THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Mondaay, July 15, 1996 TAG: 9607130274
SECTION: BUSINESS WEEKLY PAGE: 10 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY DEBBIE MESSINA, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 153 lines
From a distance, the mottled brown patches along the banks of the salt marshes of Owl Creek in Virginia Beach appear to be to stones.
With a few gentle strokes of their paddles, a pair of kayakers move up for a closer look. Now appearing more like shells, the critters scurry for cover under the cool wet sand.
``Fiddler crabs,'' said Chuck Conley, owner of Outdoor Experience Inc., who is leading about a dozen people on a kayak ecotour. ``There are three kinds of fiddlers in this area. You can tell the difference by the bumps in their big claw.''
It's a warm weekday evening. Most of the paddlers just got off work. They shed their suits and skirts, donned their shorts and T-shirts and began to commune with nature.
``I like the open space,'' said Makoto Nakagawa, a Virginia Beach chemist. ``It gives me the chance to move my body, to see the birds, to see the fish, to feel the breeze.
``It makes me feel good.''
The small band of nature enthusiasts are part of a sweeping trend: Ecotourism, or nature-based tourism, is the fastest growing segment of the travel industry and is becoming increasingly prominent in Hampton Roads.
``It's a huge, growing niche market,'' said David Love, spokesman for the American Society of Travel Agents. ``And it's a trend that doesn't look like it's going to slow down.
``As cities get bigger, more crowded, more people are wanting to get away more and get back to nature.''
A U.S Travel Data Center survey in 1992 indicated that 7 percent of U.S. travelers, or about 8 million people, had taken at least one ecotourism trip. About 35 million, 30 percent, said they would take one within the next three years. That means that an estimated 43 million Americans took an ecotourism trip between 1992 and 1995.
Another ecotravel indicator of the rise is a 330 percent increase in the number of international visitors to National Parks between 1985 and 1991.
This trend is not lost on some local entrepreneurs or local government.
Within the last two years, at least two kayak ecotour operations sprung up in South Hampton Roads. They offer paddling trips in areas rich in natural resources like West Neck Creek, Lynnhaven Inlet, Owl Creek, Back Bay and First Landing/Seashore State Park in Virginia Beach, Great Dismal Swamp in Chesapeake and Merchant's Millpond in North Carolina.
As an integral part of these tours, the outdoorsmen and conservationists who run them also provide an education on local ecology and wildlife.
Wild River Outfitters in Virginia Beach reports that the rental of tents, sleeping bags, backpacks and other outdoor gear has tripled this summer.
Plus, the Virginia Beach Convention and Visitor Development Department is heading up efforts to develop a marketing plan to inform tourists about the city's canoeing, biking, hiking and nature-watching opportunities. A brochure is due out shortly and a nature-based tourism summit is being planned for October.
The promotional effort highlights Virginia Beach's cornucopia of natural assets: First Landing/Seashore State Park, Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge, False Cape State Park, Mackay Island Wildlife Area, North Landing River Natural Preserve, the Virginia Marine Science Museum, dolphin watching trips and whale watching trips.
The committee of city officials, environmentalists and business leaders is also working on expanding the offerings. For example, the city has 121 miles of navigable waterways but has few spots to launch a canoe or kayak.
``State, local and federal governments are really not in this business,'' said Ron Kuhlman, director of marketing and sales for Virginia Beach Convention and Visitor Development. ``We need to develop the entrepreneurial spirit to, say for example, rent canoes.''
First Landing/Seashore State Park recently contracted with Tidewater Adventures to provide kayak ecotours for its visitors.
``We want to let the business community know there are opportunities to expand the tourism market by using what's in the community already,'' said Fred Hazelwood, First Landing/Seashore State Park manager and regional director the the state parks system.
``There is some growth potential there because it is so new.''
Ecotourism is defined by the Ecotourism Society as ``responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and sustains the well-being of local people.''
Basically, ecotravel is about escaping to the outdoors, getting a little exercise, experiencing the natural environment, learning about the world that surrounds us and how to protect it.
The people who take these trips would rather hunt wildlife with binoculars than guns, paddle a gentle stream instead racing around in a speed boat and take leisurely hikes as opposed to repelling down mountains.
They are generally older, more educated and more affluent than the average traveler, industry statistics show.
``Amazingly it's the senior people, over 55, who tend to do the bulk of the ecotravel,'' said Love, adding that the Society of Travel Agents conducts annual surveys of travelers. ``They have the money and time to do these things.
``They are living longer and are healthier and active longer.''
Aside from stimulating the economy, ecotourism has the added benefit of preservation.
``Getting people out there will generally foster a sense of stewardship and a sense or responsibility for the environment,'' Kuhlman said.
But therein lies an inherent conflict - overuse and irresponsible use will damage the very resource that's being showcased. Natural areas and wildlife are sensitive to human encroachment.
The American Society of Travel Agents ecotourism motto is: ``Take only pictures. Leave only footprints.'' MEMO: FOR MORE INFORMATION
There are several hiking, birding, wildlife and nature tours
available in the region. Call these sponsoring agencies for specific
tours and schedules:
Seashore State Park, 481-4836.
False Cape State Park, 426-7128.
Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge, 721-2412 or 721-3896.
Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, 986-3705.
Virginia Marine Science Museum, 437-4949.
Here is a sampling of boating ecotours:
Outdoor Experience Inc. - Kayak ecotours. Half-day (4 hours) and full
day (8 hours) tours. $35 to $65 per person, which includes kayaks.
Paddle-in camping trips, $95 per person. 464-5794.
Tidewater Adventures - Kayak ecotours. 2 1/2-hour and 7-hour tours.
$35 to $75 per person. Kayak rentals, $15 per hour. 480-1999.
Dismal Swamp Tours - Tours of Lake Drummond on a light motor boat.
421-0729.
Sandbridge-Back Bay Tours - Tours of Back Bay on a pontoon boat. $40
to $50 per hour. 721-2299.
Chesapeake Campground - Canoe rentals. Dismal Swamp canal and Lake
Drummond. $2 per hour. 485-0149.
Virginia Marine Science Museum - Dolphin Watch Trips, through Sept. 1
from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. weekdays and 4:30 to 6:30
p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. $12 for adults; $10 for children 11 and
under. 437-4949.
Virginia Marine Science Museum - Ocean Collection Trips, through Aug.
21 at 12:45 p.m. Wednesdays. $10, $8 children. 437-4949. ILLUSTRATION: [Cover, Color photo]
NATURAL BREAK
[Color Photos]
CHARLIE MEADS
The Virginian-Pilot
Ducks mug for the camera in the Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge in
Virginia Beach. The city is helping develop a marketing plan to
showcase the refuge and other natural sites, including First
Landing/Seashore State Park, False Cape State Park, Mackay Island
Wildlife Area and North Landing River Natural Preserve.
Linda Miller maneuvers her kayak on Owls Creek. Miller went for a
tour of the creek with Outdoor Experience Inc. and got an up-close
look at fiddler crabs and other flora and fauna.
A bottle-nose dolphin breaks through the blue off the Virginia Beach
Oceanfront. The Virginia Beach Marine Science Museum offers dolphin-
and whale-watching excursions.
KEYWORDS: ENVIRONMENT ECOTOURISM TOURISM by CNB