ECOTOURISM

Hello All,

here below I am pleased to publish my essay about Ecotourism which I wrote during my last year at uni. I got my best mark on this exam and hope you will enjoy the reading, 

I LOVE IT!

'Ecotourism is a somewhat dated concept and something of a cliché'. Its aims, while admirable, are rarely achievable. The result is that we find very few examples of the concept'.

It is the intention of this essay to argue that Ecotourism it is not a form of sustainable tourism that can be achieved in the modern time. In literature it is possible to find a range of different definitions about Ecotourism: Fennel (2002), for examples, defines Ecotourism as 'an experience based on learning the natural history of an area in which tourists have an active role'.The main objective is to promote the conservation and well-being of the population across actions based on ethical and tourism strategies needed to protect the environment in which they are practised. The same interpretation is given by The International Ecotourism Society (2014) which describes Ecotourism as a conscious journey into uncontaminated zones which aims to preserve the territory and enhance the welfare of the residents. Furthermore Gunn (2002) affirms that this form of holiday concerns the balance between the protection of the resources of an area and its visitors.

Ecotourism can be described as a sustainable form of tourism. UNWTO (2005) defined sustainable tourism as a form of vacation which considers the present and future economy of an area, its social and natural environment, and in accordance to them are agreed the priorities of tourists, ambient and local communities. The article continues explaining that sustainable tourism needs to use the resources with the aim of protecting them; conserve and respect the customs and tradition of the residents; and guarantee that the development which derives from tourism brings benefits to the local economy and communities. However, in order to be effective it needs to be monitored and this requires the co-operation of both the stakeholders and the political parties.

However, Ecotourism has also been criticised by various writers. For instance, Qin and Zhang (2008) argue that the local culture of the host country risks to loose its originality and value because of influence by tourists. It is worth to mention the case of Bhutan where, in order to preserve the authenticity of the population, specific guidances about tourists entrance and sojourns have been issued, (Kingdom of Bhutan 2014). Buckley (2004) focuses the argument on the environment and how activities such as boating and hiking, camping off the beaten track can impact the ecosystem in which they are performed. Machu Picchu, for example, is a World Heritage site where, because of the massive number of tourists walking the Peruvian peak, authorities had to step in and regulate the daily entrances as the number of hikers into the sanctuary was eroding the ancient path, (UNESCO 2014 and Cuzco Eats 2014). Fennell (2008) criticizes the exploitation that wildlife has to suffer when it comes in contact with travellers. The writer reports the examples of hunting and fishing. The author condemns those activities as nowadays they are no more necessary for the imminent survival of individuals and tourists practice them just for a personal sense of satisfaction not considering the impact that their hobbies can have on the balance of the ecosystem of an area. In fact Frommer (2014) recalls how in Thailand the economic benefits that tourists brings along have been prioritised at the expense of both the environment and animals and as a result now there are various mammals which risk extinction. Also there has been an uncontrolled deforestation to give space for the construction of buildings and as a consequence air and water are polluted due to the negligence of the builders.

There are various reasons why conflicts can arise between the tourists and the local residents. McKercher (1993) sustains that the impacts that tourism developments have in an area are unavoidable. Tourism is an activity where the resources are scarce but the infrastructures are essential for its survival. It is also a market with a large extension and diversity but there are no leaders and for this reason there is a lack of regulations that control it. Above all, tourists have to get integrated with the host communities but the residents have to assimilate the effects of the visitors. Furthermore the nature of tourism foresees an increase of visitors in accordance with the increase in popularity of a location and once at a destination said tourists want to be entertained. The writer suggests that Ecotourism, in order to be sustainable, needs to be managed and integrated with local community activities.

Accordingly with McKercher (2003), a destination area can take advantages from Ecotourism and become competitive in a medium to long time frame. Strategies need to have visions, missions, aims and objectives based on the present situation but focusing on the future, it is essential to have the involvement of all stakeholders.

The author considers various elements and identified some pillars that when combined together aim to address the issues related to sustainable tourism. The elements are the limited resources of an area; the pull factors of a destination which primarily are cultural and ecological related; the number and typology of visitors as the quantity of travel increase constantly and tourists are more knowledgeable and sophisticated. The pillars have been identified in economic, ecological, cultural and local. The objectives of these sustainable purposes are to assure that tourism activity is not only profitable in the present but also in the future, the maintenance of the ecology and biology of an area, guarantee the protection of the locals identity and benefit the host communities and create incomes for them. When all those elements are balanced, it is possible to define tourism sustainable.

However McKercher (2003) argues that throughout history tourism has never been sustainable. In fact tourists tend to use the resources of the local inhabitants and often they are imposed to the community moreover not always the investments done by the host country resulted to be profitable. The author continues affirming that government and local communities have to co-operate in order to define the strategy which better adapts to the needs of each destinations promoting economic development of the area but limiting the impact of the visitors. Hall and Lew (1998) affirmed that giving the local communities the authority to manage and regulate tourism is the best option, as has happened in Australia, Canada and New Zealand where indigenous people administrate their land themselves.

Ecotourism has a range of impacts on a destination. Despite the leakages that might occur in the destination area, tourism is good for the local economies as it guarantee jobs in the region where residents would not otherwise have any other choice. From an environmental perspective, tourists always alter the natural equilibrium of the habitat. These damages could be limited if visitors are educated and stakeholders organise practices aimed to preserve the territory. The author reinforces the fact that when tourism is developed in an area, local communities are the most vulnerable resource and for this reason they need be able to express their view when it is time to set policies and regulations that affect the region where they live (Weaver 2001).

Buckley (2006) reports case studies of Ecotourism in 'Africa: the Northern Circuit Wildlife', 'Tanzania: Conservation Corporation Africa' and 'Mountain Gorillas, Mgahinga National Park'.

The first case study of Wildlife in Tanzania analyses the impact that Conservation Corporation had on the region.

In accordance with the writer this entity made a major contribution on the conservation of the wildlife that differently would have been in danger of extinction.

Tourists are accommodated in either cottages or timber tree house and when on tours, visitors are informed on how to maintain a safe attitude in vehicles and towards animals, especially during the guided walks. Conservation Corporation also produced informative leaflets in order to promote the area. However the author denounced how previous administrators of the reserve disposed toxic wastage in ditches, putting a risk of contamination the whole area.

The second case study of the Mountain Gorillas of the Mgahinga National Park reports some issues that this form of Ecotourism faces. For examples, those Gorillas are defined as an highly endangered species because of illegal poaching and also because the area surrounding the park is constantly transformed agriculturally. The number of tourists allowed to visits these animals is very restricted, about 6 daily, and for this reason it is very difficult to obtain admissions at the park. Tour operators often ask overseas visitors to pay a premium for the entrances.

However, before any excursion, tourists are instructed about how to behave when in the forest and in close proximity of wild animals; for example when watching Gorillas they are instructed to keep silent and turn the flashes off their cameras.

Differently, Conservation India (2012) reports the issues related with Ecotourism in Khajuraho in the region of Madhya Pradesh in India. The main problems are related with the lack of regulation for entering the park and protecting the tigers.

The first problem lies between Government and local authorities who are trying to limit number of settlement in the park. The inhabitants of the villages born in the park surrounding, are hostile to the creation of core areas dedicated to tigers as they are worried about losses to their businesses.

The second issue relates to the park and despite the fact that in the country there are many of them, in just few it is possible to see tigers and for this reason tourists are concentrated in those reserves only. In the article it is argued that if the animals could be repopulated and managed in different parks, the tourists could spread among different areas and the exploitation of specific parks would be limited. Another matter is the increasing number of incoming visitors that lead to a decreasing number of tigers. This reduction of livestock is due to the fact that once in the reserve individuals are free to move anywhere they like and this freedom scares animals which as a consequence move to a different places. The article concludes it would be advisable to not only educate tourists but also to ban them from some areas of the park in order to give tigers the possibility to recreate.

The groth of the Ecotourism market is confirmed by MINTEL (2014) who reveal that, in 2012, on a global scale the gross domestic product (GDP) of the tourism industry grew by 3.2% while the economy in general increased 2.3%. Asia, Latin America and Africa had the quickest economic growth while Europe had the lowest.

In the next 10 years there will be a further general growth of the tourism product and Asia, Latin America and Middle East are expected to perform the highest percentage growth. In the article it is also discussed how countries such as Brazil and Australia have based the experience of their tourists in Ecotourism and the fact that those countries are predicted to further increase their market in the next future, (MINTEL 2014).

As far as the future is concerned, recently UNWTO Executive Council met to discuss the improvements that have been done in the matter of Ecotourism. Governments are solicited to put in place laws and regulations to promote and protect local communities and their cultures; tourism development and event organization should aim to promote business while marketing campaign will inform tourists about the locations they are going to visits. During the meeting it has been discussed how guarantee a growth that benefit everybody is the priority of the modern world, (UNWTO 2014).

To conclude, based on the information gathered about the Ecotourism topic and as per the Mintel forecast, it is possible to affirm that Ecotourism is a growing market and the tourists knowledge about this form of holiday is improving as the issues related to this sector are. Furthermore the exclusivity of some destinations makes a place more appealing to visitors as per the examples of the Ecotourism in Africa. From this research it seems that it is impossible to practice Ecotourism without somehow harming the environment in which it is experienced and for these reasons in the modern time Ecotourism is not a sustainable form of tourism.