Millennium Tours
Design and marketing of theme-based tours sustainable tours in urban and rural areas in South Korea and around the world and overseas: Ecovisions Tours (see below), well-being/healing, spiritual tours, ecotourism, rural tourism, hiking, cycling, horse riding, photo safaris.
ECOVISION TOURS
Photography tours promoting sustainable tourism / ecotourism in rural and urban areas around the world
Country(ies) / regions of implementation
South Korea, as pilot tourism destination and tourism market for the Ecovision Tours.
Once the Ecovision Tours project is launched in South Korea, target destinations will be identified and selected through an evaluation process.
Project goals
Design, launch and test of the Ecovision Tours program in South Korea
Replication of the Ecovision Tours in overseas target destinations
Project beneficiary targets (direct and indirect)
The project will create synergies with actions plans and development strategies of countries and national tourism administrations.
Since photography is centered on light and therefore on energy, Ecovision Tours also intends to promote sustainable energy production and consumption, while supporting the spreading of renewable energies, and particularly solar power, in the target destinations.
Lead organization
Millennium Destinations
Project partners
The project intends to adopt a cross-sectoral multi-stakeholder, transparent and participatory approach, involving governments, international organizations, NGOs, private sector, associations and academia, consumers etc.
ECOVISION TOURS
Photography tours promoting sustainable tourism / ecotourism in rural and urban areas around the world
Country(ies) / regions of implementation
South Korea, as pilot tourism destination and tourism market for the Ecovision Tours.
Once the Ecovision Tours project is launched in South Korea, target destinations will be identified and selected through an evaluation process.
Project goals
- To increase the awareness, knowledge and understanding of sustainable development, CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) and other global issues by tourists and tour operators;
- To disseminate successful sustainable tourism / ecotourism initiatives and practices around the world through images and visual supports;
- To generate new jobs and income opportunities for SMEs in target destinations, with a special focus on women, young entrepreneurs and social businesses.
Design, launch and test of the Ecovision Tours program in South Korea
- build a design team in South Korea, including photographers, sustainable development specialists and tourism professionals (destination managers, tour operators, travel agencies);
- design an Ecovision Tours pilot program to be operated in South Korea
- launching event of the Ecovision Tours pilot program through a fam tour for a small group composed of amateur photographers, leaders of photography clubs, travel agents interested in selling Ecovision Tours, journalists of photography / travel magazines, etc., and partners and sponsors (existing and potential) of the Ecovision Tours project;
- Evaluation of the Ecovision Tours pilot program and finalization.
- select a South Korean travel agency to market the Ecovision Tours, with a special focus on corporate groups, within the framework of CSR activities.
- design and implement a marketing and PR plan for the Ecovision Tours, including online and offline exhibitions, in South Korea and overseas, in collaboration with selected travel agency, as well as partners and sponsors;
- design a brochure, and other PR materials;
- design and an Ecovision Tours website / blog to promote the Ecovisions Tours initiative and products, educational contents, partners and sponsors, forums and communities, etc.
- Build a database of Ecovision Tours participants, partners and sponsors
- Use the website to evaluate and promote the tourism experience.
Replication of the Ecovision Tours in overseas target destinations
- identify target destinations and assess their potential as Ecovision Tours destinations through documentary research and analysis, interviews and field surveys;
- build an international network of local partners, photographers and sponsors to operate, market and promote the Ecovisions Tours in target destinations
- identify and train future Ecovision Tours guides and operators,
- design and test the Ecovision Tours in the target destinations;
- organize fam tours to lauch and proote the Ecovision Tours in target destinations.
- organize online / offline photography exhibitions after the fam tour, in collaboration with partners and sponsors.
Project beneficiary targets (direct and indirect)
- Destination Management / Marketing Organizations, National Tourism Administrations and boards
- Local communities in the target destinations
- Tourism industry suppliers, and particularly SMEs, cooperatives and associations run by women and young entrepreneurs
- Photographers as consumers of the Ecovisions Tours
- Photography tours, workshop and trips are becoming increasingly popular around the world, and clubs of amateur photographers are flourishing.
- This form of special interest tourism can be compatible with the principles of sustainable tourism / ecotourism as long as photographers follow a certain set of rules, and respect the natural and socio-cultural environments of the visited destinations.
- The targeted segment of amateur photographers usually have a high purchasing power.
- Ecovision Tours project can generate jobs and revenues for the host community, directly through the selling of services and products, and indirectly through financial and in kind donations.
- By giving the target destinations a worldwide exposure, the Ecovision Tours project can also contribute to build community pride, with a positive impact on the preservation of their cultural values.
- Whereas Ecovision Tours participants increase their knowledge both in the fields of photography and sustainable development, they spend more time in the destinations and have a better interaction with the host communities.
- Ecovision Tours participants also have the opportunity to promote their work internationally.
- Ecovision Tours will be designed to have low impact on the host destinations and respect their carrying capacities.
The project will create synergies with actions plans and development strategies of countries and national tourism administrations.
Since photography is centered on light and therefore on energy, Ecovision Tours also intends to promote sustainable energy production and consumption, while supporting the spreading of renewable energies, and particularly solar power, in the target destinations.
Lead organization
Millennium Destinations
Project partners
The project intends to adopt a cross-sectoral multi-stakeholder, transparent and participatory approach, involving governments, international organizations, NGOs, private sector, associations and academia, consumers etc.
- Destination Management/Marketing Organizations, Tourism Boards
- Travel Agencies, tour operators and other tourism professionals
- Private companies within the framework of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities, airline companies, companies selling digital, hybrid, film cameras, Smartphone, tablets, companies of the energy sector etc.
- Governments (national, regional or local): ministries of tourism, culture, environment, embassies, etc.
- International organizations, foundations, associations involved in sustainable tourism, ecotourism, sustainable development, cultural cooperation, visual arts, etc.
- Photography clubs, groups
- Press: photography magazines, travel magazines
