AdventureServiceTourism
Where Adventure meets Voluntourism
Greening Lobitos w/ Permaculture?
Geoff Lawton might be on to something that could dramatically shape the Lobitos landscape…
Geoff Lawton of the Permaculture Research Institute explains his use of landscape techniques to rehabilitate salty soils and create an oasis of sustainable agriculture in the Jordanian desert.
http://www.permacultureplanet.com/
Who wants to serve as a surf voluntourist and see if this concept makes sense in the wave-rich, water scarce, Lobitos?
Upcoming Surf Voluntourism Documentary
CAPTURE: A WAVES Documentary is the name. Effective Surf Voluntourism is the game.
We’re following Jeremy Koons, a professional ski photographer, as he ventures from his snow-ridden Utah home to the beaches of Northern Peru. He’ll be following up a pilot film and photography program launched last year in Lobitos. He’ll be sharing his passion and photography skills with some of the most dedicated youth in Lobitos. With the skills learned, they will gain the skills needed to engage the growing surf tourism industry there. Make a contribution. Get cool stuff. See what happens.
Follow the blog about the developments.
Surf Contests and Sustainable Surf Travel
Recently I was in Lobitos, Peru for the women’s ASP tour – Movistar Peru Classic presented by Ripcurl. Last year the finals of the event was moved from Mancora because of a lack of waves. Lobitos is known for it’s consistency so it wasn’t much of a surprise in terms of wave quality.
The biggest difference is the infrastructure. Electricity, water and internet connections are staples in Mancora. Not so much in Lobitos. Power sources (generators), internet (satellite connections) and food were all brought in from the outside.
How can the local communities benefit from the advent of the event? Where’s the balance between trying to source locally versus ‘making it happen’? Do the organizers really care? The kids do…
What is Adventure Service Tourism?
Well, for my Master’s Degree research in ‘05-’06 I posed the question: “What are the issues for developing an adventure service tourism product in Peru that is economically viable, environmentally conscientious, culturally respectful and politically acceptable?” Basically, I was looking to combine where I was at in my life w/some established body of knowledge. Sustainable tourism seemed to be a logical place to start. I always loved adventure, was serving in the Peace Corps, and intrigued with the concept of giving back while on vacation. If you’re really interested, you can read the whole paper here called ‘Sustainable Tourism Realities: A Case for Adventure Service Tourism’. Yes, I did include a colon in the title.
The conclusions weren’t anything too earth shattering… the issues extracted from the two cases (coffee tourism, adventure conservation) are categorized according to a tour operator’s commitment to sustainable tourism, and relevance to economic, ecological, socio-cultural and political aspects. Five best practices are given on how to successfully do adventure service tourism:
1) inventory resources
2) know the reality
3) pilot projects
4) build a network and
5) monitor and evaluate.
Ok. Enough theoretical talk. I’ve tried to take my own advice while launching WAVES. So far it seems to be working…
East Coast Surfing
So yes, Hurricane Bill came through, along with some other tropical storms…
compliments of George Stadnik
Typically East Coast form – lots of hype, small window for when it was real good, wise spot selection needed… fortunately, the water still isn’t too cold and the waves keep coming.
Rockaway Community Resource Day welcomed Hurricane Bill. Dr. Bill welcomed Clay and myself. The NY Surf Film Festival welcomed WAVES for Development.
Welcome to the new Adventure Service Tourism
Lobitos
Thanks for visiting. I’m taking a new direction with this site. If you’re looking for information on taricaya turtles, palmeras and sustainable fishing – this is no longer the spot. However, if you’re looking for information on how surfing is making the world a better place through service tourism (voluntourism) this is it. Welcome visitors from Pronaturaleza.org, Xola Consulting and WAVES for Development.
Why surfing? Because there’s a hurricane swell on it’s way (some are calling it the ’swell of the season’) - it’s very much on the mind. More than that though, I like surfing. There’s some cool things happening in the surf world. Keep coming back and I’ll tell you all about it.
you're here now...
and I've never been more ready than to do this right now... (nod to an old beastie boys track)
WAVES for Development