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Does my trip effect wildlife ?
Hello everyone,
I have noticed, many members are seeking advice on accommodations for their holiday in Africa. Especially those of you who have never been to Africa are seldom aware of the negative effect of mass tourism on wildlife and ecosystem. I would like to point out a website to those of you who wish to find out which hotels and lodges are conducted in an environmentally friendly way and what is happening behind the scenes of average tourism.
I am co-founder of this new website but I want to make clear that it is by no means my intention to misuse this forum for commercial advertisement. The website is NOT a commercial website since it does not receive commissions or take bookings. It purely provides detailed information on eco-tourism, conservation activities and wildlife protection. Both founders have grown up in Kenya and observed the increasing damage of mass-tourism for many years. By creating www.bushdrums.com we hope to provide insider- and insight information for you to be able to make a choice that helps protect this unique but endangered wildlife.
Thank you.
Carsten – co-founder of www.bushdrums.com
***
For some strange reason the reply button does not work, so I answer here. I hope you will notice it.
Yes, I admit there are a lot of commercials on the website and to be honest I am not very happy about it. Why, because they are a lot and make so little money, they are hardly worth it.
It is difficult to categorize this website because it is not a Non-profit organization because it is not registered as such. It is not a non-commercial website because it has advertisement on it.
But, how would you describe a website that does not receive any commission from hotels, airlines etc. like all other websites like Gusto, Fodors, TripAdvisor etc. do? They all make big money with the bookings they offer.
We only receive a couple of cent per month from the advertisement which doesn't even cover the webhosting expenses.
Besides this, I spend about 10 – 12 hours every day on research for this website. I do not receive a single cent for this!!
From this aspect, what would you call it? Commercial or Non-Commercial?
Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2007
Category: Travel Question
Tags: eco-tourism wildlife protection news reviews
Comments on this post:
Quote: I guess they’re a necessary evil, huh?
First of all it depends which ads we are talking about.
Some ads are for companies that have helped me with information and / or promotion of the website, so I see it as a “thank you” rather than advertisement.
The ads on books: I have been asked many times about book suggestions related to wildlife. Rather than typing in all kind of suggestions, it is much more convenient for me to select the book from amazon and place the ad of the book on the website. This way people can read all about the book, read reviews of other people and if they feel like it, they can order it. I see it more as a service that I provide. Yes, I receive a commission for each sale, but let’s be realistic, we are talking about a couple of cent for each sale !!
Google Ads: They are related to the topic you read, so again I see them as further information that I provide.
All together (I don’t have a problem stating this) the money coming in from the ads hasn’t even covered the webhosting costs of the website, not to mention that I am spending endless hours on this project without being paid for it.
Take any Non-Profit-Organization and look into their books. You will see that everyone receives a salary for their effort. The only reason they can call themselves “Non-Profit-Orgs” is because at the end of the year, there is no profit, not because they work without receiving money.
Thank you for “the flowers” m8888888, highly appreciated.
Posted by ohsostrange on Sunday January 21, 2007 at 08:41PM
For a non-commercial website, it sure has a lot of ads. :) Just sayin'...
bushdrummer
Athens, Greece
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Posted by m8888888 on Wednesday February 21, 2007 at 04:36AM
It's a great idea! I really admire you for starting up this type of website! Reponsible travel is a really important area to me, and something I've been thinking about a lot lately. It's sad to go somewhere and see how touristy it's become- the local economies become dependent on tourism, which isn't stable; people lose their culture and traditions; and the environment become overloaded with people going in someplace that isn't used to so many people. It's great to see somebody doing something positive!!
Your website looks quite nice- well designed, and easy to find what you're looking for. I wouldn't even have noticed the amount of ads, really, if ohsostrange hadn't pointed it out. I read the comment before I looked at the website, and was expecting huge flashing things, and popups. It wasn't bad at all, though. & I guess they're a necessary evil, huh?