Want to help save the Great Barrier Reef? Become an ecotourist
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During my scuba adventure through the Ribbon Reefs aboard the Spirit of Freedom dive boat, our group transformed into part-time marine scientists. Armed with underwater slates and pencils, we conducted rapid monitoring surveys, recording everything from fish species to coral impacts to promising new coral growth.
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Even getting scuba certified has regenerative benefits. When I upgraded my diving credentials with Diver's Den, a PADI Eco Center that operates our dive boat, a portion of my course fees supported PADI AWARE. This global conservation non-profit partners with the UN's Green Fins Program to minimize tourism's footprint on fragile ecosystems like coral reefs.
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The impact of visitor participation can be profound. Data collected through the Dive Against Debris citizen scientist program led Vanuatu to become the first country to ban single-use plastics. Thanks to similar community-collected evidence from Sydney Harbour, all Australian states and territories have enacted plastics policy changes.
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Beyond its five-star comforts, the island houses the renowned Lizard Island Research Station, which provides crucial scientific data for reef management. Resort guests can tour the facility, peer into aquariums meticulously maintained to mirror natural conditions, and have the opportunity to talk with passionate researchers whose work is making a difference.
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'Just because the reef is in trouble doesn't mean it's not a wonderful place to visit. We have the data, and we know what the solution is. We as a society need to do our part to remove those pressures. We need action on an individual level and at the government level for policy setting,' notes Howells.
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My revelation came during my night dive when dozens of sharks glided past me with supreme indifference. These weren't the mindless killers of movie fame but graceful predators with zero interest in adding me to their menu.
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People protect what they connect with. Lock eyes with a curious Maori wrasse, witness coral spawning under moonlight or share a wave with a sea turtle, and suddenly, abstract conservation concerns feel personal.
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Canada News.Net
11 hours ago
- Canada News.Net
Australia launches $130 million global campaign to boost tourism
Canberra [Australia], August 4 (ANI): The Australian Government will soon launch a new $130 million campaign aimed at encouraging international travellers to plan and book an Australian holiday. First seen in a teaser campaign launched by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during his recent visit to China, the second chapter of Tourism Australia's successful Come and Say G'day campaign will go live in China on August 7. The new advertising creative will progressively roll out in other key international markets before the end of the year. In the new TV and online video advertisements, brand ambassador Ruby the Roo will be joined by talent well-known to audiences in the United States, United Kingdom, China, India, and Japan. Australian wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin will feature in the campaign in the US, food writer and TV cook Nigella Lawson in the UK, actor Yosh Yu in China, wellness advocate Sara Tendulkar in India, and comedian Abareru-kun in Japan. Australian actor Thomas Weatherall will also feature in the new advertising creative. The second chapter of Come and Say G'day builds on the global campaign which launched in October 2022. In that time, the warm and welcoming creative featuring Ruby the Roo has increased consideration for an Australian holiday. The Australian tourism industry has been growing since the resumption of global travel. The number of international arrivals is expected to reach a record 10 million in 2026, growing to 11.8 million in 2029. This campaign, which will run for the next two years, will take the total investment by the Federal Government in Come and Say G'day to $255 million since 2022. For every dollar the Government invests in tourism attraction, there is a $14 return, which helps support more than 700,000 jobs and 360,000 businesses. The Albanese Government says it is supporting the industry to continue building and setting new records. A compilation of the five new TV commercials and the full US and China ads has been made available. 'The previous campaign struck a chord with visitors, with Ruby the Roo bounding into the imagination of countless guests, encouraging them to book a holiday down under. I know this iteration, featuring popular talent like Robert Irwin, will be a smash. Tourism is the lifeblood of so many communities right around the country and creates hundreds of thousands of jobs. Come and Say G'day is bringing more visitors to our shores, creating more jobs and growing our economy,' said Trade and Tourism Minister Don Farrell. 'Supporting our tourism industry means supporting the jobs in Australia that rely on it. This next chapter of Come and Say G'day will do just that. It's energetic, funny and heart-warming, and highlights Australia's iconic places and the memories you can make but visiting them. I can't wait to see the campaign launched across key markets, and bringing more visitors to every part of Australia,' said Assistant Minister for Tourism Nita Green. 'Traditionally tourism campaigns have leveraged one famous face across every market but for our latest campaign Ruby will be joined by well-known talent from five different markets to showcase personal lasting memories of a holiday to Australia,' said Tourism Australia Managing Director Phillipa Harrison. The new campaign features Australian wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin in the US; food writer and TV cook Nigella Lawson in the UK; actor Yosh Yu in China; entrepreneur and philanthropist Sara Tendulkar in India; and media personality and comedian Abareru-kun in Japan. These international stars combine with local talent, including Australian actor Thomas Weatherall and Ruby the Kangaroo, to create bespoke invitations for five markets that are tailored for each country to showcase the sort of tourism experiences travellers are looking for. This campaign is part of the enormous body of work Tourism Australia does in key markets around the world and is backed up by a whole range of programs that helps our Australian tourism industry grow their international business. With competition for the international tourism dollar greater than ever before, we are confident this second chapter of Come and Say G'day will ensure Australia continues to remain front of mind for travellers looking to plan and book their next holiday,' Harrison added. (ANI)
Winnipeg Free Press
6 days ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Female tour guides in Afghanistan lead women-only groups as some travelers return
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — They wandered through the museum, listening attentively as their guide explained the antiquities in display cabinets. It could have been any tour group, anywhere in the world. But there was something unusual about this one. The group of foreigners visiting the National Museum of Afghanistan was made up only of women. Its guide was a woman, too — one of the first Afghan female tour guides in a country whose Taliban rulers impose the severest restrictions on girls and women anywhere in the world. Somaya Moniry, 24, hadn't known that tour guides existed, as a profession or even as a concept. But while browsing the internet for help on improving her English language skills, she stumbled upon Couchsurfing, an app where travelers connect with locals and stay in their homes. After hosting a traveler, 'I became very passionate about it and it was very interesting for me,' Moniry said. 'It was very unique. I have never heard about it before, so I said: 'Why not (do) this?'' Looking for the positive As she showed that first visitor around her hometown in western Afghanistan, she saw a new side to her country. 'Most of the things that we have heard (about Afghanistan) was just … negativity. The focus of the people, focus of the media, focus of headlines, all of them were just the negativity. And definitely we get influenced by that,' Moniry said. But for her, Afghanistan is far more nuanced. While there are undoubtedly problems in a place recovering from decades of war and chaos, there is also another side to the complex, stunning country. Her love for her homeland runs deep, and she is eager to share it. She hopes to gradually change people's perceptions. 'Whenever … I saw all of that natures, all those beauty, all those positivity, it changed my view totally,' Moniry said in her enthusiastic English. 'And definitely this can be also for other people.' One of those visitors is Australian Suzanne Sandral. She originally wanted to see Afghanistan in the 1960s but the pressures of having a family kept her away. Now at 82, she was part of Moniry's women-only tour group in Kabul. Afghanistan surprised her. 'It's not what I expected at all. I expected to feel rather fearful. I expected to be given a lot of … accusatory looks. Not at all,' she said during a pause in sightseeing. 'Wherever you go in the streets, if you smile at someone and give them a little nod or say hello, you get a terrific response. So it's very different.' Jackie Birov, a 35-year-old independent traveler from Chicago who was not part of the tour group, called the Afghan people 'unbelievably hospitable.' However, 'I'm very aware that I have a lot more freedom than local women,' she said. A fledgling industry Four decades of war have kept tourists away from Afghanistan. But while the Taliban's takeover of power in August 2021 sent thousands of Afghans fleeing and shocked the world, the end of its insurgency against the previous U.S.-backed government also marked a sharp drop in violence. Attacks still occasionally occur, mainly by an Islamic State affiliate, and Western countries advise against all travel to Afghanistan. Still, the improved security is increasingly attracting foreign visitors drawn by the dramatic scenery, millennia of history and a deeply ingrained culture of hospitality. Tourism is a fledgling industry, with annual visitors in the low thousands. Most are independent adventure travelers. But guided package tours are increasing from countries as diverse as China, Greece, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Afghanistan's Taliban government is keen to welcome them. Isolated on the international stage — officially recognized only by Russia, which did so in July — the government sees how potentially lucrative tourism could be. Tourist visas, typically single-entry ones valid for stays of up to 30 days, have become relatively simple to obtain from the few embassies that issue them. Regular flights connect Kabul with major transit hubs such as Dubai and Istanbul. A question of ethics For some, the idea of visiting Afghanistan as a tourist is morally abhorrent, particularly given the government's treatment of women. Girls are banned from education above primary school level, and women live under myriad restrictions. The government dictates what they can wear in public, where they can go and who they can go with. They cannot walk in parks or eat in restaurants. Beauty salons are banned. A very limited number of professions, such as teaching and carpet weaving, are open to them. And the rules can change quickly. But those involved in tourism point to the positive effects that visiting Afghanistan can have. 'I truly believe in ethical tourism,' said Zoe Stephens, 31, a British tour leader at Koryo Tours, a company specializing in unusual destinations. 'I believe that you can divide politics and people, and that is the main thing for me. … A country is not a sum of its politics. It's a sum of so much more, it's a sum of its culture, its history, its food, and especially in Afghanistan, its people.' Glimpses into the women's world Of the three recent tours Stephens led in Afghanistan, two were women-only. Working with local female guides, including Moniry, they combine key attractions with visits to women's centers and cooking and embroidery classes from local women — worlds that are closed to male travelers. 'We always try and do something a little bit different that really makes our tours unique, as well as something that kind of gives back to the community,' Stephens said. 'So I felt that working with the female tour guides does both of those things really well.' The groups are small — one had eight women, the other three — but the company is looking to build a network of female guides across Afghanistan. 'What we try and do with this tour, especially the women's tour, is conquer those ethical concerns,' Stephens said. 'The idea is to learn about the lives of Afghan women in context.'
Canada News.Net
16-07-2025
- Canada News.Net
Australian PM reaches China, focuses on business ties
BEIJING, China: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese started a weeklong visit to China over the weekend. The visit aims to revitalize economic relations and expand cooperation between the two nations. The trip marks a significant moment in the ongoing thaw in relations following years of diplomatic strain. Albanese's first official engagement was a meeting in Shanghai on July 13 with Chen Jining, the city's Communist Party Secretary. The meeting is the first in a series of high-level discussions, including planned talks with President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Qiang, and Zhao Leji, Chairman of the National People's Congress. "This is a very large business delegation, which underscores the significance of our economic relationship," Albanese said in an interview with Chinese state broadcaster CGTN shortly after landing in Shanghai. During the visit, Albanese is expected to meet business, tourism, and sports leaders in Shanghai and Chengdu. On Tuesday, he will attend a CEO roundtable in Beijing, part of an effort to expand commercial dialogue and investment opportunities. One notable development so far has been the signing of an agreement between Chinese travel giant and Tourism Australia, aimed at boosting Chinese tourism to Australia. The deal reflects a mutual interest in reviving travel and people-to-people exchanges that were disrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is Albanese's second trip to China since his center-left Labor Party returned to power in 2022. The government was reelected with a stronger mandate in May, reinforcing its approach of steady engagement and pragmatic diplomacy with Beijing. Under Albanese's leadership, Australia has made significant progress in mending ties that had deteriorated during the tenure of the previous conservative administration. At the height of the tensions, Beijing had cut off ministerial communication and imposed a wide array of trade restrictions—both formal and informal—that severely affected Australian exporters, with estimated annual losses of more than 20 billion Australian dollars (US$13 billion). The diplomatic freeze was triggered by a range of contentious issues, most notably Australia's call for an independent international inquiry into the origins of COVID-19. Since taking office, however, Albanese has sought to rebuild trust while also reducing Australia's overreliance on its largest trading partner. "My government very much values our relationship with China," Albanese said during his meeting with Chen. "We engage calmly and consistently. It's in our national interest to have strong relations with China, and we will continue to pursue those interests constructively." Chinese state media echoed the positive tone. An editorial by Xinhua News Agency on Saturday described bilateral ties as "steadily improving" and gaining "fresh momentum." The visit is widely seen as an essential step in reinforcing economic ties while maintaining a careful balance between strategic independence and commercial cooperation. As Australia navigates a complex regional environment, Albanese's approach underscores a return to dialogue and diplomacy to manage one of the country's most critical relationships. "There are no fundamental conflicts of interest between China and Australia," the editorial stated. "By managing differences through mutual respect and focusing on shared interests, the two sides can achieve common prosperity and benefit."
