Dear Editor:
Congratulations on the success of the Caribbean Week website. With 80,000 hits
in the past month, you are engaging readers in this new medium.
The Caribbean Tourism Organization, however, does not seem to be taking
advantage of the internet and in fact is hiding behind a useless web page. From
your website, I found
"The Caribbean Tourism Organization - Official Site"
(http://tfsrvr.travelfile.com/www/custom/1/012/3837/cto.html). I had heard
rumors of an ecotourism conference in Dominica May 21-24 and was pursuing
additional information.
I used the page's email address - feedback@travelfile.com - and requested more
details. Instead, I received the message that the page was only being
maintained by a group called TravelFile and that they did not have an email for
the CTO.
If this page is not the official page of the CTO, the name should be changed
immediately.
This is unfortunately a good example of how the internet and websites are
misused.
Ecotourism only succeeds when local communities are involved, and this requires
information. In my contacts, I've found that this conference seems to be
pitched solely at the upper end of policy making. But I can't say for sure
since I can't find any more information.
Regards,
Ron Mader
Eco Travels in Latin America
http://www.planeta.com
ron@greenbuilder.com
PS) I am forwarding this letter to the CANGONET listserver on ecotourism issues
in the Caribbean, Cangonet.
Ron Mader
El Planeta Platica: Eco Travels in Latin America
http://www.planeta.com/