MyGardenRouteInfo Reports Upsurge in Eco-friendly Tourism

PORT ELIZABETH, South Africa, September 30, 2010 - MyGardenRouteInfo reports local tourism businesses along South Africa's
Garden Route are starting to place greater emphasis on environmental issues.
In line with international trends, tourist businesses along the Garden Route
are starting to see the importance of offering sustainable and
environmentally friendly services and products that aim to lower carbon
footprints and promote reduced impact on the natural surroundings.

The new trend which has been defined by non-profit ecotourism
organisation The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) as "Responsible
travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the
well-being of local people" has seen a dramatic increase throughout the world
in recent years.

According to TIES, eco-tourism has been growing 20-34% per year since the
early 1990s, and in 2004, eco-tourism and nature-based tourism around the
world grew 3 times faster than the tourism industry as a whole.

MyGardenRouteInfo has also noted an increase in the number of businesses
aligning themselves with goals outlined by the likes of TIES, but that does
not mean a lowering of standards or necessitate a significant change in the
individual travellers habits.

The travel website believes that luxury travel businesses can still offer
unparalleled experiences but also do it in a responsible manner. This
includes incorporating local communities into business models, increasing the
use of energy-saving measures, as well as only making use of sustainable
materials to build tourist establishments.

Leading the way in terms of responsible tourism development along the
Garden Route (gardenroute.mydestinationinfo.com/) is Phantom Forest
Eco Reserve (
gardenroute.mydestinationinfo.com/en/phantom-forest-eco-reserve) in
the heart of the indigenous Knysna (
gardenroute.mydestinationinfo.com/en/knysna-information) forest.
Similar objectives have been achieved by Teniqua Treetops, situated in the
Outeniqua forest, which offer eco-conscious travellers a "back to nature"
collection of tree-top chalets, and places significant emphasis on long-term
sustainability. Wildlife safaris (
gardenroute.mydestinationinfo.com/en/garden-route-safaris) are also
managing to lead the way with the famous reserves of Shamwari and Addo
Elephant Park providing tourists with eco-friendly activities and the chance
to immerse themselves in the nature of the area.

MyGardenRouteInfo.com strongly believes that eco-tourism is a critical
movement within local industry, and as such it aims to prominently showcase
those businesses that offer sustainable alternatives to tourists by providing
improved listings and greater details to increase awareness of these
organisations.

About Mydestinationinfo.com

MyGardenRouteInfo.com is an online travel guide to South Africa's famous
Garden Route, as well as the rest of the spectacular Eastern Cape. It is part
of the MyDestinationInfo.com network, which has 60 destinations from around,
including South African cities Johannesburg, Durban, and Cape Town. The
network uses local experts in each destination, and is backed up by the best
design, applications and optimisation available to create information
websites for the modern traveller.

    For further media information, please contact:

    Thella Chester
    P.O. Box 29167
    Sunridge Park
    Port Elizabeth
    6008
    +2782429398853

For further media information, please contact: Thella Chester, P.O. Box 29167, Sunridge Park, Port Elizabeth, 6008, +2782429398853