Assignment 5

Assessment Exercise 2

Ecotourism according to (1999) has grown because of the dissatisfaction with conventional forms of tourism which have, in general sense, ignored social and ecological elements of foreign regions in favor of a more anthropocentric and strictly profit-centered approach to the delivery of tourism products (30). As a form of alternative tourism, ecotourism has roots which trace back to earlier times where the environment, and how we transformed it, was garnering a great deal of concern from a small circle of committed individuals. Depending on one’s perspective, many of the issues most pressing in ecotourism today are those which have been identified in the environmental literature of the past, including capacity building for individuals, control and self-sufficiency for communities, and avoidance of wasteful natural resource consumption (2002).

 

Ecotourism in Australia

The Ecotourism Association of Australia includes in its definition of ecotourism fostering environmental and cultural understanding and appreciation. There is an acknowledgement that culture and heritage are both parts of the landscape. Ecotourism is widely considered, both in Australia and overseas, as an important niche market with a particular range of experiences sought by particular visitors, and as a catalyst for encouraging the tourism industry to be ecologically sustainable (2002). In Australia, a National Ecotourism Strategy has been formulated, complemented by some initiatives at the state level. An International research center in ecotourism has been established and a National Ecotourism Association formed. A number of international conferences have been organized, and strong moves are being made towards a national ecotourism accreditation scheme. This is essential because the growing demand for tourism based on Australia’s natural and cultural heritage is leading to a rapid increase in the number of such operators and establishments. This in turn places pressure on sensitive environments and communities, including indigenous groups (2000).

 

Issues

Environmental awareness does not only concern industrialized countries like Australia. Less developed countries are also interested in achieving economic growth in order to increase the welfare of the population while causing the least possible damage to the environment (Butler and Pearce 1999, p.177).

 

The Issue of Sustainability

Ecotourism can form the cornerstone of development plans at the local, national and regional levels. Such tourism is purported to be ethical not only in terms of distributive justice, but also in the sense that success is critically dependent on ensuring that the rights of indigenous people are respected (2003).

 

 

 

 

 

Less Developed Countries

Environmental Issue – one of the serious impacts of ecotourism is the usurpation of virgin territories such as wildlife sanctuaries, national parks, and other wilderness areas, which are then packaged as green products for ecotourists.

Social Issue – with the establishment of national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and other protected areas for conservation and tourism purposes, locals have in many cases lost their homes and livelihood, often without any compensation. Other social issues such as changes of behaviour and values, especially among local youths, prostitution and AIDS, spreading fast from mass-tourism centers to eco-tourism destinations, have been studiously avoided in eco-tourism discussions.

Cultural Issue – ethnic groups are increasingly seen as a major asset, an “exotic” backdrop to natural scenery and wildlife. What has been in general ignored is the fact that the very same people have often been the targets of a consistent policy of suppression and exploitation by the dominant social groups in nation states. Whilst eco-tourism attempts to fully integrate indigenous communities into the market-driven economic system, it keeps them as “archaeological” pieces to stimulate the tourists’ nostalgic desire for the “untouched”, “primitive” and “savage”. Worse, irresponsible eco-tourism promotion features photographs and descriptions of ethnic women, giving credence to the false notions that they are willing and available to be discovered by tourists.

Australia

Socio/Cultural Issue – In Australia and other countries around the world, there is an existing significant degree of incompatibility between parks and aboriginal people. The relationship between parks and aboriginal people has often been one based on conflict, and stems from the physical displacement and socio-economic fragmentation of aboriginal people (Fennel 1999, pp.223-224). For tourism development to be successful, aboriginal people must be allowed to take control of it despite the social and political forces that often work against them.

Stakeholder Involvement

Increasingly, planners and developers are realizing that policy must involve the many stakeholders who stand to be impacted by ecotourism development. Some of these groups include protected-area personnel, local communities, the tourism industry, NGOs, financial institutions, consumers, and national ecotourism councils. The Australian National Economic Strategy is trying to implement stakeholder participation in ecotourism (Fennel 1999, p.140).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Assessment Exercise 1

 

The key issue that was presented in the collection of case studies was sustainable tourism development. Sustainable tourism development meets the needs of present tourists and host regions while protecting and enhancing opportunities for the future. It is envisaged as leading to management of all resources in such a way that economic, social and aesthetic needs can be fulfilled while maintaining cultural integrity, essential ecological processes, biological diversity and life support systems ().

 

Sustainable tourism development is aimed at protecting and enhancing the environment, meeting the basic human needs, promoting current and intergenerational equity and improving the quality of life of all people. Accordingly, sustainable tourism development is fundamentally concerned with meeting the needs of the tourists and host regions while protecting and enhancing opportunities for the future and this requires resources to be managed in such a way that we can fulfill economic social needs while maintaining cultural integrity, essential ecological processes, biological diversity and life support systems.

 

Ecotourism can achieve both conservation and development. The community can earn money from tourists appreciative of the natural environment, and this money can support the community in their existing way of life. The direct benefits to the local populations concerned may include the opportunity to work in conservation, salaries paid from aid funds, revenue from ecotourism, and sometimes infrastructural benefits such schools and medical facilities. Ecotourism seeks to preserve the environment while benefiting the local people.

 

Less developed countries attracts tourists because of their natural and cultural attractions.Governments and their tourism boards, along with private enterprise project an image of a destination, and particularly of its natural environment, as something there to be discovered and enjoyed by tourists from industrialized nations.

 

Community tourism involves genuine community participation and benefits. It is only putting people at the center of the picture that true conservation solutions will be found.

 

Ecotourism involves travelling to a destination in order to understand the culture and natural history of the environment. It seeks to maintain the integrity of the ecosystem and at the same time create economic opportunities to make conservation of natural resources beneficial to local people.

 

However some consider ecotourism as merely a marketing concept attached to almost any tourism product to attract those sympathetic to environmental causes. For others, true ecotourism must contribute to the maintenance and enhancement of parks and protected areas, the well-being of resident communities and environmental education.

 

Another key issue is the impact of ecotourism on the local community, culture, heritage and nature.

 

Sustainable tourism involves a challenge to develop quality tourism products without having unfavorable effects on the natural and cultural environment that sustains and cultivates them. At the core of sustainable tourism is a set of embedded values related to motivated activities to integrate economic, social and cultural goals.

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