The Pros And Cons Of Ecotourism

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

Making tourism more sustainable is not just about controlling and managing the negative impacts of the industry. Tourism is in a very special position to benefit local communities, economically and socially, and to raise awareness and support for conservation of the environment.

The WTO (2001), however, defines sustainability in tourism literature as ‘Development that meets the needs of the today’s tourists and the host region while protecting and enhancing opportunities for the future.’ It is envisaged as leading to the management of all resources in such a way that economic, social, and aesthetic needs can be fulfilled while maintaining cultural integrity, essential ecology processes, biological diversity and life support system.

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

As mentioned by Rimmington & Morrison (2009), the assistance from different parts of the world presents a new and diverse outlook for future research including theoretical innovations and revelations, cultural and environmental aspects, tourist destination and other ecotourism and recreational aspects of tourism and hospitality industry (Brotherton,

Tourism plays a vital role in economic development in most countries around the world. The industry has not only direct economic impact, but also significant indirect and influential impacts. There is agreement among experts that the travel and tourism sector is the fastest growing of global economy. According to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, international tourism receipts surpass US$ 1 trillion in 2011, growing about 3.8%up from 2010 (WTO, 2012).

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).

The current research paper covers the main effects of global tourism, both positive and negative. International tourism is a significant sector of business. For some countries it is one of the main sources of national income. The most important positive economic effects of tourism are as follows: increase in budget revenues, production expansion, stimulation of investments, and improvement in the population’s welfare. Tourism influences social and cultural lives of people in a positive way by stimulating the development and revival of local cultures and encouraging intercultural exchange.

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.

Among a hundred of developed industries, tourism is regarded as one of the most promptly growing fields in the world, and eco tourism is one of its ahead rising categories. There are more and more countries has been placing eco tourism sector priority over others for their market growth, because they acknowledge not only its ecological, cultural, but also economic values. More to the point, this sector has a sharp affiliation to the term of mindful or socially conscious tourism; However, it has not been fully understanding by many travellers and tourism associations? Mindful or also called socially conscious tourism is travel without taking advantage of local workers and cultures, but with minimal environmental influences. There is a fact that this industry has brought a huge beneficial to all the world countries’ economic, but people as tourism organization and tourists are exploiting

In the third word, tourism is one of the main economic activity for countries with less natural resources such as timber, oil, and mineral. Britton (1982) indicates that these countries lack structural economic due to poverty. Today, countries with more money, from the third world, seek to diversify their economy that has been based on natural resources exploitation. This diversification is based on ecotourism due to scenic and unique natural biodiversity. This could be part of “tourism gaze” that Urry (1990) presents as “something distinctive to be gazed upon, that the signs collected by tourists have to be visually extraordinary. This offering should be “visually different and distinguished from otherwise mundane activities. This visual consumption is attached to the aesthetic appropriation of the environment” that could be characterized by unique flowers, landscapes, or wildlife. As new third world countries are entering in the market define and control by western people, they have to propose extraordinary and unique landscape to be gaze, have intense tourism promotion in tourism markets, and all the infrastructure able to attract tourism to them.

The Travel and Tourism industry is still one of the largest single businesses in world commerce and its importance is widely recognized. The tourism industry is now one of the largest sectors earning foreign exchange. In the face of many benefits, many countries have started assigning due weight age to the tourism industry in their national development agenda. Tourism is an industry that operates on a massively broad scale: it embraces activities ranging from the smallest sea-side hotel; to air-lines, multi-national hotel chains and major international tour operators. Originally, non-traditional industries such as tourism emerged as a solution to strike a balance between ecology and industry

The state of the industry since September 11, 2001 is as follows: Airlines have experienced two point one billion in losses and more than one hundred thousand layoffs. Employment domestically has experienced a ten percent drop in demand and employment globally has experienced a thirty percent drop in demand. Hotels have experienced a two billion dollar lost in room revenue and meeting room and convention industry has experienced a one billion dollar loss. As a whole the entire Travel and Tourism industry have experienced an enormous drop in revenues.

In travel and tourism industry, the focus on the environmentally responsible behaviour has grown dramatically over the years from hardly being talked about to has been a major concern (Gustin & Weaver, 1996). Deterioration of the environment happened from the growth of the global economy, over consumption and utilization of natural resources. Everyone in the world faces great challenges from the climate changes that have occurring now dues to the human-induced greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuel combustion. From the climate changes, it can cause severe negative outcomes such as increase temperature, rising in sea levels, increased in the pollution in air and water, loss of animal and plant habitat, oceans circulation disruption, and

Allows government to have money to do road works, school construction and all other governmental works.