How sustainable tourism can contribute to social welfare?

From Irkutsk, April 9th 2009.

Lake Baikal and its surrounding region are treasures for different reasons that we have covered in the earlier posts. However, economic situation is fragile: unemployment rate is high and the regional economic activity is known as low compared to others in Russia. For this reason among others, inhabitants are keen on using their resources (fish, wood, etc.) as much as possible or develop the industrial sector. These activities are a threat to the local ecosystem, but there is an alternative: develop ecological tourism, also called “eco-tourism” or “sustainable tourism”. On the one hand, it can create jobs. On the other hand, it gives more reasons to protect the environment.

The non-profit and non-governmental organization Great Baikal Trail contributes to this concept by 3 main activity areas:

1. Maintain a network of hiking trails around Lake Baikal, via summer camps with volunteers from all over the world.
2. Help and support local villages for the deployment of ecological activities and resorts.
3. Develop and organize projects and camps with local youth, inmates at low security prisons, orphans and teenagers from broken or problematic homes.
   

My contribution focused on the 3^rd area. On top of the work on the website’s structure and translation, I had the chance to take part in activities at Irkutsk rehabilitation center with orphans and kids from problematic homes (alcoholic or drug-addicted parents), and in a school camp in the Siberian village of Novii Uoyan (4 hours train north-east of Lake Baikal). What extraordinary experiences! I will never forget Natasha, Ksenia, Maxim, Marina and the other 80 kids from different schools of the region. What a chance to follow them during a few days, sing Russian folk music with them, play and work with them, see them smiling and tired, happy and stressed: an immense source of positive energy and joy! And I will also remember Novii Uoyan as the place of my first presentation in Russian language, about my vision of the new eco-tourism website’s structure for the Northern Baikal schools’ network.

Novii Uoyan

Its school, outside and inside

In the evening, rehearsal of famous Russian folk songs on the guitar

Angoya and Kichera school teams singing for the opening ceremony

Sport activities in the afternoon

Working on the projects at the computer room