Adventures and mission. There is a growing trend for years amongst tourists to visit remote destinations and see unique landscapes, above and below water which are very often home to some of the poorest people on this planet.
There is a dichotomy that arises from this, as the elements of these destinations that attract these tourists are also those that are most at risk of damage from tourism.
The "unique landscapes" that interest visitors tend to be, by their very nature, fragile ecosystems that cannot support large numbers of tourists.
The "remote destinations" are often populated by indigenous cultures, whose customs and traditions may be vulnerable to the over-bearing culture of tourists.
Shark Society believes that we have the responsibility to recognize this dichotomy and to put a strict code of conduct in place to minimize the potential for these negative effects.
Shark Society is committed to keep all group sizes small (max 14 people) to prevent our adven-tours becoming too intrusive on local communities and environment.
This has the added benefit that all our customers benefit from the elevated level of attention we can devote to them. We are not a "scuba factory"!!
Economic Commitment
We make use of the internet and email to distribute information and communicate with customers to minimize wastage associated with "glossy" brochures and postal communications.
Soon we are in 2014 - let's face it: e-mail and other social media is the way to go and by doing so achieving the above.
We support and encourage local conservation efforts at the destinations.
Actively favoring hotels and accommodations who have "environmentally friendly" power and waste policies, we prefer booking small-scale hotels, which minimizes negative environmental impacts.
We do have extensive knowledge of the areas we operate yet still we hire additional local guides who understand the environmental issues of the areas visited and ensure that tours avoid areas of sensitivity.
|
|
|
|
|
