SAUDI ARABIA – Farouq Al-Zouman, the Saudi adventurer, succeeded last May in climbing Mount Everest to apply the ecotourism principles “Leave No Trace” when going hiking. During his participation in the “Leave No Trace” program at “Saqr Al-Oroubah” gulf camp, Mr. Al-Zouman talked about his experiment in climbing Mount Everest, which took 60 days.
The Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) attempts, through the “Leave No Trace” program, to develop ecotourism trips while preserving nature. That would be achieved by applying the program principles to enjoy the natural areas without harming the wildlife, geographical, natural and heritage components.
The seven principles of “Leave No Trace” are summarized as follows: the preplanning of ecological tours, the early choice of travel roads and camping places, the disposal of garbage in an appropriate way, playing a role in limiting the negative effects of setting fire, dealing gently with the different types of wildlife, making no change to the natural or archeological elements and respecting the feelings of locals and other visitors.