Sunglye Chae. Prof. Scott Tenney. Eng 102 – 1099. May 3,

Tourism is the world’s largest industry with nature-based ecotourism seeing rapid growth since its initial arrival in the 1980s. It is estimated by the World Tourism Organisation that nature tourism generates 7% of all international travel expenditure (Lindberg, 1997) and this figure will have increased rapidly over recent years. It’s increase in popularity is due to a number of factors; tourists becoming increasingly bored of the typical sun, sea and sand holiday’s, the increase in global awareness or environmental issues such as global

As defined by the World Tourism Organization (WTO), tourism comprises the activities of persons travelling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business, and other purposes. Key concepts of sustainable development and sustainable tourism, values and ethics of sustainable tourism and the needs of sustainability in all form of tourism shall be discussed in this essay.

When it comes to the topic of ecotourism, most of us will readily agree that it is a less harmful alternative to mass-tourism and that it promotes responsible and low-impact travel to areas where flora, fauna and cultural heritage are the primary drawing power. Where this agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of what the impact of ecotourism actually is and what its long-term consequences are. Whereas some are convinced that ecotourism provides the basis for sustainable development, particularly in places that suffer from exploitation and excessive resources’ usage, and that could only improve the general conditions of the local people, others maintain that we are still far from true ecotourism, for many are those in the

In developing countries, many citizens define development as having a quality of life and surviving (citation 19:17). In contrast, societies in western countries often view development as a constant growth in technology, which often has negative impacts on the environment. As a result, the concept of sustainable development has been created to express new methods of evolving as a society without doing any damage to the environment (citation). In order to have economic gains in a country that practices sustainable development, it will be necessary for conservationists to promote tourism. For example, tourists often stay in resorts in Africa to admire wild predators, such as lions (citation). Although the development of resorts may have negative impacts on the environment, tourists contribute large amounts of money to the local communities. Additionally, trophy hunting serves as a reasonable form of sustainable development in countries where citizens are threatened by large predators. For example, in Tanzania, inhabitants have experienced falling victim to lion attacks (citation). Trophy hunting serves as a major form of development in Tanzania because individuals associate a numerical value with large animals (citation). This will result in an increased concern for the populations of these animals, which will promote conservation

Tourism is a beneficial industry to many countries, but has the potential to be one of its biggest threats. Tourism is a multimillion dollar industry for some countries but sometimes the money that is made from it is not worth the harm it is doing. From environmental scars on the country itself through pollution or physically changing the environment through deforestation and landscaping for building hotels and spas to help make tourist feel comfortable. All of these things are sometimes done with the benefit of the country in mind but ends up doing the opposite. Tourism has an array of benefits to a country in which are exploited to hide how it is destroying the countries environment, culture, and making it more and more dependent on the money

The discussion on ecotourism and its essence has led to over eighty different definitions of the topic (Fennell, 2008). However, one of the most used and comprehensive definitions is reported by Weaver (ibidem). It describes ecotourism as “a form of tourism that fosters” awareness, education and enjoyment of the natural environment and the local values in a sustainable way (Weaver, 2001a:15). Hence, ecotourism, while thriving for profitability, aims to promote education and cultural awareness of destinations without compromising their ecosystems. Eco-tourists demand for more authentic and meaningful forms of travel and; according to Orams (1996) (in Weaver, 2001a), they can be classified in two different categories: hard and soft ones. The hard eco-tourists believe in “radical” self-commitment with their destination, in order to ameliorate the natural environment (give back something) through “not-mediated” (Weaver, 2001b:106), challenging physical activities immersed in the site’s nature (ibidem). However, the soft visitors have shallower levels of commitment to the environment than hard eco-tourists. Indeed, while hard eco-visitors tend to organise independently (where high competence and time availability are required and low level of services expected on-site), soft ones rely on eco-tour-operators to organise less physically demanding tours (tab. 1.1a) (ibidem).

Most people hear the word ecotourism and immediately tune out because they assume it does not apply to them. Well you know what happens when someone assumes. The facts are that at a point in someone's life their parents dragged them to go on a tour of a some sort of nature. The parents probably told them not to hurt it and in doing so they have been an ecotourist! Ecotourism is responsible travel to natural areas or nature-based areas that conserves the environment and preserves the well-being of local people. Some ecotourists mess up sometimes and others do not. Although many people think Ecotourism is butchering the environment, it actually can be beneficial for the environment and the people involved.

While these activities are most intimately tied to the environment, it is important to recognize that any tourist activity necessarily impacts the environment, and any development that supports tourism and travel has environmental consequences. We found that the ocean, reef, fish, beach, mangroves, jungle, ancient and contemporary Mayan culture, and drinking water are all being drastically effected. We will examine the problems and what can be done to increase environmentally ethical (eco)tourism, which could be considered tourism that focuses on experiencing and learning about the nonhuman and human aspects of a place while critically examining the effects of one’s individual actions and the combined effects of one’s role as part of a group.

According to Terrachoice, greenwashing is, “the act of misleading consumers regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service” (Terrachoice, 2007). Green marketing is an important component of company general business operations and sustainability strategies. But on the other hand, if the organizations are not designed properly, a company’s green marketing efforts and sustainability attempts might be ruined by greenwashing allegations. Greenwashing creates negative impacts on company’s reputation and it damages relstionships with different stakeholders and organizaional behaviour. Hence, companies should select suitable standards and certifications to minimize

Ecotourism is becoming a larger phenomenon with more concentration on the environment and society. According to Buckley, “Ecotourism has now been debated in theory, and attempted in practice, for at least two decades.” Buckley has shown supportive information that ecotourism can be utilized in a positive way: “mechanisms by which

Ecotourism is the capable venture out to common zones that saves nature's domain and enhances the prosperity of nearby individuals. The Eco-tourism is to instruct voyagers and to give trusts to biological preservation. Encourage regard for diverse societies and human rights. Ecotourism is about uniting preservation, groups and practical travel. Ecotourism is held as essential by the individuals who partake in it so that future eras may encounter parts of nature's turf untouched by human mediation. With this said, we can decrepit some basic standards of ecotourism.

Sustainable Development is defined as expanding economic sectors and increasing wealth while at the same time minimizing the depletion of natural resources. The relations amongst nature, people, and tourism have flourished in recent years and the potential for a mutually beneficial bond between humans and their co existing environmental resources has created a new market niche which today is one of the largest growing industry sectors. Ecotourism has been a front runner in the promotion of a new strategy that focuses on the funding of conservation efforts, while ensuring to feed the socioeconomic growth that an areas habitants require. Hosting communities welcome eco-tourists to stay with them to gain an educational background on the natural history and conservation of the region while at the same time taking advantage of the tourist activities that the area provides. The accommodations, amenities, and tourist activities of these eco-tourism communities have been redesigned to be ecologically sustainable in the hope to minimize the carbon footprint of the area while encouraging a positive economic profit. This approach to conservation is a modern method which originated in Africa (Hulme & Murfree, 1999). Prior to this modern form of conservation was a deep-rooted technique which used what is known as the fortress technique to conserve natural resources. This system of practice speaks for itself because essentially, the area to be conserved will be

Tourism and the environment have a very complex and interdependent relationship. Today, tourism is one of the largest industries in today's

26. Identify and describe five of the factors that contribute to the increased likelihood of sociocultural costs from

Planning and development are both extremely important factors within the tourism industry and can have both positive and negative effects on the environment, local communities and tourist destinations. “Destination planning aims to limit the negative impacts of cultural tourism upon the history and lifestyles of the local community. An understanding of sustainable tourist development allows for the development of culture without loss of its authentic identity” (Maidment. T. 2012). This statement discusses the importance of planning to avoid having any negative impacts on environments and communities. Because the effects of tourism are so severe to destinations, many natural and cultural resources have been destroyed, therefore tourism planning is vital to preserve and maintain these places for future generations.