THE ECO-TOUR

Group C

Mony, Fella, Nagi, Akky, Myat Su, Mike, Allene, Tea

One heart. One lake. Only Inle.

The second largest

freshwater lake in Myanmar

900 meters above sea-level

22 km long, 10 km wide

across

A short distance from

Yangon in the cool green

highlands of Shan State.

INLE LAKE (GEOGRAPHY)

(Yangon)

Contains a number of endemic species of snails and fish.

Hosts over 20,000 brown and black head migratory

seagulls in November, December and January

INLE LAKE (FEATURES)

Famous for its leg

rowers, floating

gardens, vibrant

floating markets and

prolific bird life,

intact ethnic tribes

and breathtaking

sceneries.

A hot spring in

northwestern shore

INLE LAKE (PEOPLE)

A unique environment with

floating islands and colorful

hill-tribes with a population of

some 70,000 people in the

lake and surrounding valleys.

Renowned for its weaving

industry

Hand-made goods for local

use are common, especially

silk weaving.

A unique fabric form lotus

plant fiber is produced only

at Inle Lake

ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS

Reduction of Lake Area

Deforestation

Water hyacinth growth

Solidification of Floating Gardens

Water pollution (untreated sewage &

waste water)

OBJECTIVES

- Share information on and involve local community in waste management.

- Provide visitors with hands on experience of the “Clean As You Go (Claygo)” practice.

- Reduce water pollution in the lake

TARGET MARKET

Myanmar People

Japanese & other Foreign Tourists

SPECIAL TOUR INFORMATION

Provide paper bag to tourist for food waste to give to tour guide convert to bio-waste. Special waste basket on boat/bus for liquid waste.

Briefing on waste collection with paper bag upon arrival of tourist

De-briefing about bio-waste.

Incentive program:

Free eco bag (with slogan “ Don’t Waste the Waste”)

Free tumbler (used for refilling water so they don’t have

to buy new bottled water and indiscriminately dispose it)

Small gift after answering feedback sheet

ROLE OF TOUR GUIDE

Role

Local who

can speak

foreign

languages

Share issues about bio

waste and

environmental impact

on the lake with the

tourist. The guide must

be familiar with

environmental issues in

the region

Constantly reminds tourists to dispose of

waste properly Interpret for the

locals in

explaining culture

and history and

environmental

concerns.

Liaise with the

hotel and other

partners (e.g.

NGOs/environ

mental activist)

Phaung daw Oo

pagoda festival

& villages Floating Gardens

Jumping cat monastery

Hot Spring

Long Neck Weavers

Floating

Accommodation

View Sunset

Floating Markets

Traditional Fishing Leg Rowing Experience

Local Food

In Dein Pagoda

View Sunrise

MARKETING AND PROMOTION

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/inleecotour

MARKETING AND PROMOTION

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/inleecotour

MARKETING AND PROMOTION

An application for a competition( e.g. The Tour

Grand Prix, etc.)

http://www.jata-net.or.jp/tg/index.html

SOCIAL SYSTEM FOR ECO-TOURISM ENHANCEMENT

IMPORTANCE OF A SOCIAL SYSTEM

- Ecotourism maintains or enhances the local community’s equilibrium

- Improved Community Cohesion: Individuals and families work together to build a successful ecotourism venture.

- Funds from ecotourism used by community for environmental development purposes, e.g., to build public toilet, to provide trash bin.

SUPPORTERS AND ROLES

• To initiate the Heart of Inle eco-tour and sustain it. 1. Local people

• Act as consultants for resource management

at Inle Lake. 2.Researcher/NGOs/UMFCCI

•Update or revise regulations for such tours (e.g., possible homestays in the future, reduce hotel rates, etc.)

3.Local Government:

• Support the cause and activities 4.Local Businesses:

• Promote the eco-tour and cooperate with all supporters for the conservation of Inle Lake 5.Travel Agencies:

• Participate in and promote the Heart of Inle eco-tour (e.g., Blogs, YouTube, Facebook, etc.) 6.Travelers:

TOUR GUIDE TRAINING

Who – Local People from Inle Lake & surrounding area.

Duration- two days

Training Program Outline:

No. Type Trainers

1. Eco-Tourism Fundamentals Tourism Council

2. Heart of Inle Eco-Tour

Concepts

IATSS Forum Country Alumni

3. History & Culture Review

(generic & specific to the

sites)

Council that governs history and

culture. Guest speakers from the

specific community

4. Environmental Awareness &

Current Issues of Inle Lake

(e.g. Bio-Waste, Water

Pollution)

NGO or Environmental Activists

5. Basic First Aid & Safety

Training (water rescue)

Local NGOs (e.g., Red Cross)

RULES AND REGULATIONS

① Max Group Size: 10 people

② Min Group Size*: 2 people (*exclusive package

available at higher cost)

③ Limit of 2 Groups at any 1 time.

④ Only provision of tumbler and huge water

container. No bottled water will be provided.

⑤ Tour guide must always dispose of waste properly.

Follow CLAYGO & “Don’t Waste the Waste”

concepts.

RISK MANAGEMENT (ACTIVITY)

Type of Activity Risk Level

Leg Rowing & Boat Transportation on the lake Medium

Eating local food Low to Medium

Native cats Low

Who Risk Level

Fisherman Low

Leg rower/Long neck weaver Low

General public Low

No. Item Total (USD)

1 Trainers 250

2 Meal 190

3 Materials 30

4 Transportation 230

5 Conference

Venue 5 (Donation)

6 Marketing materials

1295

Total 2000

BUDGET PLAN

TIME FRAME (2013)

• Coordination meeting

• Info/data gathering

Q1

• Assessment of selected village/

• Trainers Identification

• Material preparation

Q2

• Production of marketing and training materials

Q3

• Actual tour/monitoring evaluation Q4

HOW TO APPROACH LOCAL COMMUNITY

Steps

Set up community

activity

Organize a

meeting with

relevant parties

Sensitivity to

community’s

schedule/lifestyle

.

Information/

data gathering

Approach

community

leaders

Tap NGOs.

Contact local tour

guide association.

PROFIT DISTRIBUTION

Donation of 5% of the profits for

waste management improvements.

Local people will receive a portion of the fees for their

services.

Profit

KEEP ENTHUSIASM OF LOCAL PEOPLE

Protect &

make

sustainable

use of local

resources

Hold event

competitions

relating to waste

management.

Recognize active local

participants who

practice proper

waste

management.

Hyacinth clean-up

activity/competition

Hold occasional environmental awareness campaign/seminars

e.g., in newspapers, journals,

television, etc.

ENHANCE AWARENESS OF TOURISTS

① Getting the tourists to practice “CLAYGO” &

“Don’t waste the waste” concepts during the tour

and encourage them to do it in their home

country.

② Providing tumbler, paper bag & eco-bag to

encourage the good waste management

practice.

③ Take home souvenirs like the long neck weavers’

handicraft and eco-bag to remind them of what

they learnt during the tour.

④ Encourage tourists to post good waste

management practices/ideas on the Facebook

page.

Thank for Your Attention

Arigatou Gozaimashita

Omachi Shite Orimasu

DIFFICULTIES

Difficulty in understanding the eco-tourism concept

• Difficulty in selecting the topic of the project

Language barrier

• Different personalities and working styles

Lack of experience to create the tour plan

• Lack of information and data availability

Time constraint

LESSONS LEARNED

Divide tasks based on individual’s strengths

Brainstorming

Better time management

Active listening

Conflicts can work to your advantage

Put ideas into writing

Use available decision-

making methods Take regular breaks to

refresh our minds