K2O Kimberley to Ocean are proud to be an accreditated member of the Tourism Council Of Western Australia – this gives the consumer the assurance that the K2O operations meets the industry standards and complies with legislation and regulations. You can be assured of this quality wherever you see the yellow tick.

In addition to meeting Tourism Council standards we are now working towards a new certification in Eco Tourism. We are in the final stages of the certification and hope to be proudly showing the gecko logo before long.

In the meantime, I thought I might talk a little about Eco Tourism and why it is so important.

First and foremost it is about working together sustainably, to protect the conservation and bio-diversity values of the areas we visit, in our case, the Kimberley coast and very soon, the Rowley Shoals.

There are 2 stages to the certification, the first one having been completed, Nature Tourism is defined as:

“Ecologically sustainable tourism with a primary focus on experiencing natural areas.”

K2O is currently progressing to Ecotourism certification which under the program is defined as:

“Ecologically sustainable tourism with a primary focus on experiencing natural areas that fosters environmental and cultural understanding, appreciation and conservation.”

Eco tourism in a natural area offers interesting ways to learn about the environment with an operator that uses resources wisely, contributes to the conservation of the environment and helping local communities. It encompasses the triple bottom line (environment, social, cultural) and gives companies guidelines to work with local communities, conservation groups, and raising awareness of the issues to the visitors to the area. The Kimberley coast is a unique wilderness and we are working to keep it that way.

If you wish to know more visit Eco Tourism Australia or to learn about the issues facing our region and how you can help, visit Save the Kimberley.