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Ecotourism Surge Examined at Contract Magazine
03.26.2009 Mithun, In The News
ContractMagazine.com article Essay: Eco Chic by Katie Weeks asks three international eco-resort designers about the burgeoning ecotourism industry:
"There is a new awareness of the environmental and cultural crisis humans are now facing," [Hitesh Mehta, a landscape architect, International Ecolodge Guidelines editor, and TIES member,] says of the factors contributing to ecotourism's global rise. "A growing number of people with expendable income want to make a difference when they travel."
What this surge in interest means to architecture and design is as varied as the definition of ecotourism, and sometimes greenwashing becomes an issue. "Ecotourism incorporates a broad spectrum that can go from a 12-bedroom lodge in Australia where they rent kayaks and call it an ecolodge to a small lodge in Costa Rica that is designed with the intention of helping local education and training the local community," says Richard Franko, architect and principal at Mithun and a board member of the [Center for Responsible Travel, formerly CESD].
For many designers and architects, providing an authentic experience that truly reflects the surrounding community and culture of each locale becomes a main focus. "Tourists are becoming more sophisticated and are interested in really experiencing a place," notes Anne Phillips, principal of Anne Phillips Architecture [...], who has worked with the nonprofit organization Conservation International on a number of eco-resorts. "The goal is to create an experience that really connects to that unique place," adds Franko.
[...] "The opportunities are spectacular," says Franko. "It gives you the chance to look at what unique forms and materials can come out of each climate, ecosystem, and culture."
Read the full article at ContractMagazine.com.
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