What is meant by the term ecotourism and what are the major limitations of this type of tourism?

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Chris Hall AKM

What is meant by the term ecotourism and what are the major limitations of this type of tourism?

Ecotourism is among the most popular forms of alternative tourism, it involves purposeful travel to natural areas to understand the cultural and natural history of the environment. Ecotourism itself is difficult to define but it consists of three main elements. The primary aim of eco-tourism should be the conservation of the environment, as this is the most likely reason for tourists coming to the area in the first place. Secondly the tourism should encourage learning and encourage understanding about the natural habitat and the environment. Thirdly the tourism should be environmentally, culturally and economically, sustainable, as without this the industry will destroy itself and damage the surrounding area. Its theses three combined factors that define an eco-tourism attraction.

The major limitations of this kind of tourism are carrying capacity and the number of visitors. The type of tourist who seeks an authentic allocentric experience tends to be crowd-sensitive and expect small numbers. Furthermore the attractive resources themselves are often fragile and sensitive to impacts (e.g. coral reefs), and have a low carrying capacity. Similar characteristics apply to many of the traditional cultures and their environments. The most obvious way to control visitor numbers and impacts and so sustain the quality of both the resource and the experience is through remoteness and inaccessibility.  Although this leads to criticism of the industry, implying that it is only for the rich or the privileged and it also means that the industry is very small and doesn’t produce a huge income unlike mass tourism. Another problem with eco-tourism is that international companies use the ‘eco’ label as a marketing ploy rather than as an indication of a genuine policy of ‘responsible tourism’ and sustainability. Eco-tourism is also very difficult to set up, as it requires a great deal of planning to ensure that it will maintain its sustainability throughout its lifespan. It is very difficult and costly to maintain on eco-tourism facility as it is so very fragile and so requires a great deal more effort than mass tourism. It is also very important that the locals are involved in the eco-tourism as without them it is very hard to maintain the facility and the locals also help to improve conservation in the area.

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Using specific examples examine the role of tourism as a development strategy.

The Impact of tourism is very significant in terms of a development strategy.   The Gambia is using tourism as a development strategy, and at present 3000 people are directly employed in tourism, which makes up 10% of the wage earners. Unfortunately 50% of all the employment is part time and seasonal so employees are mostly casual workers with no protection such as healthcare or insurance and they only get paid the very minimum wage. The Gambia has a very desirable climate especially in the winter moths, ...

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