Promote comfortable, fun and well-planned eco lodging
and activities for the beach minded traveler.
• What is our focus?
Bela’s number one mission is to increase awareness
of ecotourism to coastal destinations and support coastal
habitat preservation and rehabilitation programs world-wide.
• Are we a
charitable organization, or do we support the efforts
of like-minded non-profit organizations?
The promotion of coastal eco properties does not qualify
Bela as a non-profit organization; we do, however, understand
that making a difference requires money, and every cent
that go-bela generates goes towards furthering its mission,
plus 10% of its profits go to non-profit and government
organizations dedicated to raising awareness of ecotourism
and coastal preservation and rehabilitation programs.
Check out our eco tourism campaigns and coastal habitat
initiatives under the main menu.
• Who we are?
Founder - John Rarity has more than fifteen years of
experience in the hospitality industry. He has worked
in various facets of the hotel industry in Hawaii, Colorado,
Ireland and Texas. John has also worked as a travel
writer and editor, having written about beach destinations
in Central and South American, Australia, Thailand and
the United States.
Co-founder / Ecologist – Natalie Uriarte is a
wildlife biologist and is married to John. She has developed
and been involved in wildlife management programs and
is currently researching new techniques in wildlife
habitat preservation, as well as the protection, rehabilitation
and reintroduction of endangered species into the wild.
• What is eco tourism?
Ecotourism is a nature based form of specialty travel
defined by The International Ecotourism Society (TIES)
as "responsible travel to natural areas which conserves
the environment and sustains the well-being of local
people." This definition has been widely accepted,
but does not serve as a functional definition for gathering
statistics. No global initiative presently exists for
the gathering of ecotourism data. Ecotourism should
be considered a specialty segment of the larger nature,
or sustainable tourism market.
• What is sustainable
tourism?
We have found it best to define sustainable tourism
as any recreational activity that occurs within the
context of a natural environment and includes: ecotourism,
wilderness use, adventure travel, and car camping.
-
In addition to ecotourism, wilderness use involves
“personal recreation through primitive travel
in natural environments that are devoid of human
disturbance,” such as backpacking. Adventure
travel is “personal accomplishment through
the thrills of dominating dangerous environments,”
such as rock climbing, and car camping is “safe
family travel in the interface between the wild
and the civilized.”
Sustainable tourism
has also been defined by the World Tourism Organization
(UNWTO) as “meeting the needs of tourists and
host regions while protecting and enhancing opportunities
for the future. It is envisaged as leading to management
of all resources in such a way that economic, social
and aesthetic needs can be fulfilled while maintaining
cultural integrity, essential ecological processes,
biological diversity and life support systems.”
BOOKING
• How can I book
a trip?
Easy. Find any property
you’d like to visit and click on the link to Book
Now. Have your travel dates, passport and payment information
ready.
• What if I need
to cancel or postpone my trip?
International eco properties are operations for which space is limited and competitive during peak seasons. All Bela member eco properties are prepaid prior to your departure so that they may begin provisioning for your arrival. Once a booking is made, the eco property takes all responsibilities relating to your stay at the eco property. PLEASE REVIEW YOUR CORRESPONDING ECO PROPERTY’S CANCELLATION POLICY.
In addition to this, there is a $150 cancellation fee by Bela for cancellations made within 7 days of arrival. There are no refunds or partial refunds given for early departures or early checkouts from an eco property. For your protection, travel insurance is strongly recommended with all Bela bookings. Most cancellations due to medical reasons or family emergencies are covered by travel insurance.
Disputes
All claims, legal and otherwise, against Bela Coastal, its officers, directors, agents, employees, affiliated companies, heirs and assignees arising under, in connection with, or incident to this BOOKING TERMS AND CONDITIONS AGREEMENT shall be determined according to the laws of Texas, United States of America and shall be adjudicated in the Courts within the jurisdictional geographic boundaries of Travis County, Texas, United States of America, to the exclusion of the courts of any other county, state or country.
In the event that one or more of the provisions of this BOOKING TERMS AND CONDITIONS AGREEMENT, for any reason, is held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid or unenforceable in any respect, such invalidity or unenforceability shall not affect any other provision within this agreement and this agreement shall be construed as if such invalid or unenforceable provision had never been contained herein.
•How
does go-bela protect my personal information?
Go-bela
respects the privacy of our eco-friendly family. To
view our Privacy Policy, click
here.
SERVICES
• How do
I sign-up for Travel Insurance?
Under the main menu, select the Destinations menu option,
then select Travel Insurance sub-menu option. All information
and instructions on how to purchase your travel insurance
are contained therein, or click
here.
•
What does Travel Insurance cover?
See “How do I sign-up for Travel Insurance"
(above), or click here.
•
How do I book a flight?
Under the main menu, select the Destinations menu option,
then select Flights sub-menu option, or click
here. All information and instructions on how to
book a flight are contained therein.
•
What if I need to cancel or postpone my flight?
All flights are booked and managed directly by our flight
operator. Please review their flight booking procedures
for further information.
Bela's number one mission is to increase awareness of ecotourism to coastal destinations and support coastal habitat preservation and rehabilitation programs world-wide with the promotion of comfortable, fun and well-planned eco properties and activities for the beach-minded traveler, a functional, reliable network of properties committed to their eco lodging mission and cooperation with simplifying their booking process through go-bela.com, ease of navigation and usability of go-bela.com, the donation of up to 10% of Bela's profits to charitable and government organizations dedicated to raising awareness of ecotourism and the development of coastal preservation and rehabilitation programs around the world, and continually searching for new partners in this global mission. Beach, beaches, tropical, resorts, hotel reservations, resort, tropical island, all inclusive vacations, eco, all inclusive, tropical beach, tropical islands, ecotourism, hotel booking, eco tourism, sustainable tourism, earth friendly, eco resort, beach travel, eco lodges. Travel to our world's beach destinations. Participage in our quick on-line survey and win big travel discounts. Luxurious, Rustic, Earth Conscious. Book before January 20th and receive $50 off your first trip plus discounted airfare. Eco Property owners register for free! Promote your property through go-bela today! Traveling is about making memories and ecotourism is about making a difference. A beach getaway can be made that more meaningful by your decision to be mindful of the precious coastal habitats you experience while supporting the local communities that rely upon them.
