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 Awards, Recognition & Publicity
Who we are | Milestones | Press & Testimonials | Photo-highlights

WHO WE ARE

ECOCLUB®, International Ecotourism Club™, is an award-winning network & media for Ecological Tourism with Members, individuals and organisations, in over 80 countries. It was founded on July 1, 1999 and is based in Athens, Greece (European Union). Our correspondence address is: ECOCLUB S.A. PO BOX 65232, PSIHICO, ATHENS 154 10, GREECE. ECOCLUB® is directed by Antonis B. Petropoulos & Frosso K. Dimitrakopoulou and is exclusively supported by subscription proceeds, advertising revenue and product sales. The word and mark ECOCLUB® is a registered trademark of our Company and we are also known as International Ecotourism Club™. Contact us

WHAT WE DO

We are working for ecological change in Tourism. We work to that end by promoting & supporting the philosophy and practice of Ecotourism (Ecological Tourism) worldwide, by lobbying and participating in important tourism policy & decision-making processes, in conferences, by working with the media and supporting and participating in the worldwide green movement. On a day to day basis, we promote environmentally-friendly holiday options & related services, and support ecotourism practitioners and academics by offering resources such as specialist news coverage, networking and career opportunities, information about upcoming events, new publications, consultancy and funding opportunities and much more.

ECOCLUB, the International Ecotourism Magazine™, our bi-monthly publication, is packed with exclusive ecotourism news and views and interviews with tourism & environment leaders & pioneers. We also promote quality ecological, cooperative and organic products at low prices via the ECOCLUB.com Shop.

 MILESTONES

PRESS & TESTIMONIALS

"We are very happy to be part of Ecoclub, it has been very useful for us, not just with the award but also in finding staff. We are also looking now for business partners in other countries and so I will be using your bulletin board again soon! In the meantime thanks to you and your members for making our project possible."
- Debby Watkins, Director, Carpe Diem Travel, January 2008

"Ecoclub has inspired me to create more than just a bed and breakfast for tourists in upstate New York. With the guidelines that I have learned through your organization we have created a Bed and Breakfast that works with our lifestyle, has an emphasis on ecology and is interwoven with the local culture. The result is a more meaningful experience for me and my son, for each guest and for the local community. Our little homebased business has a much higher purpose. We are hoping that our efforts help to preserve not only our 5 acre farm but this very vulnerable County."
- Mary Koch, Owner, Thyme in the Country, November 2007

"For many ecotourism devotees, “luxury is the opposite of eco,” said Antonis Petropoulos, director of the Athens-based Ecoclub, an international network of affordable lodges that focus on nature. In Spain, for instance, Ecoclub’s sole (Ecolodge) member is Mas Lluerna Eco Farm in Catalonia, where visitors live on an organic farm and surrounding wetlands and cook on solar-powered ovens."
- New York Times, "Trying to be green, with very little water", 19 August 2007, Article by Joanna Kakissis.

"Our guest left today after extending from 6 booked nights to 11 - and then 15 nights! (record) - Ecoclub clients are the best! She came to Sri Lanka because of Ecoclub and Tree Tops"
- Lars Sorensen, Proprietor, Tree Tops Jungle Lodge, Sri Lanka, July 2007

"Ecoclub (www.ecoclub.com), based in Greece, links to the Web sites of eco-lodges, hotels and resorts in more than 80 countries. It also offers useful eco-travel news and advice."
- Washington Post, "How to Find a Hotel That's Truly Fit for The Eco-Friendly", 8 June 2007

"We could not be successful in our public relations without the contribution you make to us on such an ongoing basis. So, thank you again for your efforts in our conference announcements and other operational notices."
- Katie Maschman, Director of Membership & Communications, The International Ecotourism Society (TIES), March 2007

"A big "Thank you" for the support of Bintang Bolong Lodge through www.ecoclub.com. We had (and still have) a very successful season, which considerably exceeded our expectations. This is mainly due to the promotion and the increasing awareness level in the internet. www.EcoClub.com made a very big contribution to our success. Thanks again"
- Sebastian Reinelt, Proprietor, Bintang Bolong Lodge, The Gambia, February 2007

"I had two fully funded PhD students come to Leeds Met as a result of the interview I did for ECOCLUB back in 2004, the most successful marketing channel I’ve had so far"
- Xavier Font, International Centre for Responsible Tourism, Leeds Metropolitan University, February 2007

"I am continually fascinated by the level of ecotourism information on your site and find it a great resource to keep tabs on the global ecotourism movement."
- Ian Wasson, Greenbox, November 2006

"What a blessing ECOCLUB has been for us this year. We have received so many inquiries thanks to your website and it's only the first month of our open season!"
- Nicole Patel, Shaam-e-Sarhad, October 2006

"Take real trips, meet real people, make real friends...The Ecolodges listed at ecoclub.com set out to help guests do just that. Each Ecolodge listed follows tough environmental and community support guidelines."
- Kate Crawford, Ciao! Travel with Attitude, October 2006

"I am an admirer of the important work that you have been doing with ECOCLUB. You are providing a great service to ecotourists and ecolodge fans, and thus also contributing to sustainable development and the conservation of the world's natural and cultural heritage. My sincere congratulations!!"
- Arq. Héctor Ceballos Lascurain, Director General, PICE, September, 2006

"The partnership with ECOCLUB has significantly enhanced the Adventures in Travel Expo particularly from a visitor-attraction perspective, contributing at an international level by its recognition as a leader in the movement for better tourism and for environmental, social and economic justice. ECOCLUB involvement has allowed the Expo to reach a greater global audience..."
- Adventures in Travel Expo - Sydney, 13 September 2006

"The best part of making the adobes was seeing how the ECOCLUB Award moneys have immediately given paid work to our local community"
- Andres Hammerman & Michelle Kirby, Black Sheep Inn, 31 August, 2006

"ECOCLUB is doing very well and generating more bookings for us. Thank you! This is the best month we ever had in our history"
- Lars Sorensen, Tree Tops Jungle Lodge, August, 2006

"A vacationer looking to spend time and money in an environmentally conscious manner might run across names such as ... Ecoclub"
- Dan Oko, CNN.com, July 7, 2006

"Thank you so much for all your help with our advert for a field biologist we have been overwhelmed by the response" - Marti Everett, Head Keeper, Amigos de las Aves, Costa Rica", March 2006

"ECOCLUB - monthly publication is free online to members and is a very useful resource"
GCE in Travel & Tourism, Syllabus & Tutors Handbooks, Oxford, Cambridge & RSA Examinations, 2005, p.132

"www.ecoclub.com a network providing a wealth of information about all aspects of ecotourism"
- "The Good Web site Guide 2006, The completely revised, best-selling guide", by Graham Edmonds, HarperCollinsPublishers, London 2005: p.137 & p.480.

"It is my pleasure to support your efforts. I've been a fan of ECOCLUB for quite a while as I've had many operators and lodge owners make mention of your marketing successes on their behalf"
- Keith W. Sproule, Ecotourism Advisor, TIMD, Supreme Commission for Tourism, Saudi Arabia, November 2005

"I just want to let you know I have booked a stay at 3 Rivers in Dominica. We don't go until February. The booking process was very easy and Jem was very helpful. This will be the third ECOCLUB lodge we will have stayed at. The first two, Spring House Farm in NC and Sonrise Resort in Jamaica were wonderful so I know 3 Rivers will be, too. Thank you for your great work!
- Karen Jordan, long-time ECOCLUB Member, Columbia, TN, USA, October 2005

"I have been a Member of ECOCLUB for a year now and find it be a very good trade association for people working in the sustainable tourism industry. Your efforts to share information on what is going on around the world in this quickly changing field are very much appreciated."
- Carol Patterson, Kalahari Management Inc, June 2005

"Greece-based ECOCLUB.com's general aim is to work steering the tourism industry in a more ecological, democratic and equitable direction, focusing on support that is receptive to ecological tourism principles, rather than antagonising those that are not receptive to these ideas and concepts. The network attempts to fit all of its actions into a framework for bettering tourism, in which the industry tries to minimize its own environmental impact, supports environmental conservation and local projects, increases environmental and cultural knowledge, involves local people as equal partners, and is available to less-affluent hosts and guests. The network's platform combines elements of e-government, e-learning, environmental governance, participatory democracy and international cooperation."
 - Educational Institute of the American Hotel & Lodging Association, Guide to best Practices in Tourism & Destination Management, May 2005

"Thank you for all the efforts you make. We are proud to be part of ECOCLUB."
- Kurt Schmack, La Laguna del Lagarto Lodge, Costa Rica, May 2005

"The final award was the Responsible Tourism Site Award, sponsored by Worldspan and this year won by ECOCLUB SA. The judges said the winner stood out for its straightforward approach, engendering sense of community and display of ecological intent."
- TravelMole.com, UK, April 2005

"Congratulations again for your beautiful, most interesting, easy to navigate filled with useful information website."
- Vassilis Kouroutos, Executive Director, MEDASSET, Greece, November 2004

"Thanks to ECOCLUB, and your featuring my profile, I have been asked to join a team looking at ecotourism in Panama. With this, I have become a USAID registered consultant, and am available to communities in countries that USAID has ecotourism projects, without having to charge the communities for my help."
- Douglas B. Trent, Focus Tours & Focus Conservation Fund, April 2004

" Without initiatives like ECOCLUB life was more difficult for most lodges since most of them are remote whereby daily access to the outside world is a comfort many people take for granted !"
- Jacques van Egeraat, Amazonat Jungle Lodge, Brasil, February 2004

"Based in Greece, this web site spotlights eco-lodges and activists around the globe. Features, news services, and real-time chats are first-rate. "
- Transitions Abroad, 2003

"I have pleasure in sharing with you our success in Ranweli Holiday Village, being selected as a Highly Commended Project (Runners up) in the Environmental Experience Category of the British Airways Tourism for Tomorrow Awards 2003. I take this opportunity to thank you for your assistance without which our success would not have been possible."
- Chandra de Silva, Founder & Director Ranweli Holiday Village & President, Ecotourism Society of Sri Lanka, November 2003.

"Congratulations for this excellent work you do through ECOCLUB. It is based on solid views and ideas!"
- Eleni Svoronou, WWF Greece, October 2000

"The ECOCLUB is a very interesting international community, basically dealing with Ecotourism. It is an information network of this sector, which is not just academic but also very practical and experimentative."
- Professor Ulhas Rane, Architect & Tourism Planner, Bangalore, Karnataka, India, May 2003

"ECOCLUB is one of my favourite sites, period"
- Ron Mader, Travel Writer & Journalist, Webhost of Planeta.com, May 2003

"We are very glad to be members of such important, exclusive and supporting club. Eco Hotel Uxlabil-Atitlán have been growing through the long way with all your support and interest"
- Francisco Sandoval, Ecohotel Uxlabil-Atitlan, March 2003

"...helped circulate information that was more accessible to the interested stakeholders and public, than the official websites"
- Pam Wight, Consultant, Rapporteur to the World Ecotourism Summit, December 2002

PHOTO HIGHLIGHTS

 
Norway, May 2007: ECOCLUB Director addresses the Global Ecotourism Conference in Oslo. Greece, April 2007: Hon. Member Professor Trevor Sofield visits our offices Greece, March 2007: ECOCLUB inaugurates new offices near the Acropolis in Athens.
China, October 2006: At the World Leisure Congress with UNWTO's Assistant Secretary General Mr Geoffrey Lipman and ECOCLUB Members  Professor Sofield & Professor Marafa. China, October 2006: In a plenary session panel with Professor Trevor Sofield and Dr. Ren Zughe, Director of Green Globe China. China, October 2006: Director intervening from the floor, in one of the plenary sessions. Some 2,000 delegates attended this unique event.
Ecuador, July 2006: Construction of a rural Andean Recycling Centre, funded through the
ECOCLUB.com Ecolodge Awards		 Guatemala, August 2006: Preservation of traditional fishermen boats, funded through
ECOCLUB.com Ecolodge Awards		 Malaysia, August 2006: Reforestation along a river in Borneo, funded through the
ECOCLUB.com Ecolodge Awards
Germany: 10 March 2006:
Promoting Ecotourism at ITB, the world's largest travel fair, in Berlin.		 Athens, Greece: 13 July 2006:
Member meeting near the Acropolis.		 Berlin, Germany: March 2006:
With our Member Ms Annette Monreal, of Green Discovery Laos, at the Laos PDR Stand at ITB
Pattaya,Thailand, Oct 2005:
Director speaks at the IIPT Global Summit on Peace Through Tourism. (Interview with IIPT Founder)		 Kuraburi, Thailand, Oct 2005:
At the office of NATR, a local NGO helping tsunami-stricken villages recover (read Interview)		 Leeled, Thailand, Oct 2005:
Co-director, visiting a Homestay, in Leeled village where REST is initiating Community Based Tourism. (read Interview)

London, UK: 22 April 2005:
ECOCLUB Director, receives the TraveMole Responsible Tourism Website Award from Ms Eleanor Baume of Worldspan

 Athens, Greece: June 2005:
ECOCLUB exhibits at the Ecolife Fair at the Athens Olympic Stadium		 Athens, Greece: 13 June 2005:
ECOCLUB Director interviewed on Athens' 94 FM Radio

Participate in the global ecotourism network, join ECOCLUB TODAY!
 

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