Animal Planet

A growing number of holiday-makers here are going on vacation to observe wildlife, birds and plants.

Instead of sight-seeing in cities, they are exploring eco-tourism spots in places like Indonesia, Malaysia, Africa, India, Madagascar, Christmas Island and Australia.

As a result, travel agencies like Country Holidays, Atrium Travel, Chan Brothers, Fascinating Holidays and Globetrotters Holidays have seen a 10 to 50 per cent growth in their eco-tourism business over the past year.

Country Holidays has experienced an annual increase of 15 to 20 per cent of its eco-tours, which makes up almost 50 per cent of its business, says Mr Chang Teng Hui, its managing director.

Atrium Travel saw a 50 per cent jump in its eco-tour business in the last year and expects its business to grow by 30 to 40 per cent over the next year, says Mr Andy Yeo, its director.

Eco-tours comprise 50 per cent of his tour business.

Chan Brothers Travel has enjoyed a 10 per cent hike in eco-tour sales, says its executive director, Ms Chan Guat Cheng.

'Singaporeans are now looking for more in their holidays than just shopping and sight-seeing. Adventure and interaction with nature are fast becoming popular among these discerning holiday-makers,' she says.

Her agency will include more of such eco-activities in its new itineraries due to positive feedback about its Australian packages, which include feeding animals in wildlife parks, viewing corals in the Great Barrier Reef and exploring forests.

Enterprising travel agents are always on the lookout for new eco-tourism spots to entice travellers.

Fascinating Holidays plans to launch a new tour later this year to a new property, Pelunas Beach, on one of the Riau Islands near Tanjung Balai, off Batam.

It offers jungle trekking, ocean canoeing, fishing and mountain-biking.

Mr Alfred Chia, 44, is a project manager and avid bird-watcher who travels to Sulawesi and Sumatra in Indonesia to see birds once or twice a year.

'My favourite bird-watching spot is Sulawesi as it has many birds which are found only on that island, like the large hanging parrot, the knobbed hornbill and lilac-cheeked kingfisher' says Mr Chia, who spent 10 days on the island two years ago with his son, Avian, 16.

He has also been to Kersik Tua Kampung in Sumatra to see the Salvadori's pheasant and blue-tailed trogon which are native to Indonesia.

Another eco-spot he visited twice in the 1990s was Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean.

'I saw the migration of red crabs on the island. It happens once a year during December and the sight of them migrating from the hills to the beach is a spectacular sight indeed,' he recalls.

Going green: Bird-watchers in Sulawesi, Indonesia, can catch a glimpse of large hanging parrots.

Mr Jimmy Chew, 67, a retired engineer and photography buff, goes on eco-tours two to three times a year.

His favourite spot is Madagascar, off Africa, which he visited three years ago.

'The island has many plants and wildlife which are native to the island. One of them is the baobab tree, which looks like an 'upside down tree with roots in the air'. Some people call it a bottle tree,' he says.

'Even the traveller's palm that you see at the Raffles Hotel here comes from Madagascar,' he points out. 'There's also a special animal on the island, the lemur, which can jump from tree to tree like a monkey.

'The largest of the lemurs is the Indri Indri Lemur, which has a haunting early morning call, which can be heard from far away,' he says.

But there's more to eco-tours than just observing wildlife and plants.

Mr Chang of Country Holidays points out that eco-tourism is all about the preserving of the fragile eco-system of the destination.

He and Mr Yeo of Atrium Travel have some tips for eco-travellers:

• When you go camping, minimise the use of firewood and select a tour operator which runs tours using lodges which have proper waste disposal system instead of those which dispose of the waste in the river.
• Pick lodges which use chemical toilets or toilets which use chemicals to dispose of the waste or take the waste out of theenvironment for disposal.
• Go to a company which preserves the environment. One example is the Conservation Corporation of Africa, which has properties like theLondolozi Safari Game Lodge in Kruger Park, South Africa.
• Do not remove corals in the sea or damage the environment by breaking off stalagmites in a cave.
• Respect the environment, people and culture of the place you are visiting. When you visit a longhouse in Sarawak, for example, respect the Ibans and do not ask them to dance for you as if they are part of a variety show.

Here are some eco-tours offered by various travel agents here:

Atrium Travel (tel: 6536-9282)

Feeling adventurous? Try the eight-day In Search Of The Bengal Tiger tour to the national parks of central India. Prices start from $2,086 (twin-sharing). Other tours include a seven-day Rainforest And Reefs Of Papua New Guinea trip at $2,900 and a 12-day The Wild South-Patagonia package at $5,296.

Country Holidays (tel: 6334-6120)

Try a 10-day Rajasthan Camel Safari And Biking holiday in India at $2,195 each (twin-sharing), which includes a visit to the Keoladeo Bird Sanctuary and the Sariska National Park, or opt for a 13-day North Vietnam Trekking And Kayaking Adventure trip at $1,795.

Chan Brothers (tel: 6438-8880)

A nine-day package to the Gold Coast, Sydney and Melbourne includes animal feeding in Queensland and a visit to the Penguin Reserve on Penguin Island from $2,238 each (twin-sharing). You can also opt for a seven-day Perth And Scenic Southwest package from $1,538, which includes a visit to the Valley of Giants to see some of the largest trees in the world. Book by Thursday and travel by the end of October.

Fascinating Holidays (tel: 6735-5511)

It has a two-day Rainforest Resort package to view fireflies and nature in Kota Tinggi, Johor, from $225 each (weekdays) and $245 for weekends (Saturday, eve of public holiday and public holiday) for two to three persons. There is also a five-day Taman Negara Resort package at $238 each (twin-sharing).

Globetrotter Holiday (tel: 6221-9610)

Take a 12-day eco trip to Madagascar and Mauritius, organised by the Nature Society (Singapore), at $3,488 each (twin-sharing). The Nature Society is also organising a 10-day trip to Christmas Island at $1,988 each (twin-sharing). Non-members pay an extra $50.

SA Tours (tel: 6532-4111)

To visit scenic mountains in China, take an eight-day Romantic Huangshan, Jiangnan And Shanghai tour from $928 or an eight-day Jiuzhaigou Fairyland And Pools Of Immortals package from $938.