The news about a few Tulum resorts being closed down by Mexico’s Environmental Department, with a few more under investigation, created a local uproar of indignation.

The officials claim the resort owners never had planning and building permissions, while the owners say they do but apparently it will take time to prove that they legally own the land… which frankly sounds a bit odd.

That corruption is a usual practice in Mexico and some businesses start operating by paying to get their papers in orders is no big news, and the resort owners are claiming the police has been paid by someone interested in the repossession of a land ‘that is worth millions of dollars’.

But we are talking about a federal park here. Why should it be so difficult to prove whether these businesses have been build within or outside its boundaries? And why are we talking about someone’s interest in the land repossession if the federals say they want to eventually demolish the buildings to leave the area untouched?

Surely last time I went to Tulum I wondered whether the boundaries of Tulum’s National Park were actually shrinking… The park includes the Mayan ruins and it is supposed to preserve the local flora and fauna, the latter escaping somewhere else after being stressed out by the stress-escaping tourists.

Tulum has been progressively transforming itself from a laid back retreat - a paradise to those attracted by the pristine beach, the lush jungle and the candle lit cabanas - to a ‘bohemian eco-chic beach resort’, with funky beach bars cum cocktail lounges, and gourmet seafood restaurants featuring ‘Asian–inspired touches’ (???)

I have nothing again the ‘Eco-chic’ trend, I think sustainable practices and eco policies can live together with comforts and style (not with luxury, but this is another story…), I am just not convinced that the eco-policies of the most recent developments go beyond some solar powered Ipod docking stations.

After having made sure they have the right to be there in the first place, proper investigations should be conducted on their energy and waste systems, or on their employment conditions to prove their actual sustainability in such an environmentally and socially sensitive area.

Tulum photo album

Now think: fresh water supply, sewage, mangroves destruction, helicopters…

Happy holiday!!!!!

A few weeks ago we donated this photo of a mural in the Cafe Museo Cafe in San Cristobal, Chiapas, to YES! Magazine for an article by Wendy Call about the rise of Mexico’s co-ops and grassroots associations as an answer to NAFTA, the free trade agreement which in 14 years has wrecked the country’s agriculture and deeply increased migration.

You can now read this interesting article - Reclaiming Corn and Culture - online. I did not know the magazine before, and it has been a very pleasant discovery. It is published in Seattle, WA and it offers interesting views on different themes related to the development of a more sustainable world.

Our views about NAFTA are in glocaltravel’s Fair Trade against Free Trade page.

A few weeks ago I read on Travelmole Newswire about the Turks and Caicos islands (an archipelago of 40 islands and cayes located 914 kilometres from Miami southeast of the Bahamas), giving the Caribbean region its “first green island” as part of the government’s sustainable tourism program. Premier Michael Misick told journalists that “Any new development will be consistent with that philosophy (of sustainable development)”

The future green island is Salt Cay, once the center of the Bermudan salt industry. It is recommended as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and occupies a surface of 2.5 mile, which makes it one of the smallest of the 9 inhabited islands. I was curious about knowing more about the whole archipelago, so here follows a brief overview of the development on the main islands, according to the Turks and Caicos tourism website (with some personal considerations):

1 - Providenciales (38 square miles) is the most developed island and the international flights hub. It offers superb beaches and all modern conveniences, including luxurious hotels, villas and condos, numerous restaurants, spas and shopping facilities, and a championship caliber golf course (please note that the islands have limited natural fresh water resources and private cisterns collect rainwater for drinking, which makes you wonder about the sustainability of such a golf course).

2 - Grand Turk (6 square miles) is the capital island of the Turks and Caicos, its historical heartbeat, and home to a state of the art luxury cruise ship center (about the sustainability of the cruise ship industry I would recommend reading Chapter 8 of Leo Hickman, The Final Call)

3 - North Caicos (41 square miles) has undergone a development transformation, with several luxury resort properties underway. It is evolving as a ‘getaway’ from the more developed Providenciales and boasts the largest flock of Pink Flamingos in the islands (they surely must be thrilled about the island’s transformation!)

4 - South Caicos (8.5 square miles) is the fishing capital of the islands and attracts visitors for its fishing, birdlife, history, fresh seafood dishes and diving. (we can only hope that there are some fishing and diving regulations…)

5 - The largest of the islands, Middle Caicos is 48 square miles of natural beauty. Frigate Bird colony resides on south side of the island and you will also find Flamingos, Egrets, Sand Pipers. A large blue hole just offshore in shallow water features an abundant variety of marine life. The island’s Northwest Point is a combination of beautiful inlets, marshes, mangroves and in land ponds, which serve as a haven for bird life. (This sounds to me like a perfect green island! Any sustainable development plan for this one?)

6 - Parrot Cay is a thousand acre island hosting the ultra luxurious and very private vacation hideaway Parrot Cay Resort and Spa, called by some the world’s most exclusive resort. Movie stars enjoy the solitude and anonymity (bless them!)

7 - Pine Cay had no permanent population until The Meridan Club was built here in the 1970s. It is a privately owned island and the club presents itself as ‘an environmentally sensitive resort. From their website: ‘Barefoot informality, sensitivity to the natural environment and a commitment to strictly regulate development compliment an alluring tropical setting’.

8 - Ambergris Cay was uninhabited for nearly five centuries. Now approximately 100 estate sites from one to ten acres are offered through the Turks and Caicos Sporting Club development. Also here, they say an environmentally sensitive and sustainable development plan is being strictly adhered to. Amenities will include a small five-star hotel and spa, yacht club, comprehensive concierge services and extensive security. Access is limited to a deep water marina and a runway suitable for corporate jets.

There are also two cayes once inhabited which are now under development: West Caicos will become the future home of the most exclusive Ritz Carlton community in the world, and Dellis Cay is currently under contract to the O Property Collection for the development of a multi-use property which will be run by the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group.

With this broader picture in mind, I feel the government should show a more serious commitment in the preservation of this environmentally sensitive archipelago, a part of which was designated a Ramsar site in 1990 (the Ramsar Convention is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands, vital for the preservation of the coasts from hurricanes and of the aquatic and bird life), and yet it seems that nothing can stop development, with international hotel groups buying whole cayes and making them off-limits by the locals but accessible to corporate jets.

The islands are presently a British overseas territory and their economy is based on tourism, fishing, and (suprise!) offshore financial services. By a nation that is so proud in lining up amongst the world leading countries in the fight against environmental exploitation and for a more equitable distribution of the wealth you would expect some more radical initiatives than ‘the dedication of a wee island to sustainable development’.

Resources:

Article on Travelmole Newswire
Turks and Caicos islands on Wikipedia
Turks and Caicos tourism website

Last month I found myself in need of a ‘small airport book’ and decided to go for the ‘No-Nonsense Guides to Tourism’ by Pamela Nowicka, published by New Internationalist

If you are a responsible traveller and already realise that lying on a beach with a margarita is not going to alleviate world poverty, this book will not tell you anything new, despite one of those ‘sensational one line reviews’ on the cover saying Find out how the world really works!

On the other hand, if you have never thought about the negative impact of tourism on the host countries and on the local people, like the exploitation of natural and human resources in the developing countries, after you have finished reading this book you will probably feel a miserable and guilty tourist (yes, you got it; you do not even deserve to be called a traveller).

But do not despair, this feeling will not last long, as eventually no one is willing to forgo a well deserved holiday. After all, travelling has been a privilege of the jet set for the past couple of centuries and only recently it has become affordable to the masses; why should we not consider it as one of our democratic rights?

The author is trying to open our eyes about the fact that the ‘positive impact of tourism on the world development’ is a myth, and that we should change our attitude in our role as vacationers and show more consideration towards our hosts, from whom we expect polite manners and smiling faces even when we behave like new colonialists giving them absolutely no reasons to smile. I absolutely agree with her on this and in more than one occasion she made me think about my own attitude as a traveller.

She goes on saying people should think about travelling less, and about being more discerning when they travel. Again, I agree 100%. This bad habit of flying from London to Paris for a proper croissant must really stop and low cost airlines do not help. But then she keeps on highlighting all the negative aspects of tourism, saying that even responsible travel in the end does not help much and concluding that the ultimate remedy is just taking as few holidays as possible and stop destroying the environment jetting off around the world.

At the end of the book, I felt really disappointed. Maybe because I am optimistic by nature, but I found this guide a total waste of an occasion to inform that there are many effective ways to change our travel behaviour, and that ethical travel is growing and can bring some fresh air to tourism. By not focusing on what can be changed and not presenting sound alternative options after having explored in depth the faults of the industry, the only response she can get from the reader is a shoulder shrug, either of indifference or resignation.