Sustainable Tourism - Essay Example

Sustainable Tourism Sustainable Tourism 1 Introduction 1 Definitions 1 Sustainable Tourism 3 Ecotourism 4 Mass tourism 7 References 8 Introduction Tourism is one of the most important contributors in the economy. It has been seen that with the emergence of the third world countries in the global economy, tourism has taken a front seat and a number of countries are highly dependent on their tourism industry for sustainability and foreign exchange earnings. Over the years there has been seen that with the coming of the ideology of sustainable development, the tourism industry has also evolved. The concept of sustainable tourism has emerged, where there has been seen that there is emphasis laid on the development of a responsible tourism industry. Definitions Over the years there have been a number of concepts that have emerged that are associated with sustainable tourism. Some believe that sustainable tourism is directly related to environmental tourism, while others believe that it is more closely linked to green travel, yet others believe that it is related to the development of an ethnically responsible tourism industry which includes both reasonable trade and ethical tour. There has been seen that there exist certain differences among scholars as to the definite definition of sustainable tourism but there has been realised that the basic concept that is promoted under this is the efficient and economic management of all resources that takes into account the environmental concerns, and looks at the benefit of the local population of a region through the promotion of tourism. The most accepted definition of sustainable tourism has been developed and promoted by the World Tourism Organization, which defines sustainable tourism as “tourism which leads to management of all resources in such a way that economic, social and aesthetic needs can be fulfilled while maintaining cultural integrity, essential ecological processes, biological diversity and life support systems.” Thus, it takes into account the various existing needs of society while ensuring that the tourism industry is able to flourish (Beaver, A). There has to be realised that there exists a strong difference between sustainable tourism and ecotourism. Ecotourism is the travel to unpolluted, tranquil and fragile ecosystems where there is conservation of the ecology and the local people and their interest (Jacobson SK, et al, 1998). The main aim of this includes suitability of various eco systems and contribution to their upkeep. Sustainable tourism has a wider scope while ecotourism is limited to certain ecological areas alone. The main aim of this is to ensure that the impact of the tourism is minimal on the environment. These are usually small scale and include certain environmental programs like the Jim Corbett National park in India. On the other hand the concept of mass tourism is a completely different concept and is based mainly on profit maximization. There has to be realised that the main aim of this form of tourism is to attract a large mass of tourists to invest. The best examples of this form of tourism include the various tourist seaside resorts developed in the USA like Atlantic City, New Jersey, Long Island and New York. This form of tourism usually requires high development in the technological sector and is usually large scale in nature. Sustainable Tourism In the case of sustainable tourism there is maintained a stance among both the local people as well as among the tourists that there will exist the principle of responsibility. In this al factors are collectively responsible for the development of an engaging form of tourism, where culture specific methods can be employed to meet and secure the interests of the local population yet creation of an attractive place for tourists to visit (Cooper C, Fletcher J, Fyall A, et al, 2005). For example, in the country of Sri Lanka, there has been developed a system of tourism that at the same time addresses the ethnical and environmental issues of the region while helping promote tourism where the tourists can enjoy the culture and the experience at their leisure while contributing to the country’s economy. This also calls for the corporation responsibility towards the tourists, and calls for community management of the resources. This is an important step in the achievement of sustainable tourism that preserves not only the natural resources and the environment in an area but also looks at securing the cultural identity of the indigenous population of the local communities. Ecotourism Ecotourism was defined as ‘responsible travelling to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well being of local people’, in the year of 1990 by The International Ecotourism Society (TIES). There has to be realised that the main aim of ecotourism is to maintain the biodiversity and the ecological balance in an area. There are a number of advantages of promoting this form of tourism in an area. These include the following: It looks to ensure the conservation of the biodiversity that is found in the ecology of an area; It also looks at the promotion of the conservation of cultural diversity through promotion of ecological preservation; It helps in the creation and providing jobs for the local population; It looks to ensure that the social and economic benefits are distributed among the indigenous people by bringing them into the main fold of the ecotourism enterprises; It also helps ensure that there is minimal impact on the environment by the tourist industry and that the natural resources are conserved (Isaacs JC, 2000). This form of tourism is also more affordable as it completely eliminates wastages in the form of luxury and thus has a wider tourist base. It also helps expose the tourists to various cultures and experience local cultures. It also helps build up environmental awareness. This form of tourism is practised in many parts of the world including countries like Costa Rica, Ecuador, Nepal, Madagascar, Antarctica, Kenya, Sweden and others and in most of these countries these are not just to help ensure preservation of the environment but are usually major contributors to the national GDP of the nations (Vivanco L, 2002). But there has to be realised that there are two sides to every story and this holds true in the case of this scenario also. Some of the disadvantages of this type of tourism include the following: The most important problem that is faced in this form of tourism is that there exist problem at the basic level of definition (Buckley R, 1994). There are some basic criteria that are used to identify certain ecotourism which include protection and promotion of biodiversity and the cultural identity of the local population. But this can include a number of projects and areas, so most of the academics as well as environmentalists believe that the criteria of sustainability to manage these projects should be present as well as emphasize that these should be nature based to qualify for ecotourism spots stature. Also they should be conservation supportive in nature and the staff should be environmentally educated. But governments look at this as tourism based in nature and thus problems arise. This has to be tackled. Another problem that is faced by this form of tourism is that it is usually misidentified with green washing where the methods are insensitive to the ecology as well as the culture in the area leading to mismanagement and collapse of the environment and insensitivity to the indigenous population. For example in Mexico the Nature’s Sacred Paradise, a theme park has led to the displacement of the local Mayan community from the area (Bar Kin, D, 2002). There has also been seen that it has failed to live up to its various expectations. The most important principle of ecotourism is that the environment is supposed to be minimally impacted but it has been seen that in actual practices the truth is far from this. In fact there has been seen that the environment and the ecology of the areas are usually negatively impacted due to the industrialization and the urbanization that takes place due to the growth of the tourism sector in these ecological habitats (Wight PA, 1993). Finally there can be seen that due to the economization and politicization of the whole process there has been experienced a negative impact on the ecology and the culture of these areas where the local people are unable to benefit and the money is utilised for generation of industrial growth rather than channalized towards sustainability in the ecology and the local population (Honey M, 2008). This can lead to the feeling of dissatisfaction and alienation among the indigenous people. For example in Kenya the Masai tribe killed wildlife in the national parks to demonstrate dissatisfaction about the unfair compensation to those who had been displacement of the people from the area. But there has been made a start and it is important that this be continued and the various issues that are related to this are resolved so that a sustainable and environmentally viable system of tourism can be developed. Mass tourism Mass tourism as already mentioned includes massive amount of participation of tourists and thus needs a high level of technical management to maintain and function in an efficient and economic manner. It has been seen that in the recent years there has been experienced a large level of strain on the natural resources as well the ecological balance by mass tourism. This is mainly due to the fact that the projects are usually large scale and have in the past failed to take into account the various demands and requirements of the local population as well the biodiversity of the region. Today there can be seen a change in the trend of management in the mass tourism industry (Cesare LD 2009). There has been recognised a need to develop sustainable methods of functioning. This can be achieved through responsibility sharing where the management, the employees and the tourists are made aware of the requirements of the indigenous people. The employees should be trained and the resources should be utilised to the optimum to reduce wastage. The indigenous population should be employed as they have knowledge of the area as well as of the local culture and can thus help in its preservation and give to the tourists the knowledge of the culture thus enriching the experience. References Bar Kin, D, 2002: Ecotourism for sustainable regional development, Current Issues in Tourism, Vol 21, No 3 and 4, pp 245-253 Beaver, A:  A dictionary of travel and tourism terminology, pg. 313. Buckley R, 1994, South Australian Tourism strategy and the role of ecotourism in tourism alternatives, Annals of Tourism Research, Vol 21 No 3, pp 661-669 Cesare LD 2009: Seeking Sustainability in Mass Tourism, Responsible Travel and Tourism Forum, Toronto, October 14, 2009. Cooper C, Fletcher J, Fyall A, et al, 2005, Tourism Principles and Practices, 3rd Ed, Pearson Education. Honey M, 2008, Ecotourism and sustainable development: Who owns paradise?, Island Press, pp 33 Isaacs JC, 2000, The limited potential of ecotourism to contribute to wildlife conservation, The Ecologist, Vol 28, No 1, pp 61-69 Jacobson SK, et al, 1998, Ecotourism, Sustainable Development and Conservation education, Environmental management, Vol 16, No 6, pp 701-713 Vivanco L, 2002, Ecotourism, Paradise Lost- A Thai case study, The Ecologist, Vol 32 No 2, pp 28-30 Wight PA, 1993, Ecotourism, ethics or eco-sell, Journal of Travel and Research, Vol 31 No 3, pp 3-9 Read More