The Alternative Forms Of Tourism

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).

Tourism growth when not planned cautiously can result in the degradation of the environment and the uncontrolled development of infrastructures and recreation facilities (hotels, parking, golf courses, etc), resulting in the fall of many resorts.

One aspect of tourism which has greatly been considered is eco-tourism. As climate change guilt among tourists grows, many tourist attractions are touting their environmental credentials in an effort to cash in on the "eco" tag. We define nature-based tourism as the segment of the tourism market in which people travel with the primary purpose of visiting a natural destination. If we were to draw an imaginary line through the tourism industry, with one side (the smaller side) representing sustainable tourism and the other side representing non-sustainable tourism, then nature-based tourism and cultural tourism, etc. would span the divide. We equate ecotourism with nature-based tourism that falls on the sustainable side of the line, where impact on the local environment and human communities is low, direct financial benefits accrue to conservation efforts and the local communities, there is respect for local cultures and needs, and the experience builds environmental awareness.

Las Palmas, the capital of Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands in Spain is a beautiful place to visit during the holiday. A subtropical climate, mild to warm temperatures which stay quite the same throughout the entire year and sandy beaches tempt tourists every year. These great features promote the tourism in Las Palmas. Literally tourism, or in this case, mass tourism, is a move of people around the world. It is all about presenting the character of a touristic destination and providing great facilities in order to satisfy customers (tourists) desires and their changing, dynamic needs, mainly focusing on their preferences. If tourism was not provided in Las Palmas, people would go bankrupt as tourism states 32% of GDP in

However, some studies indicate that tourists might have cultural, social, economic and environmental impacts on the local residents. In fact, these recent studies have awakened

Travelling can sometimes have a bad reputation, but there are responsible travel companies out there and eco-friendly travel is possible. In fact, if you are smart at picking your destinations, using guides like The Outbound Collective, you can put money into local communities and help people in the remote and poor parts of the world prosper. By visiting these destinations, you can help preserve them and grow the local economies.

Sustainable development is the economic development that is conducted with depleting natural resources and also the development of tourism that meets the needs of the present without compromising future generation’s ability to meet their own needs (WCED, 1987). Sustainable tourism refers to the practices, policies and programs that is considered to reach the expectations of the tourist with not natural resources management but also the communities that are affected by tourism (UNEP, 2011). Sustainable tourism should maintain a level of tourist satisfaction as well as their expectations. Taking the opportunity to raise awareness to them about sustainable issues and promote sustainable practices amongst them (UNWTO,

Tourism is a pivotal part of human nature, it impacts humanity on a worldwide scale in our everyday lives. It has become a ritual in the modern times, as the number of international tourists increase every year. According to UNWTO, international tourists have gone up to a mind blowing 1.2 billion people worldwide(UNWTO, n.d.). People who go on holidays to foreign nations experience a variety of new encounters. They get exposed to the new cultures, different food, beautiful natural landscapes, and new people.The host country love to attract tourists, because they make loads of money off of them. Tourism helps globalise the world, it lets people see for themselves instead of just hearing about someplace. On the other hand, the tourists are at risk of instances such as terrorist attacks. When visitors come to a new nation, they love all the sightseeing there is to offer. A lot of the favourite places of tourists include; wildlife, historical monuments, and natural landscapes. The revenue made by the tourism industry in 2016 alone was more than 7.6 trillion U.S. dollars (Statista,n.d.).This essay will argue that the plus points of tourism weigh much more than all of the negatives. The essay will analyse the negative and positives of tourism Environmentally, Socioculturally, and Economically.

Although tourism bring about negative impacts, tourism is still important as it improves the lives of locals and helps boosts the country’s economy.

The debate over ecotourism's success as a tool for conservation and development in the developing world is aggravated by the dispute over what exactly ecotourism is. The International Ecotourism Society offers a succinct and often cited definition: “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people” (TIES). Ecotourism is often tied to the concept of sustainable development. “Sustainable tourism development meets the needs of present tourists and host regions while protecting and enhancing opportunities for the future” (WTOa).

Ecotourism is directed towards natural, fragile and relatively undisturbed environments, intended to support conservation efforts, economical benefits for local communities, observe wildlife in natural environments and as an educational alternative (Scheyvens, 1999). Developed and maintained to remain sustainable indefinitely, causing no change, alterations or degradation to the environment and surrounding areas (Reynolds and Brathwaite, 2001).

Over the past forty years, trends in the tourism industry illustrate there has been strong growth from a regional and global perspective. This increased growth in the industry has ultimately brought large benefits to communities, providing great economic development, employment, and social benefits. It is imperative that communities capitalize on these opportunities. Local governments are one of the of the major authorities to provide infrastructure and planning procedures that maximize the benefit for their communities in a sustainable manner.

Responsible tourism/travel is about making better places for people to live in and better places for people to visit. It also means that you travel lightly, with a small carbon footprint, respecting people and places, while making a positive contribution where possible. Ecotourism is one of the fastest growing sectors of the tourism industry worldwide. It has spawned voluntourism, wildlife tourism and geotourism (tourism to areas of geological interest.) There’s also a growing interest in ‘sustainable tourism’, whereby tourism businesses that aren’t essentially nature-based. Including hotels and airlines, are finding ways to operate more sustainably.

Ceballos-Lascurain (1993) defined ecotourism as, “Environmentally responsible travel and visitation to relatively undisturbed natural areas, in order to enjoy and appreciate nature (and any accompanying cultural features - both past and present) that promotes conservation, has low negative visitor impact, and provides for beneficially active socio-economic involvement of local populations”.

Currently, the earth has some profitable ways to earn more money and investing it to other infrastructures which are required the attention from governments. Tourism is one of the developing industries in the world. In addition, revenues which come from tourism most of countries utilizing it to develop of the medicine or building the skyscrapers. However, tourism itself can be divided into several types and one of the types that develops in fast pace, is ecotourism which amount of people increases by 30% annually(Mozgovaya, 2003). Ecotourism focused on strengthening and sustenance of natural system by tourism(Kiper,2013). It means that the main role