World Wise Ecotourism Consulting

Over the last 10 + years large investments have been made by governments as well as privately funded organizations in scientific studies focusing on the economic and cultural sustainability of the native peoples of the Russian Far East. The majority of these recommendations from these studies have been "shelved" and otherwise never translated into reality. The reasons for this lack of implementations are many, i.e.:

• The timing for the implementation was not right
• The project failed to obtain proper funding
• The needed infrastructure was not in place

For example, many of these studies dealt with subjects such as ecotourism and development of non-timber forest products, neither of these found any global resonance at this time, in short: the timing was not right.

Recently several global trends have evolved creating a demand for recommendations found in these studies. Some of these trends are:

• Growing global awareness for the need of sustainability and preservation of nature
• Growing need for more active and educational travel
• Ease of travel, improved communication and opening of borders between countries
• New technology providing on site non-polluting energy generation

These travel and other circumstances are presently coming together creating a demand for people who understand ecotourism and travel ecology from an operational as well as from a marketing point of view.

We focus on this emerging market opportunity by utilizing our expertise to contribute to our own, as well as the financial and emotional well being of the people we work with.

Our projects are branded under the name "World Wise" and focus on the following commercial activities:

• Ecotourism development
• Native culture sustainability
• Education and training

Project evaluation, planning and implementation take place in the following ten separate and sequential steps

Step 1: Review of relevant studies and commercial ideas
- Search out via contacts and internet any relevant studies
- Translate relevant studies in the pertinent language

Step 2: Selection of high return projects
- Select those ideas and recommendations that ensure high monetary return as well as sustainability
- Give priority to those ideas that can be implemented now

Step 3: Evaluation of projects with our local partners
- Provide our partners with our recommendations
- Recommendations will be evaluated following a standardized format

Step 4: Selection of projects for evaluation
- Based on the recommendations of our local partners 1-2 projects will be selected for immediate implementation

Step 5: Commercial concept and business plan development
- We develop a standard business plan for each project ready for presentation to potential funding sources

Step 6: Funding
- The business plans are translated in the relevant language and presented to funding sources in both countries to governmental agencies, banks, private organizations and individuals

Step 7: Implementation and pre-opening plans and activities
- Once the funding is secured and a comprehensive accounting and control system is in place, we proceed with the pre-opening/activation planning

Step 8: Opening/activation
- Project launching: implementation of activities i.e. opening of an eco-tourism lodge, training staff and management or facilitating operations and marketing of an eco-tourism programs

Step 9: Post opening/activation review and refinements
- All aspects of the project undergo re-evaluation and affected procedures and services amended to better respond to marketing needs and financial goals

Step 10: Ongoing marketing and management support
- All partners stay involved in the ongoing projects by providing support in the areas of marketing, product development, people and financial management and growth and expansion planning

Development of sustainable community tourism "to give the ancient a modern voice"

We believe that our ability to take a study idea from concept to reality and from potential to reality creates sustainable communities.

We believe that: tourism or rather, "travel ecology" planning should help create sustainable communities resilient enough to survive in a highly volatile international environment, rather than sustaining "tourism" or specific aspects of tourism development. It is the community that should be sustained to support tourism, rather than "sustainable tourism."

We define "tourism" as "all travel with the exception of commuting."

With "community" we mean a limited number of people in a restricted social space or network held together by shared understanding and a sense of obligation.

"A sustainable community" is one that is whole, that has reached it's potential in maintaining a high quality of life for all its residents.

Management team

Aaltje has been instrumental over the last ten year in the development of ecotourism potential of the Russian Far East. She has done so by putting in place an ongoing plan to mature trends creating immediate market response (travel by expedition vessel) thereby visibility for the destination overall and development of other more time consuming eco-tourism models.

She mentors local partnerships to effectively manage ongoing travel trends assuring that with maturity of the product for the foreign marketplace, the partnership can effectively work with its foreign partners to their mutual profitability.

She has in depth knowledge and experience about the international ecotourism marketplace.

Ecological and cultural tourism development projects in the Russian Far East

• Evaluation of eco-tourism opportunities in a specific destination
• Defining operational and marketing processes
• Identification of operators and development of specific ecotourism model programs
• Operational and marketing training

Knut-Erik Erlandsen (Erik), General Partner brings to our company a wealth of contacts, hands-on-experiences and an international education in the hospitality industry. His consulting company Erlandsen/Associates, founded in 1987, provides hotel and restaurant planning and management services.

Erik's ability for abstract reasoning and conceptual thinking combined with his intuitive problems solving skills provides him with a keen sense for future trends. He has been described as "a dreamer and futurist somewhere between Mickey Mouse and Albert Einstein". He has consulted for and advised companies as diverse as Universal Studios, Marriott Hotels, United Airlines and Holland America Line. From 1991 until 1995 he was retained to restore hotels, develop new lodging facilities and provide management training on Sakhalin Island and in Khabarovsk in the Russia Far East

He continues to share his knowledge by teaching and is presently focusing on the development of eco-tourism and sustainable communities. When not on-the-road searching for ways to help others, this visionary and spiritual seeker might be found at his residences in the Pacific Northwest, USA or among flowers, misty fjords and fairy tales in his native country Norway.

Available for world wide consulting, teaching assignments and speaking engagements.
E-mail: erikerland@aol.com
Resume

• Concept development and clarification statements
• Pre-architectural planning and facilities programming for operational efficiency
• Development and implementation of business and marketing plans
• Non-specialized management training for advanced market economies and sustainable tourism industry

The services we provide are hands on services i.e. our expertise is based upon actually having implemented these types of services in different global environments dealing with a variety of cultures and situations. Our planning work results in practical solutions that are ready for implementation.

The services we provide are sensitive and respond to the cultural environment of the project. The first phase of our project is always cultural adaptation i.e assessing the environment in which it takes place and assuring that all steps within the process are taken into accordance with the cultural, environmental and social make up of the specific project.

All work is documented and submitted for review and comments. Where appropriate changes, additions and deletions will be incorporated into the final report.

All work is considered to be recommendations only. We are not responsible for any monetary losses, expenses, liabilities, suits or other detriment that may arise out of the interpretation and implementation of our work.

We believe that a phased approach to any projects we undertake starting off with a clearly stated Scope of Work agreed upon by all parties involved.

The principles that guide the decision making process for our partnership are:

• Projects need to benefit all concerned
• Benefits may be different in scope, but should be measurable
• Project outline and financial commitment thereto need to be approved prior to project initiation i.e. once approved, no changes are made in the project outline unless they are at the same time financial supported

We welcome your inquiries about either potential projects or partnership

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