Ecotourism – lesson plan

1. Article

Ecotourism is the opposite of mass tourism. People travel to remote areas and visit faraway places without
destroying or ruining the environment. Ecotourism is intended for small groups of tourists who want to learn
more about nature in a certain area and help people who live there. Eco tourists travel to places where plant
and animal life is the main attraction. They want to know more about how people live side by side in a
natural habitat.

Ecotourism makes people aware of how beautiful the land and countryside is. Local tour guides show
visitors how important our environment is. They know how the region has developed over time. Tourists
stay in small local houses, as opposed to gigantic hotel complexes in mass tourism regions.

Other aims of ecotourism are: helping conserve nature in a faraway place, educating tourists about the place
they are travelling to, respecting the culture of people who live there, the conservation of animal and plant
species that are in danger of becoming extinct, minimizing the impact of tourism in the area, helping people
who live there, leaving a small carbon footprint.

Among the most important destinations of ecotourism are the Galapagos Islands, Costa Rica and other parts
of Central America, the Amazon rain forest and East Africa

Ecotourism started out in the 1970s as an alternative to mass tourism. Today it is one of the fastest growing
sectors of the tourism industry because more and more people are becoming aware of it. As a result, some
countries are using ecotourism to gain money and profits. In some areas, it is operated by foreign investors
who are only interested in their own profits. Bringing too many people to a remote place could, however,
damage local culture.

Eco tourists can help preserve the local environment by walking instead of using motor vehicles, using less
water, turning off electricity if they don’t need it, eating locally produced food, not throwing things away,
keeping to footpath, wearing clothes that do not offend the locals, not scaring animals, respecting the local
customs and traditions

Madagascar – Example of Ecotourism

Madagascar is a good example for an ecotourist destination. 80% of the plants and animals on the island
have always been there and cannot be seen in anywhere else. While Madagascar has the potential to become
a mass tourism country, much of it is not fully developed and lacks infrastructure. Most people live in
poverty, especially in rural areas.

The island attracts tourists who are interested in nature and wildlife and not those who long for the noise and
activities of overpopulated beaches. They can go on wildlife adventures, whale-watching trips or hiking with
local guides.
2. Vocabulary exercises

Exercise 1.

1. His idea of a party is a __________ control for each hand.

2. Getting health care can be a problem when you live in a __________ area.

3. The chances of a visit by Martians to the Earth are __________ .

A. We hired a __________ to take us up into the mountains.

B. The shop assistant __________ ed me to the shelf where the gardening books were displayed

C. Girl __________ is in American English called a scout.

I. Women would__________ a better position here only through education, he said.

II. The Republicans are __________ ing ground in the southern states.

III. My watch has __________ ed ten minutes over the last 24 hours.

a. The __________ of the crash reduced the car to a third of its original length.

b. The anti-smoking campaign had had quite an __________ on young people.

c. The bullet explodes on __________ (= when it hits another object).

Exercise 2.

Design or destine something for a particular purpose.

__ i_______ f__

The natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism.

__b____

The land and scenery of an area outside the town or a city.

__u____s___

A purpose or intention; a desired outcome.

__m

A group of living organisms consisting of similar individuals capable of exchanging genes or interbreeding.

_p_____

A way for people to walk along, especially a right of way in the countryside.

___t__t_
In, relating to, or characteristic of the countryside rather than the town.

R____

Populate (an area) in excessively large numbers.

_v___o____t_

A long walk or walking tour.

_i__n_

The place to which someone or something is going or being sent.

d___i___i__

3. Questions and visual materials (films and pictures)

Do you like travelling?

What is travel for you?

What different kinds of travelling are there?

Ecotourism

Recently many people have chosen a type of tourism that does not damage the environment. They avoid
travelling by plane or do not buy souvenirs that are made out of endangered plants and animals. Some
holiday offers give tourists the chance to take part in environmental projects.
Beach tourism

Many tourists spend their holidays on beaches. They relax, go bathing or just enjoy the salty sea breeze
and the ocean. Spending holidays on beaches has had a long tradition for over one and a half centuries.

Winter tourism

Winter tourism started out in the middle of the 19th century when wealthy Europeans went to St. Moritz
and other alpine resorts. In Europe and in the American Rockies skiing resorts attract millions of people
every year. Various lifts bring skiers to altitudes of over 3,000 meters.

Medical tourism

People go to other countries for medical treatment and operations. Irish women, for example, go to the
UK because abortions are forbidden in their country. West Europeans go to Eastern Europe for dental
treatment. Americans go to Mexico for plastic surgery and other operations.

Educational tourism

Young people live as exchange students in other countries, where they go to school and study the
language and culture of the host country.

Sports tourism

An increasing number of sports fans travel to places where special events are being held. The Olympic
Games and world championships attract visitors from around the world.
Package Holidays

Organized tours were started in the middle of the 19th century by a British businessman, Thomas Cook.
Package tours are made up of travel to and accommodation at the destination. A tourist agency often
provides everything from a plane flight to a rental car. Sometimes such package tours offer a combination of
beach holidays and sightseeing trip.

Spa Tourism

Spas have been popular since Roman times. In 16th century Britain Bath became the center of spa tourism
for the rich population. During the 19th century spas emerged all over Europe. Today people go to spas for
the healing effect of mineral waters as well as for offer wellness treatment, massages, steam baths and other
services.

Adventure tourism

In the past few decades trips to faraway exotic places have become popular. Tourists looking for thrilling
activities go mountaineering, rafting, trekking , or even to remote places in the rainforest.

Religious tourism

Religious tourists go on pilgrimages to holy sites. Roman Catholics, for example, travel to Lourdes,
Fatima or the Vatican in Europe. Muslims are required to go to Mecca at least once in their lifetime.
Varanasi , on the banks of the Ganges River, is the spiritual capital of the Hindus.
 Questions on travelling:

What’s the best place you’ve ever been to?

Would you like to go travelling for a few years non-stop?

What are the good and bad things about travelling?

Where do you want to travel to before you die?

Is it better to travel or to arrive?

Lin Yutang said: "No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his
old, familiar pillow." Do you agree?

Elizabeth Drew said: "Too often travel, instead of broadening the mind, merely lengthens the conversation."
What does this mean? Do you agree?

What springs to mind when you hear the word ‘travel’?

Are you a traveller?

Is travel an education?

Would you like to travel in space or to the moon?

Would you like to work in the travel industry?

What are the pros and cons of traveling first class and backpacking?

Is travel helping the world?

What would make you wiser – travelling around the world for ten years or reading 10,000 books?

Mason Cooley said: "Travelers never think that they are the foreigners." Do you agree?

St. Augustine said: "The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page." What does this
mean? Do you agree?

Have you ever been abroad? Where have you been?

Are you planning on going anywhere for your next vacation?

If so, where?

Who with?

How long will you stay?

Are you afraid of going abroad alone?

Could you live in another country for the rest of your life?
Describe the most interesting person you met on one of your travels.

What was your best trip.

What was your worst trip.

Do you like to travel with children? Why or why not?

Do you prefer summer vacations or winter vacations?

Do you prefer to travel alone or in a group? Why?

Do you prefer to travel by train, bus, plane or ship?

Have you ever been in a difficult situation while traveling?

Have you ever gotten lost while traveling? If so, tell about it.

Have you ever hitchhiked?

If so, how many times?

Have you ever taken a package tour?

How do you spend your time when you are on holiday and the weather is bad?

How much luggage do you usually carry?

If you went to _____, what kind of souvenirs would you buy?

If you were going on a camping trip for a week, what 10 things would you bring? Explain why.

What are some countries that you would never visit?

Why would you not visit them?

What are some things that you always take with you on a trip?

What do you need before you can travel to another country?

What is the most interesting city to visit in your country?

What was the most interesting place you have ever visited?

What's the most beautiful place you've ever been to?

When you are on a long car journey do you play games or sing songs to occupy your time?

What kind of games?

What songs?

Where are you going to go the next time you travel?

When are you going to go?

Who are you going to go with?

How long are you going to go for?

What are you going to do there?

What kind of things do you think you will buy?

Where did you go on your last vacation?

How did you go?

Who did you go with?

Where did you spend your last vacation? Your summer vacation? Your Christmas vacation?

Would you like to take a cruise? Where to? With who?

Would you prefer to stay at a hotel/motel or camp while on vacation?

Would you rather visit another country or travel within your own country?

Would you rather go to a place where there are a lot of people or to a place where there are few people?

Do you find more fulfillment from your leisure activities including vacations than from your job?

Do you think the type of vacation one takes reflects one's social status?

Do you prefer active or relaxing holidays? Why?

Which is better, package tour or a tour you organize and book yourself?

Why do people travel?

Would you like to go back to the same place?

What are some benefits of travel?

What is your favorite mode of travel?

Have you travelled in business class?

When you were a child did your family take a vacation every year?

Do you travel with a lot of baggage or do you like to travel light?

What is the best kind of holiday for different ages of people? Children? Teenagers? Adults? Elderly people?

If you had $100,000, where would you go on holiday? How about if you had $10,000? What about $1,000?

Do you prefer hot countries or cool countries when you go on holiday

Who makes the decisions when your family decides to go on holiday

If you could choose one place to go this weekend, where would it be?
Is there any difference between young tourists and adult tourists?

Do you think tourism will harm the earth?

What places would you recommed to travel to in your country?

Have you been to any of them?

Which would you recommend if you could only recommend one? Why?