BATTERED AND BRUISED ULURU

Famous internationally as the world's biggest monolith, Uluru is also a highly sacred site violated every year by 400,000 visitors that continue to defy and disrespect aboriginal wishes by climbing to the summit.

Uluru and Kata Tjuta reassumed their traditional names in 1993, eight years after the area finally returned to the hands of its traditional owners - the local Pitjantjatjara people. Designated a World Heritage Site in 1987, Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park is in Australia's Northern Territory approximately 450km South West of Alice Springs. Although owned by local Aborigines, a condition of the land transfer from the australian government in 1985 was that it be leased back to the National Parks and Wildlife Service for a period of 99 years.

Despite the prevalence of literature and even a sign erected at the foot of Uluru by the local Pitjantjatjara people, requesting tourists not to climb the rock, a steady stream of minga tjuta - 'ants' as they are referred to by the Pitjantjatjara people - navigate their route to the summit via the safety chain put in place by the Australian National Park Service. As I look towards the shoulder of the rock it's easy to understand the local terminology - a long line of tourists parade up the side of the mound towards the summit, silhouetted against the deep blue outback sky.

Climbing the rock has never been formally outlawed, and although promised by Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke in 1983, it was made a condition of the transfer two years later that it be allowed. The Uluru-Kata Tjuta Cultural Centre is located about 1km from Uluru and is packed with multilingual displays, videos, and exhibitions. There is excellent information and resources of the surrounding area's geology and history. It is a must before exploring the rock. When I visited Uluru back in 2000 it was as part of a small group tour that I picked up in Alice Springs. After spending several days exploring the MacDonnell ranges and the area around Alice Springs I became increasingly fascinated by Aboriginal culture and the struggles that exist in modern times, with two very different cultures living side by side. Nowhere more than here was it possible to empathise with the Aborigine's sense of invasion and subjugation by another culture, and to witness the frustration of an older generation watching their traditions fade. Following my experiences in Alice Springs the tour I took made stops at Watarrka and Kata Tjuta before arriving at Uluru, and it was this background experience and growing empathy that encouraged me to take a more spiritual and considerate approach to Uluru when I finally arrived. As a result I wonder whether another precious piece of cultural heritage has moved on too far in the tourist development lifecycle. The nearby development of Ayers Rock Resort in Yulara and the neighbouring airport has undoubtedly removed the necessity to make the educational journey to Uluru over land. In a lifecycle played out all over the world that pushes towards access for the mass market gradually destroys the very essence of an attraction. (Machu Picchu in Peru is another example that I will write more about my experiences of next). Do we push the development of these tourist attractions so far that they eventually lose their sanctity and appeal?

"Surveys conducted by geographer Richard Baker from the Australian National University showed that the number of people who climbed or intended to climb Uluru, had fallen from 43% of park visitors in 2003 to 35.5% in 2004. Four or five years ago, the proportion of climbers was estimated to be about half of all visitors. Interestingly, Baker found that Australians and the Japanese were the most keen to climb the ancient rock, while Europeans were the least likely."

Linda Popic, The Guardian. Saturday, December 17 2005

"Among the hundreds of historically distinctive indigenous societies within Australia, mass tourism has transformed the Pitjantjatjara into an antipodean equivalent of the Navajo—a culture that is celebrated and romanticized by the same public consciousness that threatens to dilute it."

Rolf Potts, Slate. Monday, March 5th 2007

IS GREEN ALWAYS THE BEST COLOUR?

The rise in popularity of locally sourced products has been a huge step in a very positive direction by UK consumers recently. This renaissance of local markets seems to be occurring as people consciously seek to minimise their carbon footprint, and demand greater quality from products they buy. No longer are consumers concerned solely with aesthetics and functionality but also moral values and production processes.

Important as it is to champion local, domestic products; it is also vital to maintain a balanced, global view of the world in which we live. There are times when environmental concerns need to be curtailed in order to accommodate the bigger picture.

Estimates suggest that the UK spends £57 million a week on cocaine, of which 10-15% goes back into financing illegal armies and terrorism. No matter how much we try to distance ourselves from the global market, international trade is always present. We must practice our consumer concern globally as well as locally if we are to combat the negative effects of a global economy. Whenever a bottle of Colombian liquid fruit is bought through the Aficionados Program run by Fruto del Espiritu the purchase finances 20 minutes of Micro-Enterprise Education or equivalent, opening up new opportunities for Colombians with very few options. This program is reactivating economies in rural areas of Colombia, creating a financial basis for displaced people to return to areas, which are now safe to go back to. There are an increasing number of companies offering similar profit sharing schemes to this. These are the types of companies and policies we need to be supporting when spending our money on imported goods.

Issues concerning the environmental impact of international travel are also addressed here - international trade, travel and consumerism are all powerful interlinked tools that if used properly, can help to address the same world issues. The currency used to bring about change is not restricted to finance. Through travel the direct exchange of culture, knowledge, skills and experience can also contribute towards positive development.

In our small well connected world should environmental concerns always be at the top of our agenda?

WHEN DIFFERENT IS THE SAME

In a world full of business mergers and groups of companies it can often be easy to end up confused about whether there are indeed any small, successful independent companies that suit your needs. Quite often once you find one of these independent companies, consumer satisfaction and the overall experience on offer will be hard to surpass. The level of service is often much more personal and ethical concerns are often much more at the heart of operations.

Responsible travellers will stay in locally owned hotels that feed money directly into the local community; they will pay their commissions to local people that provide information; they will try to understand and interact with communities in an effort to learn, understand and experience.

For any information on small, independent operators that may be able to meet your needs please get in touch with us at Make Travel Fair. In the first of our 'when different is the same' blog series we will be listing all travel companies that fall under the umbrella of the TUI Group and First Choice Holidays PLC (prior to any merger of these two bodies).

All the information below has been sourced from the TUI GROUP website. If you feel there are more to add please comment on this post.

TUI GROUP

"Lots of quality and a promise - The TUI Group offers its customers holidays from a single source, from the initial booking and flight on a Group aircraft through to accommodation in a Group-owned hotel. This strategy of vertical integration makes it possible to cover the entire holiday chain in the source market and in the destination and to offer TUI customers seamless quality."

"Retail - There are approx. 3,200 Group-owned travel agencies in World of TUI."

Austravel
Budget Travelshop
touropa
Callers-Pegasus Travel Service

"Tour operators - TUI offers holidays in various countries through different tour operators. In addition to package holidays the product range includes individually selectable holiday components such as individual flights, hotel accommodation, excursions in the holiday area, car hire etc."

1-2-FLY
Budget Travel Ltd.
Crystal
Discount Travel
Headwater
Jetsave
Le Passage To India Tours & Travel Pvt. Ltd
Portland Direct

The list only contains companies relevant to the UK and Ireland in an effort to reduce numbers.

All the information below has been sourced from the FIRST CHOICE HOLIDAYS PLC website. If you feel there are more to add please comment on this post.

FIRST CHOICE

"We have structured our Group to ensure that we lead the way in offering our customers the leisure travel experiences they want and to leverage the strength of our brands to deliver sustainable profitable growth and shareholder value."

Mainstream Holidays:

First Choice Holidays
First Choice Airways
First Choice Travel Shops
Eclipse Direct
Suncars
Falcon
2wentys
Hays Travel
JWT Travel
Sunstart

Activity Holidays:

Sunsail Clubs
Sunsail Flotillas
Emerald Star
Adventure Center
Connoisseur
Crown Blue Line
Aventuria
Luxury Mountain
Flexiski
Travel Class
Travelbound
Skibound
Perigrine Adventures
Trek America
The Adventure Company
Let's Trek Australia
The Imaginative Traveller
Waymark
Exodus
My Planet

These are just a few of the companies that come under the First Choice Holidays PLC umbrella.

VOLUNTEERING: SORTING THE WHEAT FROM THE CHAFF

Is handing over thousands of pounds to a volunteering company really the best, most efficient way for us to become involved in local community projects abroad?

With such huge, expensive marketing campaigns and high salaried managers behind some of the UK's largest volunteering companies it seems that vast sums of money are being grossly mismanaged in an industry designed to aid those in need. To be sure that thousand pound participation fees are being used most effectively perhaps prospective volunteers should be enrolling on schemes run by smaller companies they've never heard of, rather than contributing their valuable finance to one of these big branded companies. Atleast then they won't be bankrolling an extravagant marketing budget or funding excessive salaries demanded by managers, but injecting money directly into the project they wish to support.

Alasdair Harris, co-founder of Blue Ventures says that they don't even have a marketing budget. The web is their biggest marketing tool, and if you see an ad in the paper they won't have paid for it. It is this attitude that enstills confidence, and reminds us that a common goal is being shared. The Haller Foundation has opportunities for volunteers interested in helping to develop their farming and educational initiatives in Tanzania, but is far too cost conscious to be spending money on a marketing campaign or on agent commissions. Volunteering opportunties need to be opened up and not confined to those willing to spend thousands of pounds to assist in a development project for a month or longer. There needs to be an option for anyone to get involved for any length of time.

There are projects that require lengthy training prior to volunteers being able to engage fully in a project, and such opportunities are best kept for the longer term participant; but there are plenty of initiatives all over the world that would benefit from the passing contribution of an independent traveller. Initiatives that don't involve 'buying in' with thousands of pounds, nor require months of planning or preparation in advance. Finding these projects and knowing that they exist at all is a problem that Make Travel Fair and Your Safe Planet are trying to solve by raising awareness of small community based initiatives. Through their extensive contact base Your Safe Planet has gained a great deal of knowledge about these small scale projects, ideal for independent travellers eager to spend a few days or weeks volunteering whilst on their travels. If someone wants to volunteer some of their time to a worthy project then their good nature needs to be embraced and the opportunities made available.