The growing importance of ecotourism

The WSSD Plan of Implementation makes particular
reference to activities carried out in conjunction with
the 2002 United Nations International Year of
Ecotourism,amongst other international activities, in
the implementation of its sustainable tourism goals. The
International Year of Ecotourism offered an ideal opportunity
not only to review ecotourism experiences around
the world, but also to promote worldwide recognition of
the important role of sustainable tourism in the broader
international sustainable development agenda. There is,
however, a crucial distinction between ecotourism and
sustainable tourism: while the former can be broadly
defined as an alternative, nature-based type of tourism,
sustainable tourism calls for adherence to the abovementioned
sustainability principles in all types of
tourism activities and by all segments of the tourism
industry.
Ecotourism is still a relatively small segment of the
overall tourism sector. At the same time, it is one of the
fastest growing tourism segments and further rapid
7 A New Approach to Sustainable Tourism Development
growth is expected in the future. There is, however, little
agreement about its exact meaning because of the wide
variety of so-called ecotourism activities provided by
many different suppliers (both international and domestic)
and enjoyed by an equally broad range of diverse
tourists. Its main features include (a) all forms of nature
tourism aimed at the appreciation of both the natural
world and the traditional cultures existent in natural
areas, (b) deliberate efforts to minimize the harmful
human impact on the natural and socio-cultural environment
and (c) support for the protection of natural and cultural
assets and the well-being of host communities.
Consensus on some of these issues was reached
during the World Ecotourism Summit—held in Québec
City (Canada) in May 2002—although many questions
need to be explored further (see UNEP, 2002b). The
Québec declaration stresses that, if carried out responsibly,
ecotourism can be a valuable means for promoting
the socio-economic development of host communities
while generating resources for the preservation of natural
and cultural assets. In this way, ecologically fragile areas
can be protected with the financial returns of ecotourism
activities.
Ecotourism has been particularly successful in
attracting private investments for the establishment of
privately owned natural parks and nature reserves in an
increasing number of developing countries, such as Costa
Rica, Ecuador, Malaysia and South Africa. Many such
reserves are well managed, self-financed and environmentally
responsible, even when profit remains the main
motivation behind the operation of a private reserve (see,
for example, Langholz et al., 2000). In this way, the
tourism industry can help to protect and even rehabilitate
natural assets, and thus contribute to the preservation of
biological diversity and ecological balance.
However, if not properly planned, managed and
monitored, ecotourism can be distorted for purely commercial
purposes and even for promoting ecologicallydamaging
activities by large numbers of tourists in natural
areas. Given their inadequate physical infrastructure
and limited capacity to absorb mass tourism, the fragile
land and ocean ecosystems of many developing countries
can be literally overwhelmed by large numbers of
tourists. It is increasingly recognized, therefore, that ecotourism
activities can also cause adverse ecological
impact, particularly if they are not properly managed or
if they involve tourist numbers beyond the local carrying
capacity (Gössling, 1999).
Furthermore, even when ecotourism activities are
carried out in a responsible manner, they tend to give
priority to environmental protection, mainly by focusing
on providing financial incentives for environmental
conservation by local communities. Similarly, while
broader sustainable tourism strategies contain economic
and social objectives, these objectives tend to be
complementary to a central focus on environmental sustainability.
Greater priority should thus be given to
socio-economic objectives in general, and to poverty
reduction in particular.