Ecotourism: Advantages and Disadvantages

This article discusses the advantages and disadvantages of ecotourism. It defines ecotourism and its purpose, and explores the economic, educational, and environmental benefits of ecotourism. It also examines the negative impact of ecotourism on the environment and local communities. The article concludes with suggestions for government policies to protect ecotourism destinations.

Running Head: ECOTOURISM 0
ECO-TOURISM

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Ecotourism background and Overview
Defining eco-tourism is not an easy task, however, eco-tourism is a form of tourism
which involves the visit to the areas which are fragile in nature and are relatively the natural
areas which are not disturbed usually. It acts as an alternative option to commercial mass
tourism on the smaller scale. It is defined by The International Ecotourism Society also
known as TIES.
Ecotourism is mainly involved in revamping the standards of the local people who are
traveling to natural areas. The main purpose of the eco-tourism is to bring awareness among
the traveler, to promote funds for the purpose of the conservation of the ecological lifestyle,
to contribute in the development of the overall economy and to derive the political
empowerment for the communities residing locally (Green Global Travel, 2018). Since
1980’s the concept of the ecotourism has been considered as a crucial project in the eyes of
the environmentalists. This is for the upcoming generations so that they can experience the
beauty of the destinations which is yet to be discovered by the humans. Most recently the
term eco-tourism is also referred by the tags such as nature travel; travel ethically, mindful
travel, pro-poor tourism and a lot more (Fennell, 2014).
There are lots of definitions given by several authors however the best definition is
described by the Young who says "Tourism to the natural areas is like fostering the
understanding of the environment, appreciation, and conservation of the culture and the
wellbeing of the communities.

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(Source: Green Global Travel, 2018).
Arguments for eco-tourism
The basic advantage of the eco-tourism is to benefit the environment through the
proper conservation of the park and the biological diversities and the preservation of the
environment is the ultimate aim of the ecotourism (Shannon, et al 2017).
Observing economically the arguments in favour of the ecotourism, it provides the
strong anti-poaching incentive for the local communities (Riasi & Pourmiri, 2015). This helps
in providing the shelter and stability for the communities.
Ecotourism is of the importance for the basic fact to provide the education regarding
the environment and how to contribute towards the funds for efforts delivered towards the
conservation.

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One of the recent studies was conducted in the islands of Galapagos, where education
was provided through the concept of the ecotourism ultimately resulted in an increase in the
knowledge of the protected area (Morgan, 1999). The behavior of the tourists gets reversed
and genuinely the interest towards the conservation increased.
Arguments against eco-tourism
One of the major drawbacks of the ecotourism is the impact of the carbon footprint
formed by the flights a variety of the places far away, in the environment. Generally, the
ecotourist destinations tend to be remote and there is always an option for the travelers to buy
the carbon offsets for the travel through flights it still has a solid impact on the environment.
The second argument against the ecotourism is the paradox of the tourism. The more
successful a particular destination is due to the utilization of the concept of the ecotourism;
the destination is more prone to the adverse consequences of the environmental and the
cultural impact.
In some aspects, the tourism and the environment are totally opposite to each other
and they act as odd metaphors along with each other. The possibility of deterioration of the
natural ecosystems and biodiversities is more when there is the flood of the tourists. For
example, the Ecotourism of Kenya has faced land destruction when the lands were being
converted for the purpose of the farming by the local community. This change led to the
decrease in the population of the wildlife by the 80% and the reserves for the purpose of the
preservation can fell down by 60% (Morgan, 1999).
Moreover, the tendency of the ecotourism destinations is to focus on the species
which are of flagship nature such as dolphins, carnivores, whales rather than focusing on the
entire system of the ecology (Chiu, Lee & Chen, 2014). Due to ecotourism, there is an

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economic leakage in the profits and the GDP of the ecotourism spots. The families residing
nearby receive around 0.5% of the total GDP of the destinations.
Conclusion
After having discussed both the arguments in favor and against of the ecotourism
promotes the culture of the destination yet the major crux is that if there is a large inflow of
the tourists and due to which the maintenance of the destination will hamper. To avoid such a
situation the government shall devise the policies and the schemes under which the limit for
the number of the visitors shall be set, the destinations shall be protected and the tourists shall
be guided and made aware about the importance of the ecological diversities and its relevance
and importance.

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References
Chiu, Y. T. H., Lee, W. I., & Chen, T. H. (2014). Environmentally responsible behavior in
ecotourism: Antecedents and implications. Tourism Management, 40, 321-329.
Fennell, D. A. (2014). Ecotourism. California: Routledge.
Green Global Travel, (2018). What is Ecotourism Retrieved From
https://greenglobaltravel.com/what-is-ecotourism-10-simple-steps-to-more-
sustainable-travel/
Morgan, D. (1999). Ecotourism Fad or future for tourism? Retrieved From
https://www.bgci.org/education/article/0371/
Riasi, A., & Pourmiri, S. (2015). Effects of online marketing on Iranian ecotourism industry:
Economic, sociological, and cultural aspects. Management Science Letters, 5(10),
915-926.
Shannon, G., Larson, C. L., Reed, S. E., Crooks, K. R., & Angeloni, L. M. (2017). Ecological
consequences of ecotourism for wildlife populations and communities.
In Ecotourism’s Promise and Peril (pp. 29-46). New York: Springer.