Source - Up in the Air: The Icarus Foundation Blog
Manitoba based Prariemango has the right ideas on how to build a sustainable tourism industry.They take a community first, bottom up approach for tourism that works to build sustainable communities encompassing cultural and social empowerment, economic action and environmental growth.Through insight, education and leadership this organization hopes to overcome barriers and implement a self-sustaining tourism industry in the province. The brainchild of Richard Magleo, he explains that the idea behind Prairiemango was his goal to build a "real identity" of Manitoba.
Manitoba is rich in natural tourism resources including Churchill in the north, a projected UNESCO site to the east dubbed by some as the "lungs of the north" that are all looking to eco-tourism as a part of its overall economic stability, cultural appreciation and environmental conservation. Prairiemango seeks to provide the tourism industry with insight, educational tools and the necessary leadership skills needed to create a road map to sustainable tourism development in Manitoba.
This change is occurring at a time of environmental concern in the tourism industry. These factors allow for growth in the tourism industry and opportunity to promote the environment through tourism. With Prariemango’s logic, eco-tourism can be an integral part of a sustainability strategy that will provide economic stability, cultural understanding and environmental conservation.