Asian Eco-Tourism Expands Tourist Experience:

 
The Philippine island Palawan is still mostly untouched by development and is being built as the newest ecotourism location in south-east Asia

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Ecotourism today is the best way to see the incredible diversity of the earths ecology. It all started with large animals in national parks of Africa. Then came the forests of the Amazon and central America. Today we have Asian national parks and regional preserves with a completely unique environments not seen in other places. Asian tourism resorts offer shorter travel to most of the world's population. Developing parks, tourist resorts and awareness among travelers takes time. It also takes leadership, the right investors and cooperation between government and private businesses to build and maintain long term projects. In the Philippines, mayor Edward Hagedorn of Poerto Princesa, is one of the government leaders who understands the opportunity in ecotourism. He also sees the opportunity of giving tourists a wonderful look at a place not touched by development and modernization. The idea of developing economically with responsibility toward the environment is very different than developing at any cost.

Mayor Hagedorn's vision of making >Puerto Princessa (south western Philippine >Island of Palawan) a center for development in an ecologically responsible manner is unique. The idea of development for ecotourism may seem risky to most developers. We are in an age where pleasure and lavish accommodations dominate the tourist mind. Yet awareness of the ecological changes in the world are important to people. We also see economic cycles which at times drive people to stay at home and other times to travel. Finally, local residents do not always see the benefit of developing in an ecologically responsible manner. After all, tourism is developed for economic factors not necessarily long term ecological ones. To the side of mayor Hagedorn is the experience and mission of people all around the world. Destruction of natural ecologies are easy to see, preservation is unique. As ecotourism spreads into Asia, Mayor Hagedorn's mission and hard work will prove to all of us how wise this man was all along.