Defining ecotourism

Overview

Ecotourism and mass tourism, ecotourism and nature tourism and why the term ecotourism is so difficult to apply consistently.

What you need to know

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Questions from this subtopic

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1. 1

   What is ecotourism?

   Model answer

   Ecotourism is responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment, sustains the well-being of the local people and involves interpretation and education. It is characteristically small-scale and low-impact, uses locally owned and locally staffed accommodation and guiding, directs a share of its revenue to conservation and to the host community, and treats learning about the environment and culture as part of the experience rather than an optional extra.

2. 2

   What are the defining principles of ecotourism, as distinct from a general description of it?

   Model answer

   Four principles are commonly set out. It should contribute actively to the conservation of natural and cultural heritage. It should include local and indigenous communities in its planning, development and operation, and contribute to their well-being. It should interpret the natural and cultural heritage of the destination to visitors, so that the experience is educational. And it lends itself best to independent travellers and small organised groups, because small numbers are what keep impacts low.

3. 3

   Distinguish between ecotourism and mass tourism.

   Model answer

   In scale, ecotourism operates with small groups while mass tourism depends on volume. In ownership, ecotourism aims for local ownership and employment while mass tourism is typically financed and controlled externally. In purpose, ecotourism treats the environment and culture as the subject of the visit and provides interpretation, while mass tourism treats them largely as a setting. In its economics, ecotourism seeks to return revenue to conservation and community, while mass tourism seeks the lowest price. And in its effects, ecotourism aims for the destination to be better off environmentally as a result of the visit, not merely undamaged.

4. 4

   Distinguish between ecotourism and nature tourism.

   Model answer

   Nature tourism simply means travel to see natural attractions such as wildlife, forests, reefs or mountains; it describes what the tourist looks at. Ecotourism describes how the visit is organised and what it delivers: conservation benefit, community involvement, education and low impact. A large coach party visiting a national park for an afternoon is nature tourism but not ecotourism. All ecotourism is a form of nature tourism, but a great deal of nature tourism fails the ecotourism tests.

5. 5

   How does ecotourism relate to sustainable tourism?

   Model answer

   Sustainable tourism is the broader idea that any form of tourism, including mass tourism in a city or a resort, should meet present needs without compromising the ability of future generations and host communities to meet theirs, balancing environmental, economic and social considerations. Ecotourism is a specific market segment within that: nature-based, small-scale, educational and conservation-funding travel. A large resort can therefore be made more sustainable without ever becoming ecotourism, and a small nature lodge can call itself ecotourism while being poorly run and unsustainable.

6. 6

   Explain why the term ecotourism is so difficult to apply consistently.

   Model answer

   Because there is no legal definition and no single body entitled to grant or refuse the label, so any operator may use it. The principles are qualitative and matters of degree: how small a group must be, how much revenue must reach the community and how much interpretation is enough are all unspecified. Products range from genuinely community-owned, conservation-funding ventures to conventional hotels with a recycling policy, all marketed under the same word. This definitional looseness is the root of the greenwashing problem and of the difficulty of regulating the sector.

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