Are you landscaping resorts or public places? coconut ecotourism

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 on Coconut palms, landscaping and ecotourism

By R. Bourdeix, 2017.
For the tourism industry evolving in a competitive environment, it becomes more and more important to stand out from the standard fare that tourism offers (Bourdeix et al. 2011a). Many tourists are no longer satisfied by only golden exotic beaches bordered by anonymous palms; and those who are will more likely choose the cheapest destinations. Coconut palms should no longer serve as symbols of anonymous and counterfeit exoticism: they tell true stories, specifically related to local Pacific cultures in the framework of an ecotourism approach.

Thus, integrating rare and traditional coconut varieties is a must have for fashionable places. These varieties are very often available in the National coconut collections, that can be contacted through Ministries of Agriculture. For instance the varieties called Niu afa in Samoa, Niu Kafa in Tonga and Niu magimagi in Fiji are very impressive, because they are the longest coconut in the world; they can serve for developing new handicraft, or be used to make demonstration for braiding coconut husk fibers to make ropes or other items.

References

Bourdeix R., V. Johnson, L. Baudouin, V. Saena Tuia, T. Kete, S. Planes, C. Lusty and S. Weise. 2011a. Polymotu: a new concept of island-based germplasm bank based on an old Polynesian practice. Ogasawara research 37: 33-51.

Bourdeix R., V. Johnson, V. Saena Tuia and S. Weise. 2012. Three declinations of the Polymotu Concept: “Inland ex Situ”, “Ecotourism on Islands”, “Urban” and their possible applications in Brazil, Côte d’Ivoire, Indonesia, French Polynesia and Samoa. Paper presented at the 45th APCC COCOTECH Meeting, 2nd - 6th July 2012, Kochi, India.