What Future Does Ecotourism Have - Essay Example

What future does ecotourism have? BY YOU YOUR SCHOOL INFO HERE HERE What future does ecotourism have? Introduction Ecotourism is defined as a variety of tourism that involves having tourist vacation in delicate and untouched natural regions around the world. Ecotourism involves efforts to provide education for travellers, assist in economic development of certain regions, and establish financing for the pursuit of environmental conservation. This type of tourism provides politically-centric growth and empowerment for a variety of communities and raises traveller awareness of cultural diversity. Ecotourism is inclusive of travel to natural regions where human culture is a principle enticement and where natural plant life, geology and animal life are main features (Nowaczek 2010). Through ecotourism practices, tourists are given new information about the role of human beings in preserving and affecting the natural environment and build a new level of understanding and respect for natural surroundings. Ecotourism maintains many diverse conceptions that dictate potential activities and learning for this type of traveller. Bird-watching in American forests, engaging in hiking within the mountainous region of South America, or participating hands-on in local village rituals are representative of potential ecotourism activities. Ecotourism is usually promoted in regions of the world where commercialisation has not yet impacted the region through mass tourism agencies. Though there is considerable growth in knowledge and recognition about ecological issues in the world with many global citizens, there are still questions as to whether ecotourism is a fad or maintains a solid future. This essay examines the proposed future potential of ecotourism, focusing on infrastructure development problems, social views of ethnic diversity and economic factors that impact contemporary travel objectives. It would appear, based on all findings, that ecotourism does not maintain a very sustainable future. Tourist values and social considerations The United Nations World Travel Organisation indicated that ecotourism only encompassed seven percent of the entire international travel market in 2007 (CRT 2011). This is substantially small considering that the entire international travel market is valued at approximately one trillion USD (Bodimeade 2013). Why is ecotourism not meeting with higher traveller interest as opposed to traditional mass tourism opportunities? Tourists are primarily concerned with service quality and efficiency during their travel experiences (Khan 2008). Ecotourism usually requires travellers to utilise camping equipment or securing stays with local community family members as in most regions with undisturbed and pristine natural environments, there is virtually no infrastructure that provides adequate transportation opportunities or supply networks for procurement of foodstuffs and other critical needs during environmental travel. For instance, in East African parks, a nation attempting to draw more ecotourists, there is a substantial unavailability of sanitation amenities which provides outcomes in which tourists are forced to dispose of their human waste at campsites or in rivers which, in turn, contaminates wildlife and people who require these water resources for drinking purposes (Tuohino and Hynonen 2001). Additionally, small communities and villages that desire to be attractions in ecotourism can only sustain a small handful of visitor groups over a monthly period as they lack electric generators, plumbing and sewage systems (Wight 2002). In an effort to attract more visitors, these financially-strapped communities and those without governmental economic support suffer undue problems with sustaining the health quality and convenience needs of ecotourists. Some in society might argue that those who are interested and engaged with ecotourism objectives would be more dismissive of reduced sanitary and other infrastructure amenities as they are aware of these limitations. However, remote regions require some form of infrastructure that supports human health as the risks in these regions require such services as first aid and emergency care services as there could be injuries occurring and a potential requirement for emergency medical evacuation (Mattsson 2000). “The success of ecotourism depends on adequate service provisions and appropriate infrastructure” (Garcia, Gasques and Bastos 2004, p.2). Only a certain segment of consumers are going to likely be willing to sacrifice basic sanitation, electric, and plumbing systems to engage in eco-friendly travel, especially with the most significant deterrent for choosing a travel destination being quality and service provision. This limits attaining a mass market target for improving revenue production and interest in ecotourism. Furthermore, Roberts and Thanos (2003) assert that consumers engaging in ecotourism maintain the utmost responsibility to perform extensive research on their eco-travel destinations and supporting agencies and institutions that are reflective of their personal needs and convictions. Hence, this would seem to represent a much more complicated and elongated consumer search methodology as compared to traditional travel to identify infrastructures, competency of guide services, and other fundamental needs of an eco-travel itinerary. From a social perspective, ethnocentrism is a common social phenomenon that is relatively universal throughout the globe (Axelrod and Hammond 2003). Those that maintain ethnocentric beliefs will cooperate with social members of one’s preferred ethnic in-group whilst not maintaining cooperative behaviours and attitudes toward other groups. It serves as a form of prejudice in which the ethnocentric individual believes their own culture and home nation values are superior to other ethnicities and foreign cultures. Why is this problematic for predicting the future of ecotourism? Balabanis and Diamantopoulos (2004) found that the older demographic tends to be much more highly ethnocentric than younger segments. Currently, ecotourism costs (generally) between 1,200 USD and 1,500 USD per trip, which is much higher than traditional tourism, hence requiring higher resource travellers which is usually inclusive of the older demographic. The average age of ecotourists is between 45 and 54, suggesting that there is a much higher likelihood of ethnocentrism with this traveller group. It is recognised, furthermore, that ethnocentric individuals resist or even refuse taking on new meanings and beliefs generated by other cultures and ethnicities and view them as far less pleasing than their home culture (Weiten and Lloyd 2010). With the focus of ecotourism being inclusive of providing political growth for local communities and educating tourists about the benefits of cultural diversity as primary objectives and agendas, it is likely that it would be highly difficult to break down long-standing and universal (Axelrod and Hammond 2003) ethnocentric values to obtain the most viable, high-resource markets needed to make ecotourism sustainable long-term. Deconstructing these often trans-generational attitudes and beliefs have been a topic of study and contention in the psychological and sociological domains for over a century; with little return on this investment in achieving effective change outcomes. Economic considerations It has been suggested that tourist companies should be paying what are referred to as impact fees that assist in developing infrastructures in regions that genuinely want to support ecotourism growth and interest (Wood 2002). This is being pushed by the United Nations Environment Programme as part of best practice in sustainability and the guidelines for eco-destination management. Tourism businesses that earn revenues through travel booking procedures and itinerary development in ecotourism are having undue pressures placed on them to take a more corporately-responsible position in providing economic support in underdeveloped regions that are suitable for ecotourism activities. Concurrently, rising prices associated with airline travel, increasing energy prices, and global recessionary environments are causing tourists to take shorter international trips and reducing their travel expenditures as a result (Bodimeade 2013). Travel businesses do not maintain ethical obligations to contribute to ecotourism development and infrastructure development whilst at the same time these businesses are forced to raise travel prices to offset rising costs along an entire value chain in this industry. This is unattractive to price-conscious travellers, especially in an environment where trip durations have been reduced in many tourist markets as a means of avoiding significant expenditures during the trip. There is no evidence that pressures from many special interest groups, such as the globally-influential United Nations, and rising prices internationally are going to subside, hence creating a variety of disincentives from a business and consumer perspective to engage in regular ecotourism activities. Conclusion As indicated by the research, ecotourism maintains significant hindrances in guaranteeing longevity of this tourism sector. Social attitudes regarding ethnic diversity, a substantially-underdeveloped international infrastructure in ecotourism, and pricing problems associated with rising costs in tourism contribute significantly to the assertion that ecotourism might not experience longevity as a tourist industry. With the recognition that in today’s society ecotourism is only representative of seven percent of the entire international travel market, it illustrates that the concept is only considered relevant, viable and interesting to a select group of travelling consumers. This too provides sufficient evidence that ecotourism is not making long-term strides in securing more attraction and attention with a broader market segment of tourists, which depletes making an assertion that this industry can be sustainable tomorrow. It should be said that the probability for ecotourism’s sustainable future is rather bleak and it is likely that the industry will ultimately witness a decline in revenue production and tourist interest in the years to come as a result of all aforementioned circumstances and considerations. References Axelrod, R. and Hammond, R.A. (2003). The evolution of ethnocentric behaviour, The University of Michigan. [online] Available at: http://www-personal.umich.edu/~axe/research/AxHamm_Ethno.pdf (accessed 18 February 2014). Balabanis, G. and Diamantopoulos, A. (2004). Domestic country bias, country-of-origin effects, and consumer ethnocentrism: a multidimensional unfolding approach, Academy of Marketing Science, 32(1). Bodimeade, M. (2013). Global travel market, Companies and Markets. [online] Available at: http://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/global-travel-market-000000947.html (accessed 19 February 2014). CRT. (2011). Responsible travel: global trends & statistics, Center for Responsible Travel. [online] Available at: http://www.responsibletravel.org/news/Fact_sheets/Fact_Sheet_-_Global_Ecotourism.pdf (accessed 20 February 2014). Garcia, B., Gasques, J.G. and Bastos, E.T. (2004). Ecotourism in the Amazon, International Environmental Modelling & Software Society. [online] Available at: http://www.iemss.org/iemss2004/pdf/ecotourism/garcecot.pdf (accessed 18 February 2014). Khan, N.A. (2008). Human resource development in tourism industry in India: a case study of Air India Ltd, New Delhi, El Periplo Sustentable, 14. [online] Available at: http://www.uaemex.mx/plin/psus/periplo14/articulo_05.pdf (accessed 19 February 2014). Mattsson, J. (2000). Ecotourism in the greater Mekong subregion. [online] Available at: http://www.mekonginfo.org/assets/midocs/0001665-environment-ecotourism-in-the-greater-mekong-subregion-special-report.pdf (accessed 19 February 2014). Nowaczek, A. (2010). Ecotourism: principles and practices, Annals of Tourism Research, 37(1), pp.270-271. Tuohino, A. and Hynonen, A. (2001). Ecotourism: imagery and reality – reflections on concepts and practices in Finnish rural tourism. Nordia Geographical Publications. Weiten, W. & Lloyd, M.A. (2010). Psychology Applied to Modern Life: Adjustment in the 21st Century (8th ed.). Wadsworth Publishing. Wight, P.A. (2002). Supporting the principles of sustainable development, Current Issues in Tourism, 5(3/4), p.237. Wood, M.E. (2002). Ecotourism: principles, practices & policies for sustainability, United Nations Environment Program. [online] Available at: http://www.pnuma.org/eficienciarecursos/documentos/Ecotourism1.pdf (accessed 19 February 2014). Read More