Emergence of Ecotourism - Coursework Example

Ecotourism Name: Institution: Emergence of ecotourism and why it had gained favor as an ideal form of sustainable tourism development Ecotourism is commonly termed as been the green way for tourists to travel, this kind of travel is mainly aimed at making certain that the travel actions do not in any way bring any destruction to the surrounding environment. Thus the industry presents the travelers with an opportunity to travel, enjoy their holidays and leisure in an economically responsible way (Garen 2006). The concept of ecotourism first emerged in the global scene in the year 1950s, but it was not until the late 1980s when the term was widely accepted as the host societies and the tourists attained more education and became more responsive to the need to protect the surroundings. The ideals of ecotourism are many by the most common ones are related to the avoidance of the negative as well as cultural effects , education of the tourist on the benefits of conservation, economic benefits to the community in which the destination is based. Over time ecotourism has gained favor as a perfect form of sustainable tourism development was mainly due to the unswerving consequences of the world response and acknowledgement to sustainable ways and global environmental practices. Another aspect that has led to the ecotourism been favored is the fact that human beings have over time renowned the significance of ecotourism as a feature of sustainable growth. The other aspect is that there has been a pressing need in the globe to gather funding resources and human resources that will be used in the administration of the secluded areas in ways that congregate the needs of the host populations. The other aspect that have attributed to its wide acceptance is that there has been a incredible expansion in the attractiveness of the holidays to natural regions a good example of this is the spectacular growth in the number of parks in most developing countries (Blamey, 2001). Current approaches in ecotourism and the extent to which the approaches do or do not achieve the ideals of sustainable ecotourism development There exist a number of current approaches to tourism and they include but are not limited to traveler’s philanthropy, carbon offset for travel, voluntourism, agro ecotourism and green architecture. In regard to the carbon offset for travel the world is really concerned about global warming and the effects that is brought about by the road trips, flights as well as by the other fossil fuel based recreation. In response to this a number of businesses are taking responsibility and they are reducing their carbon footprint by donating to projects such as planting of trees and decreasing emissions, forest protection and adoption of the renewable energy sources (Wunder, 2000). Through the donations that are made and their activities such as planting of trees and protection of the forest they are able to achieve the ideals that are associated with sustainable ecotourism development. Voluntourism is closely linked to the aspect of travelers philanthropy and this are voluntary vacations that tend to address global issues of environmental degradation as well as eradication of poverty while at the same time fostering a meeting point for both the visitor and the host community. Along with the growing awareness of the concept of social responsibility and a globalised citizen, voluntourism has been booming. Another common approach in the industry is traveler’s philanthropy. Most ecotourism organizations are spearheading international development aid in support of community projects in their host destinations (Duffy, 2002). The projects are in one way or another empowering the host communities by offering jobs, education, skills ownership and stewardship. Through the project they are able to achieve the ideals of sustainable ecotourism development. The other approach is agro ecotourism; this aspect is related to families turning their family owned lands into traveler’s interests in rural heritage and lifestyle. Through this approach the ideal of sustainable development are achieved in that the farmers are able to get additional income by hosting visitors, promoting the farm products and educating the public (Wunder, 2000). The last approach is related to green architecture, aspects that are considered under this category in relation to tourism are wind and solar power, organic gardens, composting of waste water, recycling of the building materials and harvesting of rain water. The ideal of sustainable development are achieved in that the owners of the luxury chains and the small ecolodge owners are attaining economic and ecological benefits of the green architecture. Product Development Wet Tropics of Queensland Wet Tropics of Queensland is an ecotourism destination with variety of ecotourism products. Some of the products include; camping, swimming, trekking, rainforest exploration and kids fun activities (WTMA, 1995). Trekking and rainforest exploration are the captivating ecotourism products that Wet Tropic Queensland can ever have. The ecotourism destination is well known worldwide mostly for its natural environment values, and maintenance of those values as the core business. The products allowed here must be sustainable both in natural environment and net economic benefit terms. The major strength factor is the ability of the destination to form alliances with rainforest aboriginal people, community groups, schools, councils, farmers, landowners, conservationists and government agencies (Commonwealth of Australia, 1991). It is well understood that conservation of unique flora and fauna, and ancient culture requires more efforts than legislation protection. In that respect, the two products conserve both social and environment landscape (Manidis, 1994). On the other hand, the weakness of changing global climate which is affecting the natural resources as well as biodiversity of plants and animal in the destination. In addition, since the destination is unique in every aspect, the management incorporates it as one of the opportunity. The Australian government has in more than one occasion funded the two ecotourism products. Besides, the destination has works in-line with Australian Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 which enables the two products to cater for endangered species-flora and fauna (WTMA, 1995). As one of the primary goals of trekking and rainforest exploration is to conserve environment; the destination management has implemented policies and strategies with the main aim of conserving and protecting. On the same point, the policies and strategies are geared to ensuring that tourists not only enjoy but also learn about the unique qualities. Treats related to these two products range from infrastructure, global warming, diseases, feral animals, and fire and flood calamites (Commonwealth of Australia, 1991). To mitigate these threats, the management is working together with local communities, tour operators and most importantly the tourists so as to care for the environment together applying a coordinated approach. For example, the communities participate in building natural landscape corridors and management of its natural resources. In addition the aboriginals living near the destination provide a bank of knowledge not only to management but also to the visitors (Manidis, 1994). Finally, they train the aboriginals on ranger works so as to use their customary as well as contemporary land management knowledge to engage in conserving their culture and natural resources. At a closer look, through trekking and forest exploration, the local communities are able to interact with tourists from different parts of the world and with different cultures. They are therefore well acquainted with different strategies of environmental conservation. The plan of Wet Tropic destination is to collaborate with other international agencies so as to train and develop a tour guide course (Manidis, 1994). This makes the labor force to be knowledgeable about world heritage area which compete with them and learn from them. Moreover, the management works closely with local population to develop cultural tour opportunities and sustainable natural tours. So, effective and efficient branding is one of the main priorities of the destination. This destination has cited benefiting from sustainable tourism, research, conservation, community partnership among others which is acquired through providing world-class, high quality and unforgettable experience for hikers and explores (Manidis, 1994). Finally, it is evident that the destination has implemented plans to improve and sustain environment. Some of such plans include; strategic plan, training and development, hospitality campaigns, and diversification plans (WTMA, 1995). The Great Barriers Reef The Great Barriers Reef is one of Australia’s largest tourist attractions. The reef is located on the coast of Queensland Australia and consists of over 2,500 km of reef parallel to the coast (Bowen and Bowen, 2002). Among the products offered by tourism operators in the Great Barrier Reef is boating and diving which is mostly based off the Queensland coastal city of Cairn. Among the strengths of boating and diving as tourist products include its economic contribution to the conservation of the coral environment. The 1$ charged to access the reef is used in conservation efforts of the great coral reef (Hutchings, Kingsford and Hoegh-Guldberg 2008). Secondly, it also contributes to the local economy as most of the operators of the boat are local communities who either own the boats or are employed on the boats. Boating on the Great Barrier Reef is restricted to sustain the environment including the requirement that boats do not drop anchor unnecessarily as permanent mooring spots are provided. Moreover, during the development of the attraction the local communities were widely consulted about the usage of the land which they owned traditionally. The main weaknesses of the Great Barrier Reef management are the overreliance on permits to limit the activities of tourist operators in the world heritage site (Parker, n.d). It is not enough to rely on access authorization to limit the number of individuals who access the reef. The management authority must make sure it has obtained the partnership of users of the reef in its conservation effort. The government of Australia and that of Queensland is heavily involved in the management of the Great Barrier Reef. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and the Queensland Department of Environment are the two government authorities that are responsible for the management of the Great Barrier Reef as an ecotourism product (Driml and Common, n.d). The two authorities are in charge of all the planning activities of and they produce strategic plans for the management of this protected area. Currently the Great Barrier Reef is managed through the 25 year Strategic Plan for the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage site which sets out the role to be played by different stakeholders of the Great Barrier Reef (Lai, n.d). The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority approaches management of the park by dividing it into 11 zones; these are Preservation zone, scientific research zone, National park zone, Buffer zone, Habitat protection zone, General use zone and Conservation park zone. The success of boating and diving activities on the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority is dependent on a number of external factors. These factors may be political, economical, social, technological, legal or environmental issues. Among the political issues that may be of concern to the success of the Great Barrier Reef is the involvement of the indigenous groups in the management and usage of the marine resources in the reef. However, local politics do not heavily impact boating as an ecotourism activity on the great coral reef as the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975 and other acts aimed at preservation of this natural resource recognize the rights of indigenous communities to carry out traditional activities in the park. Economical issues have also seen the government permit the establishment of numerous infrastructure developments which UNESCO believe are a threat to the reef. However, the government of Australia tries to balance between economic development goals of the coastland and the conservation efforts of the reef. The conservation efforts of the barrier have also used a number of technologies to assist in the preservation of the reef. Mooring technology that enables boats to be moored on buoys enables protection of the reef that previously used to be negatively affected by heavy metal anchors. Potential of ecotourism to deliver sustainable tourism development and the constraints that will present the greatest challenges in realizing the ideals of ecotourism and the processes that are best in overcoming these challenges, and why Based on the above discussion ecotourism has a great potential in delivering a sustainable tourism development. In relation to the current approaches in ecotourism, all the approaches seem to aim at one goal which is the delivery of sustainable tourists development all over the world. Though they approaches are working at different levels they seem to achieve a common goal that is ensuring a sustainable future (Drumm et al., 2004). There exist a wide range of limitations that present the greatest challenge in the realization of the ideals of ecotourism. The major constraints is related to the fact that ecotourism is slowly losing prospect of its intended ethical facet. The other constraint is related to the quality of experience of the tourist. A great number of visitors tend to affect the quality of the experience this is based on the fact that a packed wilderness more often than not tends to lose its fascination as well as its attractiveness. The other limitation is related to the welfare the host community. This ensures that the local community gets a considerable amount of money and other benefits that are brought by the tourists. Equity in the sharing of revenue even in instances when the local communities are the ones spearheading the operations, it is also becomes a challenging issue to share the resources fairly and equally without creation of resentments and caustic conflicts. With the key challenge of ecotourism being the keeping the businesses controlled and viable at all times. Independent control mechanisms ought to be the responsibility of international conservation NGOs, the visitors and the authoritative international accreditation. The changing economic conditions, lifestyles and demographics of the visitors had brought a blend of tourist who are more educated, cost conscious and at the same time ecologically friendly (Fennel, 1999). This sort of virtuous circle will ensure that their coordination that ecotourism activity remains under control and does not lose sight of its ethical dimension. Another way to solve the challenge posed by ecotourism is by trying to reinvest the funds that have been derived from ecotourism. This can be through job opportunities and educating the people in the host community. This process will ultimately solve the challenges that are posed by ecotourism. Another commonly accepted process is capacity building, through it the stakeholders will collaborate effectively. This process will ensure that there is direct knowledge, understanding and experience from the society and it will form a basis in which management of the social and cultural impacts, communities can take part in continuous enhancement and development through ecotourism (Wearing, 2001). Conclusion With the wide acceptance of ecotourism all over the world the people need to be keep of the meeting the main role that they set out to. In regard to this individuals need to ensure that the activities that they do are in line with the main ideals of ecotourism and in instance when they do not they should cease form undertaking those activities or rectify the mistake that may be prevalent. Thus the approaches which have been outlined in the discussion should be aimed at ensuring that the goals of ecotourism are achieved. With joined efforts form all the stakeholders in the industry, the industry will ultimately achieve its goal of a sustainable tourism for now and in the future. References Blamey, R. (2001). Principles of Ecotourism. In David B. Weaver (Ed), Encyclopedia of Ecotourism. (5-22). New York: CABI Publishing. Bowen, J. & Bowen, M. (2002). The Great Barrier Reef: history, science, heritage. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Commonwealth of Australia (1991) Ecologically Sustainable Development Working Group Final Report: Tourism. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service. Driml, S & Common, M. (n.d). Ecological Economics Criteria for Sustainable Tourism: Application to the Great Barrier Reef and Wet Tropics World Heritage Areas, Australia Available at ftp://142.103.43.3/m.bailey/Papers/aussie%20tourism%20sustainable.pdf Accessed 2o September 2012. Drumm A., Moore A., Soles A., Patterson C., Terborgh J.E. (2004). Ecotourism Development – A Manual for Conservation Planners and Managers. Vol II: The Business of Ecotourism Management and Development. The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, Virginia, USA. Duffy, R. (2002). A trip too far: ecotourism, politics and exploitation. London (UK) and Sterling VA (USA): Earthscan Publications Ltd. Garen, E. (2000). "Appraising Ecotourism in Conserving Biodiversity." Foundations of Natural Resources Policy and Management. Clark, Tim, Willard, Andrew, and Cromley, Christina eds. New Haven: Yale University Press. Hutchings, P., Kingsford, M. Hoegh-Guldberg, O. (2008). The Great Barrier Reef: Biology, Environment and Management. CSIRO Publishing. Lai, T (n.d). Ecotourism in Australia. Available at http://www.apo-tokyo.org/gp/e_publi/gplinkeco/34chapter32.pdf Accessed 2o September 2012 Manidis, R (1994) .Data Summary 1993 Visitor Use Survey Wet Topics World Heritage Area: Report to the Wet Tropics Management Authority, Cairns. Office of the Co-coordinator General (1993) Cairns Region Tourism Strategy, Brisbane: Office of the coordinator General. Parker, S. (n.d). MANAGEMENT OF MARINE TOURISM ON AUSTRALIA’S GREAT BARRIER REEF: PUBLIC AND PRIVATE DIMENSIONS OF REGULATION Available at http://www.apo-tokyo.org/gp/e_publi/gplinkeco/34chapter32.pdf Accessed 2o September 2012 Wearing, S. (2001). Exploring Socio-cultural Impacts on Local Communities. In David B. Weaver (Ed), Encyclopedia of Ecotourism. (395-410). New York: CABI Publishing. Wet Tropics Management Authority (1995) Draft Wet Tropics Plan WTMA, Cairns Wunder, S. (2000). Ecotourism and economic incentives – an empirical approach. Ecological Economics, 32, 465-479. Read More