Issues in Nature Tourism and Ecotourism

ECOTOURISM : SUSTAINABILITY AND THE ROLE OF ORGANIZATIONAL TIES

INTRODUCTION

There are two economic concepts integrated in the industry of ecotourism : economic impact and economic value (Lindberg , Kreg , 1996 Economic impact , according to Lindberg , refers to the changes in the figures of sales , income and jobs that are generated or directly derived from the practice of ecotourism . Economic value on the other hand refers to the general effect of ecotourism in the economy of the area as a whole . Lindberg also explained that the impact of ecotourism is more evident and more

positive in remote regions where more jobs and income are enjoyed by residents especially in areas where there is limited access to lesser alternatives for income generation

The industry of ecotourism has accumulated millions of dollars for different local governments and as such has been one of the healthiest industries worldwide . In fact the International Ecotourism Society reported that that it has been growing at a 300 percent rate compared to the whole industry of tourism (Mellgren , Doug 2007 . Like any other industry , ecotourism entails costs and benefits that practitioners have to carefully weigh . What is distinct with this industry is that its costs heavily depend on natural resources and the management of them With such feature , the resources of the industry are very limited and is hardly impossible if not completely impossible to manually or even with technology to proliferate . For example , we cannot make another forest once a forest area has already been damaged . We cannot dig another beach or ocean once the other has already been severely exploited . The industry therefore requires extra careful management "Ecotourism is an enlightening nature travel experience that contributes to conservation of the ecosystem , while respecting the integrity of host communities (Canadian Environmental Advisory Council 1992 . This definition of ecotourism suggests several principles that should be involved in the industry (Wight , Pamela 1993

There should be environmentally sound development which requires that there be no degradation of the natural resources by all means

There should be proper education availed by the participants in the industry which include the government , the NGOs , the tourists and the community

There should be a respect of the environment and its intrinsic value which extends to the recognition of its limits

The industry should encourage the partnership of all the players

The partnership of the players should promote ethical , cultural and social responsibilities of each

There should be a serious consideration of the long-term benefits and impacts , both economic and non-economic , in the industry and the community and

There must be a responsible conservation practices to the internal and external operations of the industry

The industry of ecotourism can be the operation of nature sports like skiing , surfing , and recreational boating . It may also involve the exploration of the highlands like hiking and trekking . The industry may also involve the operation of maintaining or developing ecoparks in the forests , in the ocean and the highlands . In any of these , the industry involves a great deal of...