Sunday, February 21, 2010

When Deer Run Bed and Breakfast reopened five years ago, its new owners weren't sure visitors would embrace its eco-friendly theme and vegan menu.

As it turns out, the bed and breakfast opened just in time to catch a burgeoning movement in the tourism industry -- green travel.

"Ecotourism is exploding right now. I've seen a huge hump within the last two to three years," said Jennifer DeMaria, who owns the bed and breakfast on Big Pine Key with her fiance, Harry Appel. "We had our business plan in place five to six years ago, so we were ahead of the curve, and it helped us. We were hitting our stride just as it was starting to explode."

The Florida Keys -- and much of Florida for that matter -- have offered nature-based recreation for decades, but it was only recently that destinations began using the "ecotourism" concept as a savvy marketing tool. Ecotourism is now estimated to generate $8 billion for the state's economy each year, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The Keys started increasing its green travel marketing efforts as early as the late 1990s, said Harold Wheeler, director of the Monroe County Tourist Development Council (TDC).

"Ecotourism or nature-based tourism is ideal for the Florida Keys because we offer wonderful environmental resources here, including state parks, the living coral reefs, and of course, we're surrounded by a National Marine Sanctuary," he said. "Eco-travelers are a special-interest visitor that is considered an excellent target market for the TDC because we feel that they are a responsible visitor from whom we cannot only profit from, but at the same time, will respect and protect our natural resources."

Because these visitors are more interested in camping, fishing and kayaking, they are not always the biggest spenders, Wheeler said, but they are an important part of the overall visitor makeup.

Green lodging

DeMaria said her bed and breakfast is continuing to garner business as more travelers become aware of the growing green travel movement.

"We continue to every year exceed the last, which is astounding to me, and it really makes us proud," she said.

Deer Run was one of the first Keys properties to become certified in the Florida Green Lodging Program, a voluntary state program in which lodging properties adopt cost-saving "green" practices that reduce waste and conserve natural resources.

Nearly 40 Keys properties are now certified in the program, representing about 6 percent of the state's 615 green properties. Most have installed low-flow water fixtures, added high-efficiency appliances, instituted recycling, identified ways to significantly reduce waste, and improved indoor air quality.

Deer Run also has redesigned two of its rooms with the help of a LEED-accredited designer, using organic linens in the bedroom and bathroom, and drapery and other fabrics made of reused fibers. The other two rooms will receive a redo later this year. The property also makes use of rain barrels, and features a chemical-free hot tub and saltwater swimming pool.

DeMaria prepares all the meals, which are vegan and made from organic ingredients.

She said other innkeepers have come to her to ask questions about making changes at their own properties.

"This is not a fad anymore," DeMaria said. "And I think business owners down here are realizing this is the way to go."

Family friendly

Kayaking guide Capt. Bill Keogh of Big Pine Kayak Adventure said Keys businesses have had an eco-friendly mindset since he arrived here 30 years ago.

"I think it probably has a lot to do with the island mentality," he said. "We're stuck out here on an island, so everything is kind of critical -- resources, species that live here."

About 10 years ago, Keogh began a shallow-water skiff eco-tour, which has been popular, he said. His launching area at the Old Wooden Bridge Fishing Camp near the No Name Key Bridge has become a kayak destination, he said, with people lining up all along the waterfront to launch their trip. Many people even bring their own kayaks.

"That's a remarkable change that I never thought I'd see down here," he said.

Keogh also leads the monthly full moon tour for Friends and Volunteers of Refuges, which raises funds for the four wildlife refuges in the Keys. Last month's trip had 50 kayakers, with about two-thirds of those being visitors.

Andra Paulson of Reelax Charters based in Sugarloaf Key said she's also seen an increase in kayakers and people seeking a more nature-based experience during her eight years in business. She has families that return year after year to partake in her backcountry kayaking tours, and many families appreciate that the plethora of swimming, diving, hiking, biking, kayaking and fishing activities make for a family-friendly vacation.

"Instead of the Duval Crawl, there is beauty out there," Paulson said.

Marrying ideas

The eco-friendly theme has seeped into another Keys tourism niche: destination weddings.

Wedding planner Julie Shreck of Simply You Weddings said about 10 percent to 20 percent of her clientele asks for green elements to be incorporated into their celebrations.

"The turn has definitely gone that direction," she said of the weddings she has planned in the last two years. "I think people are more curious and also more in touch with doing things more earth-safe."

Some of the requests have included using linens made of organic fabric, soy candles, invitations made from recycled paper, forgoing event programs to save paper, using potted plants instead of fresh flowers, and using biodegradable, compostable dishes and flatware.

Last October, she arranged a wedding a reception for a bride and groom from Tampa who requested an all organic buffet with mainly raw foods. Instead of flowers, they used arrangements of chestnuts, walnuts and wasabi peas.

"We really tried to play off the elements of the earth," she said.

More and more clients also are seeking natural venues, such as Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park, she said.

Ocean Key Resort & Spa also is developing a green wedding package to respond to the increased demand, said Stephanie Happ, a former wedding planner who now works as the resort's group sales and catering manager.

"I see the direction of where we're going as a community and I wanted to get Ocean Key in on that niche and known for doing something outside of the box," Happ said.

In addition to options such as organic linens, she has partnered with local cake company Cakes by Carol to create organic wedding cakes made using organic ingredients and sweeteners such as honey, caramel, fresh fruits and maple syrup and no preservatives.

Special events

Hoping to capitalize on the ecotourism movement, a group of Keys residents is putting together a four-day EcoWeek festival this fall that will incorporate excursions, educational workshops, a documentary film festival, recycled art fair, cook-off, music festival and organic fair.

The TDC has allocated $54,000 from its event funding pool for the event.

"We're basically an eco-destination by default because of the water, and that's really what has drawn people down here for a really long time," event organizer Christina Regante said. "I think that ecotourism is really the way of the future for our islands."

Not trailing behind

An increasing number of visitors are wanting to see the Keys by bicycle thanks to the Overseas Highway earning an All-American Road designation in October 2009. The highway is the only All-American Road in Florida, and one of only 30 in the nation to have earned the prestigious title, which is the highest recognition possible under the National Scenic Byways program that Congress established in 1991.

The recent designation, coupled with a planned Keys Overseas Heritage Trail that will connect Key Largo to Key West, has led to the recent addition of several bicycle rental companies in the Upper Keys.

Steve Neil of Pro-Fit Paddling added a small fleet of bicycles to his paddleboard rentals last week after seeing that no one else in Key Largo had them.

Neil and his business partner, Brandon Jannarone, had been kayak guides for several years. They added paddleboard rentals and tours about four months ago after recognizing it was the fastest-growing watersport in the country, that it was especially suited to the Keys' calm waters, and that it fit with the growing green movement.

Now with the Florida Office of Greenways & Trails starting construction on the heritage trail, which will allow people to travel from island to island by foot, bicycle, skateboard and rollerblades, Neil saw another opportunity for growth.

In Islamorada, the village's only kayaking outfitter, Backcountry Cowboy, began selling and renting a line of Dutch-made cruising cycles last spring.

"Not everybody is down here for the water," co-owner J.C. Mikula said. "Some people are down for the weather. They just want to be out and active."

That said, Islamorada has developed a burgeoning reputation as a kite-boarding destination. One of the two businesses most responsible for that reputation recently has expanded as the demand for the activity has increased.

Otherside Boardsports moved from its previous home on Plantation Key to a bayside shop on Upper Matecumbe Key in early December, more than doubling its space. The square footage has allowed Otherside to beef up its selection on kites, double its selection of stand-up paddleboards and greatly enhance its stock of surf wear and boarder-friendly apparel, co-owner Shana Walsh said.

Plus, the new location is close to Whale Harbor, a common kite-boarding locale, and is in Islamorada's central tourist district.

"We just wanted to be a little closer to the resorts, where we'd get a lot of walk-in traffic," Walsh said.

Citizen reporter Robert Silk contributed to this report.

amswary@keysnews.com