Interview with Simon Reeve

Simon Reeve, best-selling author, TV presenter and broadcaster has quickly become one of the most intrepid and celebrated responsible travellers on our screens. Having travelled to more than 90 countries, and around the world 3 times, Simon has lifted the veil on the world of tourism, exposing scenic wonders and investigating local issues in the most stunning and unique locations. Among being arrested for spying by the KGB, hunting with the Kalahari bushmen, and ziplining into Burma, Simon has travelled and presented Ecuator, Tropic of Capricorn and Tropic of Cancer for the BBC, and is about to unveil new series Indian Ocean at the end of April.

A supporter of the Responsible Tourism Awards for the past 3 years, Simon helped mark the launch of the Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards 2012 in a chat with Lisa Scott, Travel Editor of Metro about his latest travels, and his perspective on responsible tourism, which you can read below.

Photo courtesy of Simon Reeve 2010.

Article

When some of us think of the Indian Ocean, we imagine exotic holidays in paradise-like destinations such as the Maldives or Seychelles. It’s unlikely we would consider Mogadishu, the chaotic capital of Somalia, but it’s very much part of Simon Reeve’s new series.

He spent six months travelling from South Africa, up the east coast of Africa, around India and on to Australia, learning about issues affecting the ocean and the people who rely on it.

‘I couldn’t just head to the beautiful places without going to Somalia, too,’ he says. ‘Piracy will not be solved at sea, it needs to be solved on land, so we went to the epicentre of the chaos. Somalia is a collapsed country that is trying to rebuild itself but it’s got a tough job on its hands as there is a militant Islamic group fighting daily with the African peacekeepers who are trying to stabilise the country.’

Reeve was taken to the front line every day. ‘On one occasion, one of the guys looking after us shot just over my head at someone with a rocket propeller, literally knocking me off my feet,’ he says. ‘It was utterly crazy.’

Although Somalia won’t be on our travel hit list for a long time, there are plenty of places Reeve went to that he would recommend. His favourite example of responsible tourism was volunteer organisation Blue Ventures, which runs marine projects in Madagascar, Tanzania, New Zealand and South Africa. It has been highly commended in the awards five times and won Best Volunteering Organisation in 2010.

‘I visited them in Madagascar and was bowled over by their work on the coral reef system and with the local community,’ says Reeve. ‘Some families have up to ten children and instead of just giving handouts they help with family planning and work. And, of course, if you pay to volunteer with them you will have a truly memorable holiday experience. Good, responsible travel will give you a far more richer experience. It’s not about where you go now, it’s more about what you do and how you do it.’

Reeve says his recent sojourn to the Indian Ocean helped him realise the huge role tourists play in the fight to protect the planet.

‘We often hear that tourism can be destructive but this trip showed me just how many marine parks and national sanctuaries are supported entirely by money from visitors,’ he says. ‘If we don’t go to these places, they will be destroyed.’

Equally, though, humans need to treat the oceans with more respect. ‘They may appear vast but they are not our dumping grounds and we are having a massive impact on them,’ says Reeve, describing the plastic and other rubbish he saw on dives.

‘The one tactical conclusion I came to after talking to everyone from professors to village fishermen is that we need national parks at sea to protect them from pollution and over-fishing. They are our responsibility.’

Simon Reeve will be appearing on our screens in BBC series Indian Ocean, which begins 22 April 2012.

This article appeared exclusively in Metro on Friday 13 April 2012.

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