if a project is succeeding.

25. The Changing Role of an Entrepreneur New Business – at this stage the entrepreneur combines all the resources together to produce a good or service. He/she must spot a gap in the market, undertake the research, obtain the necessary finance and produce a business plan to impress investors Medium-sized Business – now the entrepreneur must expand the firm’s range of new products, develop new uses for existing products and discover new ways of serving the market Large Business – the entrepreneur will be concerned mainly with the expansion of the business into new markets.

26. Importance of Enterprise Advantages?? Enterprise is important in business as it is the driving force which conceives and develops new products and businesses. Entrepreneurial activity results in increased employment, greater opportunities for service provider, and a greater flow of tax revenue to the exchequer Increased wealth from business is spent in local shops, restaurants and bars. Benefits of opening an Amusement Park in Donegal…………..

27. Business Planning Business Plan - Handbook

28. Business Description Business Objectives What business are you in To whom will you market your products Describe the tourism and ecotourism industry Describe the core competencies and strengths Describe your ecotourism product or service

29. Management & Organisation Owners and Managers Job descriptions Professional and advisory Support

30. Market Analysis & Marketing Plan Define your market Project your market share Analyse your competition

31. Marketing Sales & Strategy Operational Plan Financial Plan