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AEI-Open Windows News
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Ecotourism
in Palestine Workshop
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The Centre for Cultural Heritage
Preservation, in partnership with The
Institution for Hotel Management & Tourism,
Bethlehem University, in Cooperation with UNESCO
held a workshop for three days, 6 – 8, November
2007 at Bethlehem University. Mr. Milad
Vosgueritchian, staff member and two members
represented the AEI in this workshop. The
workshop included an overview of ecotourism in
Palestine, possibilities and the need to develop
ecotourism sound plan.
This workshop was opened
by Dr. Khoulod Daibes, Minister of Tourism and
Antiquities. Br. Daniel Casey, Vice Chancellor
Bethlehem University. Christiana Dabdoub,
Director for Cultural Heritage Preservation.
Giovanni Fontana, Program Specialist in Cultural
Heritage at UNESCO, Ramallah. Everyone agreed
that ecotourism is a form of responsible tourism
that is respectful of the environment and of
local communities and can create opportunities
of real value for communities. Also it is
necessary to preserve the Palestinian national
heritage.
Mr. Nabeel Mufdi,
Dean of Hotel Management and Tourism raised the
idea of ecotourism option as a model for
development in the Palestinian contexts.
Arch. Issam Juha,
talked about the Delta project that stand for
Developing a Territorial Cultural System based
on exhaustive data collection, detailed analyses
of this data and careful planning is sure to
develop the economic growth in the Palestinian
territories.
Miss. Carol Zoughbi,
introduced and highlighted on Battir as a model
for rural development. She insists on renovation
of the old building, marketing local products
nationally and internationally, building a new
sewage system, cultural shows and festivals are
very important factors too.
Mr. Mouhamad Gaiada,
presented a very important issue in the
workshop, which is preservation of rural
heritage sites in Palestine. Clarified the
challenges, risks and threats that facing Al
Arkoub, Nahaleen, Wadi Foukeen and Battir from
the Israeli occupation, wall, land confiscation,
absence of law and the ignorance of villagers
lead them to destroy their past and their
cultural heritage.
Mr. Imad Al Atrash,
Palestinian Wildlife Society Director, presented
the weather systems and types of birds,
Palestinian origin. In addition to more than 500
million birds reflects annually to Palestine.
Other lecturers focused
on cultural landscape and its value in
Palestinian ecotourism. Others talked about the
Flora and Fauna (areas distribution).
Mr.Goerge Rishmawi,
talked about the Nativity trails that started on
2000, going beyond the local which starts from
Nazareth and ends in Bethlehem. They aim at
knowledge of Palestinian cities and villages by
hiking and through walking from village to
village to experience the environment and to
meet Palestinian people and sleep in their
houses until reaching the city of Bethlehem.
What distinguishes
ecotourism from other forms of tourism is its
social dimension, involving community
structures, for example, national food
production and arts and crafts etc.
The workshop ended in
looking ahead and in many suggestions that
should be taken in to consideration::
1.
Developing viable community based tourism
requires sound planning. besides setting up a
saleable (profitable) program.
2.
Promoting Palestinian ecotourism to the world.
3.
Work on
nature reserves.
4.
Pressure on the government to produce
legislations and laws to prevent manipulate,
theft and destruction
5.
Media
through institutions
6.
Establish a special institute for ecotourism
industry
7.
Establishing a new international channel for
tourists
8.
Producing an updated brochures, publications,
maps and tourists guide
The evaluation of this
workshop was excellent for many reasons.
Firstly, it was a rich, valuable and very
important theme. Secondly, the lecturers were
experts and they shed some lights on the
developing of ecotourism as a tool for
attracting tourists and improve the economic.
Finally as participants we gain a lot of
knowledge and experience of our own land and how
much the heritage culture that represents our
history and present is so rich and precious. |
