Ecotourism: Tourism and Economic Potentials

The lure of tourism and the economic potentials it brings has long been irresistible for nearly every nation in the world. This is especially true among third-world nations, who view tourism as the easiest way to attract foreign investment. However, this investment usually comes in the form of intrusive resorts and high-rise hotels with no consideration for the surrounding environment or the local communities that live around these areas. Governments have displaced residents (human, animal, and plant life), or exploited local residents in order to, as one writer puts it, "replicate first world lifestyles in some of the world's poorest locations."(1)

Tourism, in many nations, has created an atmosphere of even more poverty, higher pollution and litter, higher crime rates (especially in prostitution, drugs, and thievery, to which Westerners are particularly susceptible), and an overall strain on the environment through overcrowding and overuse. With these detrimental trends in mind, tourists, NGO's, and governments alike have begun pushing for a more sustainable and ecologically-friendly option. The resulting movement has been dubbed "ecotourism."

Ecotourism can best be described as "travel to natural attractions that contributes to their conservation, respects the integrity of local communities, and enhances the tourist's understanding of the natural attraction, its conservation, and the local community."(2) It can also be known as "alternative tourism," "green tourism," or "responsible tourism." Each of these monikers adequately describes the aspects of the ecotourism movement: "alternative" because ecotourism provides an option to traditional big city or crowded beach vacationing; "green" because the movement exploits the lure of nature and biodiversity; and "responsible" because ecotourism should work to allay the often destructive nature of traditional tourism.

The worldwide ecotourism movement is one of the most significant environmental and economic movements in recent history because of both the intended and unintended consequences that have followed. Ecotourism represents a unique opportunity to mix business and the environment in a positive way. With tourists wanting to flock to natural sites, it becomes in the host government's best interests to place environmental conservation higher on their priorities. As Patterson writes in 'The Business of Ecotourism,' "one of the most successful strategies for saving wildlife populations is to give them economic value and therefore, a voice with decision makers."(3) This rule applies to both animal and plant wildlife. This is especially true in the savannahs of Africa, where poaching has declined significantly, and Costa Rica, which jealously protects its biodiversity (which represents 5% of the total biodiversity population of the world).(4) Recognizing this significance, the United Nations labeled 2002 the "International Year of Ecotourism," and launched a World Ecotourism Summit.

Ecotourism also creates the concept of "responsible tourism." NGO's, nature magazines, and activists regularly publish guidelines for ecotraveling. The emphasis is on enjoying the untouched natural wilderness, rather than consuming its resources. The ecotourists gain an appreciation of the earth, while the host governments reap the economic and ecological benefits. In theory, everyone wins, especially the natural environment and the surrounding indigenous communities.

However, ecotourism is not without its problems. As with traditional tourism, high levels of visitation or ecologically unfriendly modes of transportation and lodging can have a negative environmental impact. With the rapidly increasing interest in ecotourism, these are especially prevalent problems, as governments try to find the right balance between profit and sustainability. In keeping ecotourism as an economically feasible source of revenue, many governments create many of the same problems that ecotourism was meant to solve. In a Foreign Affairs article, Lisa Mastny notes that "multinational hotel chains, big-city tour operators, and powerful foreign owners often engage in unfair trade practices that allow them to wrest economic control from local communities where the tourism activities take place... (these practices include) low wages and discriminatory working conditions (and) are reinforced by international trade rules that push countries to privatize and open their tourism industries to outside interests." Mastny points out instances where locals have been displaced to create ecotourism developments in the Philippines, which again represents the very problem for which ecotourism was supposed to be a solution.(5)

Another problem arises out of the all too present ignorance of ecotravelers. Carolyn Malkin, in a New Scientist article, recounts a horrifying occurrence in South Africa in which ecotourism camps are erected inside the territories of young lions, who respond by eating the unassuming tourists.(6) Without the proper educational guidance, ecotourism can be a treacherous affair for travelers and ecosystems alike.

At present, ecotourism represents a tenuous, but improving relationship between tourists, host governments (especially those in East Africa, Central America, North America, New Zealand, and Australia), and ecotourism NGO's. These NGO's include, most prominently, The International Ecotourism Society, or TIES (an international non-profit organization with ties to the United Nations) and the Nature and Ecotourism Accreditation Program, or NEAP (whose mission statement reads, "Ecotourism and nature tourism accreditation provide industry, protected area managers, local communities, and travelers with an assurance that an accredited program is backed by a commitment to best practice ecological sustainability, natural area management, and the provision of quality ecotourism experiences." )(7) These NGO's promote ecologically responsible travel and sponsor trips and activities to achieve this end. The successful coordination among all three of these groups is essential to the sustainability and success of ecotourism.

Travelers have always been attracted to sites which feature natural beauty or a glimpse into the exotic. However, these tourists have not always visited these sites in a way which respected the environment or the local indigenous populations. The ecotourism movement is an attempt at solving a number of these problems through a method that combines development with eco-responsibility. If done correctly, ecotourism can provide a host nation with an economic and environmental boost which enhances the roles of local communities in the national economy. However, for these benefits to accrue, host governments must halt the problems that plague traditional tourism: corruption, the displacement or harmful exploitation of local communities, and the destruction of natural environments. In addition, NGO's and environmental publications must work with these governments in educating tourists and tour operations in becoming both environmentally smart and responsible. The ecotourism movement will not survive if local residents are unhappy, the environment becomes degraded (thus eliminating the ecotourism draw), or if tourists are eaten by local wildlife.

(1)Honey, Martha, "Giving a grade to Costa Rica's green tourism," NACLA Report on the Americas, p. 3.
(2)Sinha, P.C., et al., Ecotourism and Mass Tourism, p. 29
(3)Patterson, Carol, The Business of Ecotourism, p. viii.
Honey, p.2.
(4)Mastny, Lisa, "Ecotourist Trap," Foreign Affairs, Nov-Dec 2002, p. 94.
(5)Malkin, Carolyn, "Humans too tasty to resist," New Scientist, Feb. 15, 2003, abstract.
(6)www.ecotourism-australia.info/neap.cfm