Eco-tourism Essay

Eco-tourism is defined by the International Ecotourism Society as â€Å"responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and sustains the well-being of local people. † It is different from the traditional mass tourism in that it provides an incentive to people to be more environmentally and culturally friendly and responsible and thus preserving a better future for the tourists of tomorrow (What is ecotourism? , 2009). One of the continents rich in indigenous cultures is the continent of Australia where various natural wonders of the world lie. It is a place with cultural and natural diversity. It is places where the Sydney Harbor, Ayers Rock and cricket stadiums mark the beauty and diversity of the region. Beautiful rainforests, parks and resorts are found and that need to be preserved and protected. In this article today, we will look into the different organizations working to promote eco-tourism in Victoria, the efforts they have taken, their adequacies, the effect of green washing which should be eliminated the most and the costs and benefits associated with eco-tourism in Australia. Even though there are costs associated with eco-tourism, the benefits certainly outweigh them and thus for the prosperity of tomorrow, eco-tourism is an emerging concept picking up even more pace in today’s difficult times of global warming, environmental threats and extinction of natural habitat at an exceeding fast rate (Brue, 2006). Introduction Eco-tourism, a term, which is gaining more momentum in today’s world due to the ever-more environmentally friendly and conscious approaches being taken to conserve the natural habitats of the world is often confused with similar terminologies. Buzz words such as ‘adventure travel,’ ‘sustainable travel,’ ‘green travel’ and ‘responsible tourism’ are often used interchangeably with eco-tourism, which has a precise and unique meaning to it. Eco-tourism is best defined as a ‘responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the welfare of the local people. ’ It is different from the traditional travel in the sense that it allows travelers to meet the people from different cultures and encourages them to protect the endangered species, plants and animals. The history of eco-tourism began when many countries started setting up lodges near parks and reserves to display the natural wonders to the world. However, little was it helping the local communities as rainforests and endangered species started depleting. In the late seventies did the realization struck that huge resorts such as Acapulco and Cancun and large parks were having disastrous effects on the natural environment, which should in fact be protected thus giving the idea of eco-tourism to be invented (What is ecotourism? , 2009). In this article we will be looking at eco-tourism in the great continent of Australia, home to the most beautiful natural sites in the world. Australia is native to an indigenous culture, marvelous sites and landscapes, rare species and inhabitants that can easily be used to spur up an economy of eco-tourism; the only hindrance is the fact that it lies towards one extreme end of the Earth. Costs and Benefits The benefits of eco-tourism cannot be understated. However, the costs of eco-tourism should also not be overlooked (Case & Fair, 2004). Environmental In today’s worlds where environmental awareness and protection is a key priority in almost all aspects of the economy and in almost all business arenas, eco-tourism also stresses on the sole importance of preservation of the environment and natural habitats. Eco-tourism like any other form of tourism is a means of giving people a break from their mundane lifestyles and giving them an exuberant experience but with a feel of environmental obligation. Eco-tourism has raised awareness among travelers as well as local communities and residents of how to protect their surroundings and the need for it as well. It has made societies more knowledgeable and has raised appreciation for biological diversity and resources and is also encouraging nations to discover new means for better conservation practices. If resources and inhabitants are not protected today, the world’s scarce resources will deplete soon leaving no tourist attraction for the later generations to come (Sustainable Consumption and Production Branch, 2009). Some of the potential costs associated are that if there is no proper regulation and authority, eco-tourism efforts may fail and damage the environment. This is what initially happened in Costa Rica and Nepal where pollution from nearby runaway resorts and hotel development and parks kept rising, signaling a poorly managed eco-tourism business (Martha, 1999). Economic Economically, eco-tourism is growing significantly. Apart from the growth of ecotourism at about a sustained 15% in Australia, there are other potential growth opportunities in other Latin American countries as well. Latin America is seen as the heart of eco-tourism and in Costa Rica, eco-tourism is rising by about 20% each year. Mexico and the Brazil have entered into long term agreements to launch massive eco-tourism projects in places such as the Amazon Basin in order to attract millions of tourists each year. And this as a result is a major contributor to the national GDP and generates millions of dollars each year. Also, eco-tourism has allowed a number of new tourists spots to develop in recent years. USAID promotes nature based tourism by developing new national parks, demarcating and equipping these parks, encouraging more investments into eco-tourism and providing hobs and training to people from such ingenious areas as well as locals and hence reducing unemployment (Dasgupta, 2006). However, one of the major risks that seem to be associated with economic effects of eco-tourism is that with the rise of international tourism, the local economic effects of eco-tourism are depleting. The millions of dollars generated by this industry often leaves the host country and into other nations (Case & fair, 2006). Eco-tourism society through its research finds out that about 55% of total revenues generated from eco-tourism leaves Central And South America. This is not the case so for Australia where a majority of the revenue forms government revenue which is spent back on public development and national preservation of forests and species. This leakage of revenue hampers growth of the local societies and limits the funds that can be re-invested in protecting and conserving the environment. Moreover, the rural people who get the jobs in the eco-tourism industry are often exploited for being cheap labor and often international workers are hired which again means a leakage of funds from the host country. Yet another cost of eco-tourism is that there maybe some spots reserved for tourists and for environmental protection, which will be seen by natives such as farmers as a means of encroaching on their lands and snatching away their rights to farm on those lands and feed the growing population. National heritage and critical sites in the Australia that have long been preserved in their natural forms, are now being encroached upon by locals and greedy foreigners in search for minerals, ore and timber and thus hampering the life of farmers and tribal people living in these areas relying upon ancient farming techniques and production methods for sustenance. Socio-cultural Eco-tourism allows people from different nations to meet people from other cultures with varying customs and unique histories. It is important that tourists have already read about the native locals that they will soon be meeting up with and the places they will go to. The benefits in this are the increase in knowledge of people about other cultures, developing cross-cultural communications and relationships and bridging gaps that may exist. Also, it allows tourists to come out of their stereotyped tourists impression and give a chance to the locals to offer them hospitality and kindness and thus providing a unique opportunity to overcome cultural barriers (Tenenbaum, 2000). However, the one real and most dangerous cost of socio-cultural aspects of eco-tourism is that it has resulted in eroding away the natives’ culture that is so unique and needs to be preserved. This happens in case when eco-tourism is not managed well whereby the tourists needs to be told how to behave with the natives, what code of conduct they need to embrace and what they should talk about and what not. Often when things are not managed well, a sense of inadequacy arises in the natives such as people from high mountains or tribal regions when they see the ‘white’ foreign tourists in such luxury and richness leaving resentment in the natives over their way of life. This has been observed through a research in the Ecuadorian highlands where the natives feel a great sense of deprivation looking at the foreign ‘white’ tourists who come with their own food, has the cash needed for purchases and can afford to have people serve them comfortably. This often leaves behind traces of modern culture and infiltrates the native culture and leaves it at a state that is neither modern nor indigenous. Managing Eco-tourism-Quality Control, Management Practices In order for the objectives of the eco-tourism to be achieved, quality control measures and management techniques should be in place correctly. In conjunction with new Zealand and other surrounding pacific nations, Australia boasts of a large ecotourism joint agreement that has seen all the members of the agreement seeing growth and development in the ecotourism sector for the past five years. Even in South America, various countries have entered into eco-tourism agreements to ensure safer and environmentally responsible tours. Mexico is one of the Latin American countries that tourism and environment leaders have entered into long-term eco-tourism agreements and Brazil has launched a huge eco-tourism project in the Amazon Basin (Martha, 1999). Various organizations have been set up to deal with the quality control issues at hand to ensure that eco-tourism approaches and techniques are able to meet the set standards and goals. Initially, in the past couple of years organizations were exploiting and misusing the label of eco-tourism and offering the traditional tourism plans. However people, conservation minded organizations and the governments realized the importance of eco-tourism in its true meaning and thus have now embraced it in its true form (Brue, 2004). In South America, many eco-tourism specific organizations are providing services to ensure quality control. In Guatemala, a local organization by the name of Pro Peten Conservation International provides training services since 1993 to natives in order for them to act as agents of eco-tourism and as guides for the tourists. They are taught how to behave with tourists, how to interact with them, how to be proud of and protect their indigenous culture and heritage and how not to get swayed away by the tourists’ lifestyles. Another organization is the Ecuadorian Eco-tourism Association that improve the working and training of all those working in the eco-tourism industry by providing field training, workshops for guides, tour operators, lodges and conservationists. Providing training to natives and those working for the industry is essential so that they know which tourists they are going to be dealing with, the level of awareness of those tourists and how well they need to frame their plans in accordance with eco-tourism objectives (Sustainable Consumption and Production Branch, 2009).