Knowledge Networking Portal for Sustainable & Responsible Tourism
Balbius Travel (TR)
| Contributor | Tina Hedi Zakonjsek |
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| Country | Turkey |
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| Release date | 21/12/2014 |
| Landscape type | Unspecified |
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| GSTC Criteria for Destinations |
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| Marketplace category |
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Description |
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1. WHO |
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Key people and organisations (initiator, leader, partners) |
Company: Balbius Travel |
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Initiator & leader : Huseyin Z. Usta |
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Key Figures (Turkey) |
Surface |
Inhabitants |
Tourism arrivals |
Tourism nights |
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783,562 |
75.6
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Turkish: 15.7 foreign: 20.5 Total : 36.2 |
Turkish: 30.3 foreign: 90.8 Total :121.1 |
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2. WHY |
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Reason for taking the good practice action |
Tourism brings in revenue, provides employment and helps peoples to know about each other. But it also has negative impact on the environment, if not carefully regulated, and local culture. Balbius Travel endeavors to minimize those negative effects in its business activities following the principles of eco-tourism and sustainable tourism. |
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Issues and challenge |
● In many beautiful places like lake Egirdir in Isparta province there is no accommodation that has any traditional or historic character. ● Lack of environmental regulations or control mechanism that results in pollution in some shores, rivers and lakes. |
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3. HOW |
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Methods /steps / tools used (to develop the good practice) |
● Be instructive to service providers such as drivers, hotel managers, etc. in the use of their vehicles, properties for a healtier environment. ● Plan activities, environmentally friendly, introductory for local culture and history and contributory to local economies. ● Use snug hotels of local or historic character. This may also be an incentive to the others to build similar accommodations. ● Use restaurants that serve local dishes in high quality. This also has incentive stimulation. ● Train guides about environmental issues. |
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4. RESULT |
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Specific/measurable results, benefits |
The facilities that accommodate eco tourism are slowly increasing in Turkey. This is a result of the demands coming from domestic and foreign travellers and travel companies that offer these facilities. |
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Recognitions (e.g. awards) |
Balbius Travel is operating family trips of Thomson family Adventures in Turkey and one of these trips - Smithsonian Family Adventure to Turkey - was named “50 Tours of a Lifetime” by National Geographic Traveller Magazine in 2013. The family trips are part of our eco-tourism activities. |
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5. REFLECTION |
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Lessons learned |
Service providers can only be brought to a desired level if they are convinced that they can also earn the same or even more without ruining their environment. |
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Challenges met |
Even if our impact on the service providers is little, we see some promising results from our efforts in environmental matters. |
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Critical success factors |
Education is primarily important to increase environmental awareness and gain aesthetic values. Unless public pressure is put into effect, politicians do not spare time and effort to formulate proper regulations and control mechanism. |
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6. MORE |
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web-references, documents |
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