Chapter

3
ECOTOURISM
Principles of Ecotourism
By the International Ecotourism
Society, 1991
1. Minimize the negative impacts on nature and
culture that can damage a destination.
2. Educate the traveller on the importance of
conservation.
3. Stress the importance of responsible business,
which works cooperatively with local
authorities and people to meet local needs
and deliver conservation benefits.
4. Directs revenues to the conservation and
management of natural and protected areas.
5. Emphasize the need for regional
tourism zoning and visitor management
plans.
6. Emphasize the use of environmental
and social base-line studies, as well as
long-term monitoring programs, to
assess and minimize impacts.
7. Strive to maximize economic benefit
for the host country, local business and
communities, particularly people living
in and adjacent to natural and
protected areas.
8. Seek to ensure that tourism
development does not exceed the
social and environmental limits of
acceptable change as determined by
researchers in cooperation with local
residents.
9. Rely on infrastructure that has been
developed in harmony with the
environment, minimizing use of fossil
fuels, conserving local plants and
wildlife, and blending with the natural
and cultural environment.
Elements of Ecotourism
1. Contributes to the conservation of
biodiversity.
2. Sustains the well being of the local
people.
3. Includes and interpretation/learning
experience.
4. Involves responsible action on the
part of the tourists and the tourism
industry.
5. Delivers primarily to small groups
by small-scale businesses.
6. Requires the lowest possible
consumption of non-renewable
resources.
7. Stresses local participation,
ownership and business
opportunities, particularly for rural
people.
Conceptual Definitions of
Ecotourism
There are numerous
conceptual definitions of
ecotourism, all of which try to
identify the meaning of the
concept. Orams (1995) suggest
that the majority of ecotourism
definitions lies between the passive
position and the active position.
 Ecotourism was first defined as
“traveling to relatively undisturbed
or uncontaminated natural areas
with the specific objective of
studying, admiring, and enjoying
the scenery and its wild plants and
animals, as well as any existing
cultural manifestations (both past
and present) found in these areas”
( Ceballos-Lascurain, 1987).
Other researchers elaborated this definition
by emphasizing certain aspects of it.
 Ziffer (1989) highlighted the conservation,
natural-based, economic and cultural
components of ecotourism.
 Boo (1991) viewed ecotourism not only from
natural and conservation components, but
also the economic and educational
elements.
 Forestry Tasmania (1994) emphasized the
nature-based, educational social and
sustainability components of ecotourism by
distinguishing between ecotourism and
nature-based tourism.
Blamey’s (1995) dimensions of
ecotourism included four main
components: natural-based,
environmentally educated, and
sustainably managed and
distance/time.
Linberg and McKercher’s (1997)
definition highlights the natural-based
and sustainability components of
ecotourism.
 A comparison of these
definitions indicates that
ecotourism tends to have
three main components:
natural-based, educational,
and sustainability that
includes economic, social,
cultural and ethical issues.
Trade-off Technical Definitions
of Ecotourism
Looking at the technical trade-
off definitions of ecotourism,
four different approaches can
be devised ranging from very
weak to very strong:
 Definition Elements
VERY WEAK Core emphasis
Natural-based component:
protected and non-
protected
WEAK Core emphasis
Natural-based component:
protected and non-
protected
Less emphasis
Educational component:
interpretation and training
programmers
Sustainability component:
economic and/or social-
cultural elements.
STRONG Core emphasis
Natural-based
component: protected
and non-protected
areas
Educational
component:
interpretation and
training programmers
Sustainability
component: equal
emphasis on economic
and social-cultural
elements
VERY STRONG Core emphasis
Natural-based
component: protected
and non-protected
Educational
component:
interpretation and
training programmers
Sustainability
component: equal
emphasis on economic
and social-cultural
elements
Rather than on
economic elements
Components of Ecotourism
The natural-based component
Contain three main
components (Valentine, 1992):
First, the nature of experience
which is nature dependent,
containing attributes such as
intensity of interaction with
nature and social sensitivity.
Second, the style of this
experience, where different
product elements such as
willingness to, pay group size and
type, and length of stay are
considered to be of significance.
Third, the location of the natural-
based tourism experience, such as
accessibility, ownership of the
location and the fragility of the
resources used.
Activities of Ecotourism in a
Natural Setting
The activities of natural-based
tourism can be distinguished into
three main categories.
Activities dependent on nature
Activities enhanced by nature
Activities where the natural setting
is incidental
For instance, in a discussion
concerning the classification of
water recreational activities,
Smarton (1998) list four generalized
types of recreational activity:
Kinetic experience
Situation based experience
Harvest based experience
Substitution or aesthetic
experience
Sustainability Component
One of the significant
aspects of ecotourism is
sustainability. In the late 1980s,
through increased awareness
of global environmental issues,
sustainability began to emerge
as a key component in the
world.
 In 1987 the World
Commission on Environment
and Development defined
sustainable development as
‘growth that brings benefits to
people today without
damaging resources or
prospects for future generations’
(Wood, 2002).
 Sustainable management
concerns resources
management it recognizes
that the world’s resources
are limited and they are
being used up every day
without consideration of
replenishing or protecting
them (Godfrey, 1996).
 For local inhabitants, sustainable
development concentrates on
promoting the well-being of people
through the stipulation of healthy and
supportive economic and social
conditions. Sustainable tourism
development concerns not only
developing new environmentally
friendly products, but also those aspects
of the industry that make all stake
holders more resources conscious
(Godfrey, 1996).
 Planning for sustainability
regarding the tourism sector
involves not only the host
community but also the
government on both
regional and national levels
(Gurong and De Coursey,
1994).
 A government’s
planning and
policymaking body,
especially regarding
environmental regulations,
plays a major role in
assisting sustainable
ecotourism practices.
 The concept of sustainability
is closely interlinked with the
theory of carrying capacity. This
relates to predetermined limits
to development, population
pressure and infrastructure in a
particular area. Three main
areas that are subject to these
limits are the environment, the
society and the economy.
Local Issues
One of the most vital elements of
ecotourism is the involvement of the
host community. Tourism needs to be
incorporated into the social and
economic life of the community. This
involvement should be in direct form
such as share of the revenue
generated employment and, most
importantly, control development
and implementation of ecotourism.
 Tourism can also create
improved social welfare,
education and infrastructure.
The local population is often
dependent on natural
resources provided by the
environment, therefore and
changes regarding the
environment should come from
within the communities.
 Part of the involvement of the
local population can come in the
form of empowerment: the
community is given the responsibility
to make decisions or, at least, to be
part of the decision making process,
“there are at least five areas where
local people can help to bring about
nature tourism activities: information
gathering, consultation, decision
making, initiating action and
valuation.”
 By having local
involvement the economy of
the host community thrives
as well. The multiplier effect
increases through improved
employment and higher
earnings of the local
population.
 In several destinations, the
indigenous population is
promoted as a major
attraction, they are used as
guides and provide
accommodation in
traditional villages and
houses.
Educational Component
It is a fact that ecotourism
seeks to promote responsible
travel, then education and
interpretation have to be the
foundation and this should aim
to include the local community
and both domestic and
international traveller.
 Ecotourism appeals to
people who wish to interact
with the environment and, to
varying degrees, develop their
knowledge, comprehension
and appreciation of it. The aim
of ecotourism is to educate the
visitor about the value of
natural environments.
 This third criterion is
interlinked with second,
concerning sustainability. In the
desire to understand and
appreciate the natural
attractions of a destination lies
a desire to ensure that those
attractions are not destroyed
but sustained for future visitors.
Ecotourism Management
Consideration
Evaluation of the knowledge of
ecotourism impacts can b
considered by understanding the
host community’s sensitivity to the
positive and negative
environmental, economical and
social impacts of ecotourism.
Economic Impact
The impacts of ecotourism, or any
economic activity, can be classified into
three categories: direct, indirect and
induced.
Direct impacts are those arising directly
from tourist spending, indirect impacts are
those such as when a restaurant is
purchasing supplies in order to cater to
tourist and, last induced impacts are those
such as when an employee who works in a
restaurant buys goods and services from
wages earned.
Environmental Impact
The environment is the
natural asset that ecotourism
thrives on; if it is not developed
and manage properly
ecotourism can result in
negative environmental impacts
which would undermine the
whole concept o sustainability.
Social Impacts
Social impacts occur everywhere
when people from different cultures
and societies meet and especially when
tourism development takes place it
becomes more noticeable. Indigenous
people are regularly the core attraction
for eco-tours visiting remote and scenic
natural areas, such as the Amazon,
Africa and remote places of the Far
East.
 There are different factors
that influence the socio-cultural
impacts of ecotourism,
including the following: scale of
tourism development – this
concerns the number of tourist
in relation to the host
population.
 Economic levels of host
community – in many locations, the
residents of the Third World are visited
by the people from highly developed
countries.
Cultural differences between host
and guest – when tourists arrive at
their destination, they bring with them
different beliefs, values and
behaviours that will influence the
contact they have with the host
population.
 Social impacts cause more
immediate changes in a local
community’s social structure and
way of life while cultural impacts
cause longer-term changes in
community norms and standards,
social relationships and cultural
practices. Due to this, it becomes
important to protect the host
population from negative socio-
cultural impacts.
Ecotourism Defined
Responsible travel to
natural areas that conserves
the environment and improves
the well-being of the local
people.
-The International Ecotourism
Society, 1990
 Ecotourism is travel to fragile,
pristine and usually protected areas
that strives to be low impact and
(usually) small scale. It helps educate
the traveller; provides funds for
conservation; directly benefits the
economic development and political
empowerment of local communities;
and foster respect for different culture
and for human rights.
- Martha Honey, 1999
 Environmentally responsible
travel and visitation in natural areas,
in order to enjoy and appreciate
nature(and any accompanying
cultural features, both past and
present) that promote conservation,
have low visitor impact and provide
for beneficially active socio-
economic involvement of the local
peoples.
- World Conservation Union, 1996
 The Nature Conservancy
adopted the concept of
ecotourism as the type of
tourism that recommends to its
partners the use in most
protected area management,
especially for national parks
and other areas with fairly strict
conservation objectives.
 An important toll for protected
areas management and
development, ecotourism must be
implemented in a flexible manner.
However, the following elements are
crucial to the ultimate success of an
ecotourism initiative. Ecotourism
must:
Have a low impact upon a
protected area’s natural resources
Involve stakeholders
(individuals, communities,
ecotourist, tour operators and
government institutions) in the
planning, developing,
development, implementation
and monitoring phases;
Respect local culture and
traditions;
Generate sustainable and
equitable income for local
communities and for as many
other stakeholders as possible,
including private tour operators;
Generate income for protected
area conservation; and
Educate all stakeholders about
their role in conservation.
The Evolution of Ecotourism
According to the
International Ecotourism
Society, ecotourism is defined
as the responsible travel to
natural areas that conserves
the environment and improves
the well-being of the local
people.
 Ecotourism is a concept that
combines ecology with tourism.
This can help people in
experiencing nature and wildlife
without having any detrimental
effect on either of them.
Moreover, this form of tourism
could be economically
beneficial to the local
communities.
Origin
Hector Ceballos-Lascurain, a
Mexican architect and
environmentalist, coined the term
“ecotourism.” He and his conservation
group worked to protect the wetlands
in the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico.
Ceballos-Lucarain believed that there
was an approach to tourism that could
be beneficial to the environment and
wildlife rather that being harmful.
Endangered Environment
Massive growth of the tourism
industry was responsible for
environmental wear and tear. The
beauty of nature attracted increasing
numbers of people to remote and
pristine locations around the world.
The ever-growing number of tourists
adversely affected fragile ecosystems
such as rainforests, mountains and
coastal areas.
International Ecotourism
Society
The International Ecotourism Society
(TIES), launched in Florida in 1989, is an
international network of environmental
group, governments, tourism
professional and other organizations
dedicated to promote ecotourism. It
encourages ecotourism principles. This
organization develops guidelines and
standards, conduct research and
provide education and training for
tourism professionals.
Benefits
Ecotourism helps in evading
destruction of precious natural
resources and wildlife.
Ecotourism is a way to boost
local economies and create
jobs. It encourages the market
development in native
handicrafts. This helps in the
preservation of cultural heritage.
 Concept of Ecotourism
Ecotourism is a concept that evolved
over the last more than 20 years as the
conservation community, people living in and
around protected areas, and the travel
industry, witnessed a boom in nature tourism
and realized their mutual interests in directing
its growth. Ecotourism has brought the
promise of achieving conservation goals,
improving the well-being of local
communities and generating new-business –
promising a rare win-win situation.
 Conservationists and
Ecotourism
Specific circumstances o all sides
motivated this new interest in ecotourism.
On the conservation side, protected area
managers were in the midst of redefining
conservation strategies. For practical
reasons, they were learning to combine
conservation activities with economic
development as it became obvious that
traditional conservation approaches of
strict protectionism were no longer
adequate and new ways of
accomplishing goals were needed.
 Local Stakeholders and
Ecotourism
For most countries,
protected areas have become
the last significant pieces of
land that still remain important
reserves of plant and animal
diversity, water, clean air and
other ecological services.
 Meanwhile, protected areas
have become increasingly
attractive to the farmers, miners,
loggers and others trying to
make a living. The economic
development pressures on
these areas have intensified on
local, national and global
scales.
Travel Industry and
Ecotourism
The explosion in nature has lead
to the need to address the impacts of
the industry. The growing demand for
nature-based tourism sparked interest
among protected area managers to
place tourism within a conservation
context. Travelers have been the
driving forces in the evolution of
ecotourism.
Marketing Perspective: Ecotourism
Management Considerations
Marketing – is the process of
planning and executing the
conception, pricing, promotion,
and distribution of ideas, goods,
and services to create and
maintain exchanges that satisfy
individual, organizational, and
social goals in the systematic
context of a global environment.
 When an organization is
established, the objectives of
the enterprise are discussed
and written down and from
these the marketing objectives
are drawn by looking at one of
the primary objectives of
ecotourism, sustainability with
protection of the environment,
already set in.
 Most organizations
strives for profit and then
the question arises: can
sustainability and
profitability go hand in
hand? The same goes for
long-term and short-term
goals.
 To establish the best
methods for marketing an
ecotourism destination it is
important to the necessity of
marketing to be ‘holistic
enterprise, working with the
community groups, indigenous
and other private voluntary
organization programs.’
 Two alternative marketing of
ecotourism:
Ecological marketing is ‘the study of the
positive and negative aspects of
marketing activities on pollution, energy
depletion and non-energy resource
depletion.’
Social marketing seeks to influence
social behaviors no to benefit the
marketer but to benefit the target
audience and the general society.
 Generally when we
address marketing, the four
P’s – product, place, price
and promotion play an
important role of the
promotion of an organization
and these four aspects will
now be examined in further
detail.
 Product- it has been
suggested by Wearing
and Nell 1990, that we
emphasize that the
experience within
ecotourism should be
highlighted in order to
attract true eco-tourists to
a destination.
 Place- when talking
about ecotourism, place
becomes synonymous with
distribution and essentially
concerned with how the
organization can reach its
market and how costumers
can buy the products
offered.
 Price- another major
consideration for an ecotourism
operator. The price a visitors is
charged will ultimately define what
the profit will be for the
organization and is therefore
considered one of the most
important decisions take marketing.
Price and sales volume are thereby
linked due to the fact that more an
operator can sell the more profit
the organization will earn.
 Promotion- comes from
the different
communication tools that
are available in the
market, such as
advertising, sales
promotion, direct
marketing, word of mouth
and personal selling.
Ecotourism in Action
Interest in the public about the
ecotourism has grown over the years.
Rainforest Expeditions in Peru increases
awareness across the world about the
endangered Amazon Rainforest of
South America. Conservation
Corporation Africa (CCA) aims at
conserving natural environments and
benefiting local communities. Wild
animals such as rhinos, giraffes and
leopards have been successfully
relocated n Africa by this group.
TEN COMMANDMENTS ON
ECOTOURISM
1. Respect the frailty of the
earth.
2. Educate yourself.
3. Leave only footprints.
4. Encourage local conservation
efforts.
5. Respect the privacy and
dignity of other.
6. Do not buy products made from
endangered plants or animals.
7. Learn about and support
conservation-oriented programs and
organizations.
8. Use environmentally-sound methods
of transportation.
9. Energy and environmental
conservation.
10. Encourage to subscribes to
environmental guidelines.