Announcement from go-bela.com:

"Go-bela.com, debuting this week, promises to be the largest, dedicated venue for browsing and booking coastal eco resorts. Eco, in this case, doesn’t mean compromising on luxury or comfort to be earth conscious.

"All of the resorts listed on go-bela.com boast the same degree of quality found at comparable non-eco resorts, but with increased efforts in water and energy conservation, waste management and support for local habitats and communities.

"'There’s a reason why people desire to vacation on the beach,' says John Rarity, co-founder of go-bela.com. “If the accommodation providers don’t care for the pristine habitat they rely on to draw in thousands of visitors every year, then no one will do it for them. They risk deteriorating the very thing people pay to experience.” Here are some of the ways the eco resorts on go-bela.com deliver on their promise:

• Highly reliant (more than 50%) on alternative energy, such as wind, solar, hydro or refuse

Announcement from planeta:

Planeta.com and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity are collaborating to showcase best practices in web-based technologies helping indigenous people manage tourism in a biodiversity-friendly way. Indigenous tourism websites that promote sustainable practices and educate visitors on cultural protocols and biodiversity conservation are eligible to win Planeta.com's Indigenous Tourism and Biodiversity Website Award. Nominees include indigenous owned and operated tourism businesses around the world. Details
>> http://planeta.wikispaces.com/itbw

Paris Velib – the city's self-service bike scheme launched in 2007, has won this year's Guardian, Observer and guardian.co.uk Ethical Travel Award.

Second place went to Wilderness Scotland - the adventure travel company that offers low impact tours into Scotland's Highlands and Islands.

Third place went to Under the Thatch, which lets out a collection of unusual places to stay (mostly in West Wales) including restored thatched cottages, a romany caravan and a former railway carriage.
Paris's Velib cycle hire
Photo: © Henri Garat and Mairie de Paris

The Times has announced the shortlist of its Green Spaces Travel Awards. There are 24 listed places listed from around the world, including activity centres, urban walks and campsites.

The judges are now inspecting each place. The winners will be announced in December.

For the full list and googlemap of locations go to: Times Green Spaces.

Ecocabins at the Centre for Alternative Energy, Wales
Photo: Richard Hammond.

Big chains and bijou boutiques across the world are saving energy without saving on style. Sarah Barrell writes in The Independent on Sunday on a rural idea taking root in the city...

"From the Seychelles to the Mexican coast, the Ecuadorian jungle to the Scottish Highlands, eco-retreats have become part of the modern travel landscape. They are wildly diverse in style and standard, but what most have in common is that they are remote, rural, and far, far away from big cities.

"However, a new generation of urban eco-hotel is bringing the concept of green-minded tourism out of the jungle. Just like their rural counterparts, these hotels vary in their efforts to shrink their carbon footprint, a challenge that seems all the more arduous in a polluting, energy-guzzling city. Yet cities can be better suited to supporting eco-hotels than remote rural settings"...

Read the full article: The Rise of the Urban Eco-Hotel

It sounds like a pilgrim route in the Middle East but "The Holy Mountain to Bethlehem" is the name of a walk through the valleys of mid Wales. The 100-mile Beacons Way crosses the entire Brecon Beacons National Park, stretching from the Skirrid (or Holy Mountain) near Abergavenny to the village of Bethlehem on the Carmarthenshire border...






The B&B and medieval ruin at Llanthony Priory
Photo: Richard Hammond

Although few areas of true wilderness remain in Britain (as highlighted in a visionary programme proposed by the Wilderness Foundation to re-establish wild regions), there are an increasing number of places to stay in relatively remote parts of the country - and many of them are accessible by train and ferry.

According to Stevie Christie of Wilderness Scotland, which runs walking, sailing and adventure holidays, experiencing wilderness is no longer exclusive to a hardy few. "It's not just about camping on the shore of a wild sandy beach or staying in a mountain hostel, there are now comfortable guesthouses and highland lodges in many remote places," he said.
The Knoydart Peninsula, west coast of Scotland
Photo: Richard Hammond