Education Structures for Ecotourism: A Case Study on Shangri-La

Tourism is changing Shangri-La’s physical and economic landscape. Though tourism can provide revenues to support the community, it can also have negative impacts. In the midst of the myriad positives and negatives of Shangri-La’s tourism industry, the area has tremendous environmental and cultural assets, along with capable eco-tourism leaders, that can all be used to affect positive tourism growth. At the root of this growth lies fundamental education and training programs that are essential in establishing sustainable ecotourism. In an area where tourism is booming, integrating ecotourism within the larger picture will prove essential for the proper development of the industry. By exploring the complexities of ecotourism as a broad concept, this study is intended to examine the interface between ecotourism and its dependability upon sustainable education and training programs. Using Shangri-La as a case study, this examination presents several innovative training models that future policymakers are encouraged to consider in the development of ecotourism initiatives, as the industry will inevitably serve as a sustainable development tool in the future

Islamic-Catholic Relations: A Local and Global Comparison

In our modern world, religion remains one of the most important aspects of an individual’s life, no matter what faith they choose to celebrate. Given the world’s increasing interconnectedness and continuing globalization, members of different faiths are becoming more exposed to communities of one another. In modern times, the disagreements between faiths continue just as they have in the past; however there are more efforts on each side to overcome differences and establish a peaceful coexistence and mutual understanding. Two of the most prominent faiths in today’s world are Catholicism and Islam, which have many differences between them. As Americans, we have witnessed firsthand, religious discrimination and stereotyping against the growing Muslim population in the United States, especially since 9/11. Unfortunately members of each faith continue to stereotype and meet each other with hostility. Through all this ignorance and animosity between Islam and Catholicism, there are members of each faith whose goal is to establish a peaceful coexistence. We wish to shed light upon such positive efforts. This paper, written equally from the perspective of being members of the Providence, R.I. and global community promotes positive dialogue and understanding between Muslims and Catholics at home and abroad