Nothing advances sustainability more than a meeting of green minds, which is why the World Green Tourism event in Abu Dhabi is the one of the most important conferences to attend. Organized by the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority, WGT Abu Dhabi puts hundreds of international government officials, planners, educators, and tourism authorities devoted to sustainable travel in the same room.

Among this year’s list of important speakers are our very own Green Sheikh – H.H Sheikh Dr. Abdul Aziz Bin Ali Al Nuaimi, Justin Francis, CEO & Co-Founder of ResponsibleTravel.com, and Prof. Harold Goodwin, the Director of the International Center for Responsible Tourism – all of whom promise to share valuable knowledge about the present and future of sustainable tourism in the Middle East (see a list of hotels in the Middle East that recently won impressive sustainability accolades).

From December 5-7, 2011, this event will be held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) – the region’s largest exhibition venue. In addition to participating in seminars and workshops, attendees will have a chance to meet a host of businesses and organizations showcasing sustainable technologies and services. A few site visits to sustainable projects throughout Abu Dhabi are also on the agenda. If you are even remotely concerned with sustainable tourism, this is definitely the conference to attend.

Contact Thea Skelton for more details.

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The Middle East and North Africa region is slowly building a reputation as an exciting holiday location for those tourists with a green conscious. And nothing confirms this like a win and two high commendations from the recent Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards 2011.

Read on to find out who the three lucky winners are.

Sustainable tourism can be a tricky thing to achieve. Balancing out the luxury and leisure with the need to keep your carbon footprint low whilst maximizing your positive impact on the local community is no mean feat. Keeping the number of visitors within a manageable and sustainable range is another issue. We have written in the past about special eco-tourism destinations becoming victims of their own success. For example, the Siwa Oasis in Egypt is currently under threat as the growing tourism industry is putting pressure on the scarce water resources.

However, there are some hotels and organisations getting it right and it’s great to see them getting the recognition they deserve. The Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards help supply that recognition.

1. The Fauzi Azar Inn in Nazareth won the Best Accommodation For Local Communities award for its efforts to boost local/tourist interaction and support the local economy. Located in a 200-year old Arab mansion, it runs free tours of the city, encourages hiking and is also currently offering a free nights stay in one of their dorms for backpackers who have travelled through Syria, Lebanon or Iraq. See their website for the full details.

2. The Feynan Eco-Lodge in Jordan was highly commended in the Best Poverty Reduction category. Developed by Jordan’s Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature, the eco-lodge is located in the Dana Biospere reserve and helps raise funds to support local Bedouins through employment opportunities. Run on solar power, the lodge is lit at night by candles produced from local Bedouin women and they are also running a weaving project.

3. Last but not least is the Kasbah Du Toubkal in Morocco, which was highly commended in the Best Accommodation For The Environment category. Green Prophet editor Karin Kloosterman stayed there this summer, and Tafline Laylin was lucky enough to spend time (well hike up) Mount Toubkal where this very lodge is located. A mountain retreat, the hotel was originally a summer home of a local chief which was lovingly restored and the organisation retains very close link with the local Berber community.

::Virgin Awards

Top image via Feynan Eco-Lodge website and others from respective hotels
More going green sustainable tourism:
Middle East Destination Tops Ethical Tourism Sales
Morocco, Egypt Eye Eco-Tourism Markets
Romantic Desert Lodge In Egypt Offers Fresh Eggs & Sanity

The post 3 Sustainable Hotels In The Arab World Win Big Virgin Awa appeared first on Green Prophet.

The Maldives is a small archipelago nation that is extremely vulnerable to climate change due to the risk of rising sea levels. The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicted that a rise in sea levels of up to 2 feet would swamp the majority of the Maldives’ low-lying islands.

Yet the Maldives relies heavily on tourism for its survival which can be problematic when the industry booms and puts manta rays at risk. It also means that it is the target of tourism development ideas such as a floating ‘green’ golf course island which comes with some rather dubious eco credentials.

The President of the Maldives Mohamed Nasheed is a world famous advocate for active measures against climate change and even held a cabinet meeting underwater to highlight the risk of rising sea levels to his nation. Nasheed also unveiled plans back in 2009 to help the Maldives become carbon-neutral within a decade. However, the nation seems to be taking a step in the wrong direction by considering outlandish plans to build a floating golf island which developers Dutch Docklands insist is a ‘scarless development.’

According to the reports from CNN, Paul van de Camp, chief executive officer of floating architecture specialists Dutch Docklands and developer of the project told Nasheed that he could transform the Maldives from a nation of climate refugees into ‘climate innovators’. He added: “We have a way of building and sustaining this project that is environmentally friendly, too. This is going to be an exclusively green development in a marine-protected area.”

They also added, and this is the clincher, that to avoid environmental risks they wouldn’t be building the Island near the Maldives but most likely in the Middle East or India. Right.

The project will cost an estimated $500 million and include 27 holes with three interlinked islands as well as villas and a conservation centre. The floating golf island will also be powered by solar energy in line with the Maldives’s pledge to switch to 100% renewable energy by 2020.

Nature Conservancy’s senior marine biologists Mark Spalding has raised concerns over pollution risks related with construction, pesticides being used on the island and then ending up in the sea as well as the use of desalination to provide the island with water. In another case, environmentalists criticized Israel’s plans to build an artificial island as ‘complete madness’ with ecological implications such as beach erosion. I think that once again, we need to be wary of a development project of this scale that promises to be ‘scarless’ and have no environmental impact- especially when its all for golf.

As one commentator at UPI.com points out, “If you are going to shade acres of ecologically rich seafloor, not to mention displace acres of oxygen producing phytoplantkon (sic), shouldn’t it be for something a little more important than golf?”

Couldn’t have put it better myself.

::UPI

Images via Dutch Docklands

For more on green tourism see:
When Tourism and Nature Collide- Protected Land Under Threat In Egypt
Middle East Destination Tops Ethical Tourism Sales
A Whirlwind Guide to Palestinian Guesthouses

The post Maldives’ Floating “Green” Golf Island Not So Green appeared first on Green Prophet.

The three winners from the Middle East/MENA region are Tunisia, Bahrain and Qatar in new survey on tourism trends.

The recently released 2011 “Travel and Tourism Competitiveness”report by the World Economic Forum, in co-operation with Booz & Company, reveals some interesting dynamics in the global tourism industry, including a shift to the East, with Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and Asia rising in rank, while sustainability continues to establish itself as a  key tourism trend. Political reality may be overshadowing any wide discourse on tourism in the Middle East. But the potential role of this industry is more relevant than ever for a region struggling with issues of heritage, identity, and community development. Here’s a brief overview of the report:

Western Europe still leads, but new travel choices emerging

The international ranking is based on detailed analysis of key attributes such as health and safety, infrastructure, price levels, the cultural offer, environmental protection and legislative regulation. A total of 139 countries are studied, including 16 from the Middle East.

As the industry witnesses a gradual recovery, established Western European countries, including Germany, Switzerland, France, continue to occupy the top positions. However, according to the report, overall, the dynamic in the tourism sector is moving away from established regions such as Europe and North America, and towards the East. In the Asia-Pacific Region, international tourist arrivals from 2000 to 2010 increased nearly twice as fast (85 percent) as the global average (39%).

Within Europe, not surprisingly, Greece and Portugal are the biggest losers, reflecting to a large extent the impact of the economic and debt crisis, which hit both destinations particularly hard. One the other hand, Montenegro’s “while beauty” has earned it recognition as a real winner in this year’s survey. The Balkan state has identified environmental protection as a key constitutional objective and is actively supporting sustainable eco-development projects to meet growing global interest for new exotic destinations.

The rise of the GCC destinations in the Middle East

Only three MENA countries are included in the top 50 rankings of leading tourism destinations  and surprisingly none from the historically and culturally rich Levant region: Bahrain (2011 ranking: 40), Qatar (2011 ranking: 42), and Tunisia (2011 ranking: 47).

Although the survey was conducted before the regional unrest, already the North African destinations such as Tunisia and Egypt were falling back in the rankings, as Arab countries in the Gulf continue to invest heavily in the tourism sector.

A closer look at the survey shows in Bahrain policy rules and regulations are less supportive of the sector’s development (ranked 58th), while environmental sustainability remains a particular area of concern (123rd).

Qatar is ranked 3rd in the region and 42nd overall. It is also seen as in need of improving its policy environment and focusing on environmental sustainability (67th).

Although the Gulf countries’ heavy investment in good transport and tourism infrastructure is paying off, environmental protection sustainability still lag behind.

Significance of rankings with environment in mind

Global rankings are sometimes seen as PR tools,  oversimplified and at times politicized, but they still provide indicators on key trends and “smart growth” opportunities.

One clear winning trend is long-term and continuous investments in sustainable tourism concepts and environmental protection initiatives. Sweden, Switzerland, and Denmark—three countries holding the top three spots in the environmental sustainability pillar- are characterized by strong environmental legislation and a focus on developing the tourism sector in a sustainable way.

Also in the top 10 among countries are Austria, Finland, Germany, and Norway, all with significant policies on protecting the environment.

The potential of the Middle East

Compared to the these countries, the Middle East continues to be an economically strong growth market and is not lacking in cultural and landscape-related resources to position it in a more favorable position in these rankings. The region is also not lacking in strong affinity to tourism, particularly in places like Lebanon and Jordan.

In addition, like Turkey, these countries have the potential (provided security and safety issues are settled) to provide low-cost alternatives to traditional destinations within the reach of Western Europe.

Although eco tourism projects have started appearing in some parts of the region, including Jordan, Morocco, Egypt and Lebanon, mass tourism dominated by luxury hotels operated by mostly non-indigenous population is still the predominant model.

Compared to other emerging destinations in Africa and South America, eco tourism concept is still niche and often driven by “green washing” marketing practices. With no official certification bodies, absence of local government policies in favor of eco-tourism and a more general lack of a full understanding of concepts behind eco tourism, the potential of this sector remains largely untapped.

Meanwhile, biodiversity loss, ecosystem degradation, and a lack of understanding the value of our natural resources continues on a wide scale resulting in limited unspoiled sites. Some governments are doing more than others in terms of environmental protection and sustainability, creating new protectorates to safeguard their natural heritage. Egypt reportedly has 27 protectorates covering 15% of the country, with each preserving indigenous populations and wildlife, including mangrove trees, wetlands and whale sharks. But for many countries in MENA, it may be too late as the fragile desert and marine life continue to be exploited.

Beyond the environmental and tourism benefits of green tourism,  the WEF report stresses the “huge indirect opportunities…uncovered in the general push for sustainable low carbon cities, green building design, and green transport. Further opportunities will be found specifically in the energy efficiency retrofitting of accommodation establishments and other hospitality infrastructure, the scaling up of renewable energy sources, and improved waste management.”

Green tourism can therefore have a multiplier effect and be an important trigger for green growth across the economy, raising income and employment.

But perhaps most important of all, far from being a passing fad, smart tourism that is green, ethical, and socially inclusive touches on issues of national identity and authenticity – issues that can no longer be ignored in the Middle East.

Read more on eco tourism in Middle East:
Eco tourism in the Middle East: Lebanon
Eco tourism in the Middle East: Egypt
Eco tourism in the Middle East: Syria
Climbing God’s Mountain for Eco tourism in Egypt

:: image via flicker

The post Tourists Not Terrorists: The Middle East Can Capitalize on World Eco-Travel Trends appeared first on Green Prophet.

Following Egypt’s recent revolution resulting in the Mubarek family being ousted from power,  the country’s lucrative tourism industry has been struggling to find ways to entice foreign tourists to return. One Egyptian Hisham Nessim, a businessman and mountain climbing enthusiast, is trying to promote mountain climbing tourism adventures to one of the most historical places on earth: the mountain ranges of the Sinai Peninsula – sometimes known as God’s Mountain. No one is exactly sure where the mountain that Moses climbed to return with the 10 Commandments is, but some believe it is in this mountain range. While Israelis and other foreigners, including many Scandinavians would travel to Sinai for its vistas and laid-back eco-tourism (and toilets!), tourists have been staying away for fear of terrorism threats. Would a climb up God’s Mountain lure them back?

Hesham Nessim

Nessim (left) has captured two Guinness World Records for mountain climbing feats. He is now  planning an attempt  to climb the peninsula’s highest peak, 1,800 meter Mt. Al-Ajmah, alone. The climbing feat, reported in the English version of the ahramonline news website, hopes to help create interest in the Sinai as a tourism site, as well as regenerate the tourism industry in Egypt as a whole.

According to Egypt’s Tourism Minister, Mounir Fakhri Abdel Nour, the country has lost around $1.5 billion from tourism revenues since the outbreak of the January 25 Revolution. The minister added that Egypt’s image as a tourist destination could be boosted if tourists felt they would be safe while touring in Egypt.

The climbing event will be aimed to target Arab tourism to Egypt, particularly during holidays such as Ramadan. It will include the planting of 2,500 olive trees in various parts of the Sinai.

Anyone who has had the experience to visit the rugged and beautiful mountain regions of the Sinai, which includes such historic locations as Mt. Sinai (Jebel Musa), will agree that seeing this area is a truly unique experience.

I had this opportunity years ago, which included hiking to the top of Mt. Sinai (a nearly 3 hour climb beginning at 2 am in the morning) and seeing the sunrise from the summit. My trip also included a guided tour of the Santa Katarina Monastery, a Greek Orthodox shrine that has been continuously inhabited by Greek Orthodox monks for over 1,400 years. The tour to the monastery  included a visit to its burial ossuary, also known as Skull House, in which the remains of deceased monks have been stored together, including their skulls piled together in one room.

Santa Katarina Monastery

The climbing event on Mt. Al-Ajmah is being organized by Sami Suleiman, Chairman of the Egypt Tourism Association. Suleiman hopes that the event will help regenerate tourism to the country, including the Sinai, where its Red Sea coastline has long been a major tourist attraction with a “quaintness” of its own.

Following the recent banning of sport fishing off the southern Sinai coasts, Nessim and Suleiman want to show prospective tourists that there is more to see and do in the Sinai than just visiting pristine beaches.

::Ahramonline

Read more on Egypt and the Sinai:
Climbing God’s Mountain in Sinai
Sinai Governor Bans all Sport Fishing in Southern Sinai
Praising the Middle East Squat Toilet in Sinai
Horses: the Silent Victims of Egypt’s Revolution

Sunrise Photos: Wikipedia.org

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Last week, the Sharhabil Bin Hassneh EcoPark in Jordan was opened after six years of planning which saw the development of several thousand dunams of land in the Jordan Valley.  As well as fencing off the area to regulate overgrazing (which had contributed to the degradation of the land), there was also a concerted effort to restore some of the natural vegetation and protect wildlife.

According to Friends of the Earth Middle East (FoE-ME), the aim of the eco-park is to establish a model for preserving the natural diversity of the Jordan Valley and also to raise public awareness about the ecological importance of the landscape.

FoE-ME is a unique green organisation which brings together environmentalists from Jordan, Israel and Palestine to resolve regional environmental problems and develop the potential for eco-tourism. The Sharhabil Bin Hassneh Eco Park is part of the organisation’s plans to rehabilitate the Jordan Valley River so “it is no longer treated as a backyard dumping ground by tourists and residents.”

FoE-ME are currently offering tours of the eco-park for adults and children to learn more about the natural diversity of the Jordan Valley. There will also be opportunities to go bird watching as well as enjoy some nature trails- keep an eye out for wild flowers such as the Scarlet Pimpernel and Small Pheasant’s Eye.

The eco-park in Jordan also comes equipped with ten eco-lodges so you enjoy the full beauty of the park over a couple of days stay. Perfect for an eco holiday!

:Images via Sharhabil Bin Hassneh EcoPark.

For more on Jordan’s green news see:

Jordan Valley Eco-Centre Opens Community Guesthouse

Jordan Signs Up For Epic ‘Sahara Forest Project’

Travellers Want Trains- What is the Middle East Doing About It?

The post New Eco-Park Opens In Jordan appeared first on Green Prophet.

If you want to get off the beaten track, eat great food and meet locals in Palestine than a stay at a Palestinian guesthouse could be the thing for you. Rather than staying with huge, impersonal hotels that don’t connect with you or reflect your views, you could stay at a number of small guesthouses which support everything from Bedouins, women’s right, environmental conservation to community arts and culture.

A new website by Green Prophet’s very own eco-tourism guide Sarah Irving has been launched with a comprehensive list of guesthouses in Palestine. As Sarah points out, the guesthouses are important ways for the local communities to generate income and jobs, to build personal connections between diverse communities and also help tourists see a little bit more of the real Palestine.

“The important thing about all these guesthouses is that they are small, locally-run operations which create jobs and income, separate from the ‘aid agencies’ which are so involved in the West Bank,” explains Sarah who has been visiting the Middle East since 2001. “It’s about Palestinian people working to improve their own living conditions, rather than being dependent on donors.”

A not-for-profit project, the website which is called ‘Guesthouses in Palestine’ consists of listings with contact information-  no fees will go to the guesthouses. As such, Sarah welcomes all visitors to add their recommendations and experiences (positive and negative) if they’ve stayed at any of the guesthouses.

Visiting Parts of Palestine That Mainstream Tourism Ignores

Sarah Irving, who is the author behind the Bradt Guide to Palestine– the only mainstream guidebook to Palestine which will be published in November 2011, explains that the website is particularly important as it bridges the gap between tourists and the guesthouses. “The main problem for many of these guesthouses has been publicising themselves. Most do not have the resources to set up bespoke websites or conduct marketing campaigns… [This] means that the Palestinian economy is missing out on an important market, and independent travellers in Palestine miss out on great opportunities to meet local people, eat local food and see parts of Palestine which mainstream tourism doesn’t cover,” explains the site.

For example, a recently opened guesthouse in Sebastia near Nablus uses soap made by local women from olive oil grown in Sebastia’s groves and breakfast might include taboun bread still smoky from the nearby oven, zeit (olive oil) and za’atar (thyme) from the surrounding hills, jam made from figs or cherries from the village’s orchards, and fresh fruit grown only yards away.  Sarah adds, “The other important thing about guesthouses is that they give visitors a great opportunity to meet local people and stay in more out-of-the way places than if they just go to the big hotels in Ramallah, Bethlehem or Jericho.”

Embracing Community Tourism Which Supports Locals

The local guesthouse are also a much needed alternative to commercial tourism in the region which jumps from tourist hotspot to the next without considering the locals and ways to support them. Community tourism, which works more closely with locals as many of the guesthouses do, means that not only can you have a thoroughly enjoyable holiday but you can leave with the knowledge that you made a real contribution to the community you visited.

Guesthouses like Ibdaa in Deheishe or the Yafa Centre in Balata are also important ways for people to witness daily life in the West Bank refugee camps, and to support cultural and social organisations there. Rather than your money going to big businesses, you will have supported a local initiative and you also get the opportunity to explore the country through less conventional means such as bike tourism or hiking through Palestinian countryside. “Sure, it’s a difficult situation – the Palestinian economy will be constrained by Israeli military decisions and the presence of settlements for as long as the Occupation is in place,” admits Sarah. “But Palestinian people deserve the chance to build a better life even under these conditions.”

:See Guesthouses in Palestine for more information.

:: Image via Sarah Irving.

For more on Palestinian Guesthouses see:

Why One Should Linger In Sebastia, Near Nablus

Jordan Valley Eco-Centre Opens Community Guesthouse

MENA countries add revolutionary credentials to eco-tourism

The post A Whirlwind Guide to Palestinian Guesthouses appeared first on Green Prophet.

We were quite taken with these long-standing caves in Iran, and with this eco-boutique hotel in Turkey, but neither match the style of the restored Yunak Evleri hotel in Cappadocia. With fixings such as marble in the reception area, it isn’t the most modest tourism facility we have featured, but we do love to see history, nature, and travel merge in creative harmony. Once a sextet of cave houses carved out of soft limestone, a little cleanup and modern conveniences were added to this 5th-6th century marvel to produce a 21st century luxury hotel.

In 2000, the Yunak Evleri’s owners reclaimed the 5th and 6th century cave dwellings with the aim of creating a 30-roomed luxury hotel. The dining and reception area are set apart from the caves in a reclaimed 19th century Greek mansion complete with marble tiles.

“The name of the neighbourhood “YUNAK” comes from the old days when women used to do all their washing and of course, socialising by the fountain located at the village square. Being by the fountain and at the Yunak was the center of daily life,” according to the hotel’s website.

By adding plumbing, lighting, Wi-Fi, and modern entertainment such as a home theater, guests can enjoy a taste of history without completely leaving their comfort zone. Each of the rooms is accentuated with Ottoman antiques and includes a personal spa and patio, from where visitors can view the surrounding mesa.

Located in the center of Ürgüp, nearby a motley of cave houses and churches – some restored, others not – visitors have ample opportunity to go “cave-hopping.” And then in the evenings, exhausted from their underground pursuits, guests are invited to enjoy mellow sunsets in Yunak Evleri’s lush, candlelit common area beside a gentle outdoor fire.

Sounds irresistible, no?

:: Inhabitat

More eco-tourism in Turkey:

Daridere Resort and Camping Area a New Turkish Eco Tourist Spot

The post Stay Cool In Turkey’s 5 Star Underground Yunak Evleri Hotel appeared first on Green Prophet.

Typically the Aga Khan Award for Architecture is reserved for just that – socially transformative buildings constructed in areas that have a strong Muslim presence. But this year, Aga Khan also recognized Saudi’s Wadi Hanifa Watershed project for its contribution to society.

And it really is a watershed moment for the country whose water resources are deeply limited. Wetlands throughout the Middle East have suffered from poor management, leading to negative consequences for both the environment and public health. But Saudi Arabia’s sparkling initiative demonstrates that recreation and ecology can flow in harmony.

After years of deterioration, Wadi Hanifa has been restored to its former glory as an attractive, balanced ecosystem. The Moriyama and Teshima and Bur Happold were tasked with transforming a turbid zone overflowing with construction debris into a safe watershed that could double as a healthy recreational facility.

To achieve this, they removed 1.25 million cubic meters of construction debris, cleaned up other industrial waste, restored the local habitat, and cleaned up the basin’s polluted water. They also reorganized a system of roads and power lines that were infringing upon the surface area.

By installing stone weirs, the team managed to encourage the growth of necessary microorganisms that in turn increase oxygen levels, resulting in reductions of certain kinds of harmful bacteria. Combined with a downstream Periphyton Benthic Substrate Devices (APBS), this bioremediation project treats wastewater the way nature intended.

And it’s beautiful, giving local Saudis and tourists a respite from an endless desert. Now that! is what we call sustainable.

:: Inhabitat

More on wetlands in the Middle East:

Egypt To Re-Think Wastewater Treatment

Eco-friendly Sewage Treatment Comes to the West Bank

The post Reclaimed Saudi Wetland Garners Prestigious Aga Khan Award appeared first on Green Prophet.

When Israel was invited to join the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) earlier this year, dissident voices condemned the move, citing its dubious human rights record.

Israel’s contribution to science and technology sealed its inclusion in this elite group of developed countries nonetheless, though because membership requires higher operating standards in all sectors of society, Israel’s polluters have already been taken to task.

This week, 26 out of 33 OECD members, as well as Estonia, India, and Romania, are participating in a three day tourism conference in Jerusalem focused on elevating the industry to a more environmentally conscionable and sustainable level. While in general Israel’s record is sound, with numerous eco-options available to foreigners, the state of the Dead Sea and its sinking hotels remains the country’s biggest blight.The Jerusalem Post reports on the political dimension of this conference. Countries that have not sent representatives to participate include Belgium, Sweden, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK, Iceland, and Turkey.

“It’s going to be a very productive and useful conference for tourism professionals,” an OECD official told the paper on Tuesday night. “It’s about tourism, and that’s what we’re going to be talking about,” the official said.

Tourism Minister Stas Meseznikov bemoans the media’s role in politicizing an event that is focused on tourism.

“It is my regret that there were attempts by different forces to mix up this professional conference with political considerations that are not related, especially given that such a conference can contribute greatly to anyone promoting tourism both internationally and individually,” the paper quotes a statement made by Meseznikov on Tuesday.

Instead, OECD membership is designed to boost Israel’s image abroad and to encourage foreign investment.

Among other archaeological, historical, and religious draws, the Dead Sea attracts a throng of tourists each year, in spite of the compromising impact the minerals industry has had on its ecological integrity.

“One of the goals of the round-table discussion about making hotels more green is to be able to have leading hoteliers announce, “Being a guest in my hotel is being respectful of the Earth where we are all guests,” according to the paper.

However, authorities are presently considering a plan to knock down and relocate certain hotels astride the Dead Sea in Ein Boker that are at risk of flooding by rising water levels caused by a salt imbalance as a result of undue minerals extraction.

Hotel owners would prefer a less drastic alternative and blame Dead Sea Works for jeopardizing the tourism industry, but until this situation is resolved, Israeli hoteliers will have a hard time announcing how respectful they are of the earth.

:: Jerusalem Post

More eco-tourism news from Israel:

Rom Farm Brings Organic Goat Cheese to a Table Near You, With Some Help from the Handicapped

Enjoy EcoBike’s Eco-Friendly Cycling Tours of Israel with a Cold Beer (Or Clean Conscience)

Have a Multi-Sensual Organic Experience at Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu’s Bio-Tours

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