Describe the Main Elements of Ecotourism
Ecotourism is a new trend in the tourism industry that focuses on questions of sustainability for the area being traveled to. The concept of ecotourism appeared in the 1950s, first being introduced in Africa with the legalization of hunting. However, it was not until the 1980s that ecotourism became widely accepted as travelers and host communities have become more educated and sensitive to the need to preserve the environment. In 2010, ecotourism represents the fastest growing subsector of the tourism industry.
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Minimize Impact
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Ecotourism adheres to a land and resources usage policy that minimizes impact, which can be measured in a number of different ways. A tourism company may want to measure its carbon footprint as an entire business or compute the carbon footprint of certain trips that it offers to participants. Other standards in the United States include the Leave No Trace policy that has been adopted by the National Forest Service as well as the National Park Service for minimizing impact on public lands.
Environmental and Cultural Awareness
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Ecotourism also incorporates the principle of building cultural and environmental awareness. The way in which tourists relate to the values, traditions, customs and norms of different cultures has a huge impact on the way in which tourism affects local populations. Learning about cultural differences helps to build understanding and respect across cultural lines.
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Political, Environmental and Social Climate
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Ecotourism affects the sensitivity that is given to the political, environmental and social issues of the host country or locality. Rather than focusing on ways of interpreting issues that focus on right and wrong, ecotourism helps to build an understanding of learning the story behind why things are the way they are in different places around the world. Ecotourism acknowledges the right of different people to have different perspectives on political, environmental and social issues while allowing room for respectful dialogue.
Benefits for Conservation
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Ecotourism espouses providing a direct link to financial benefits for conservation. Regions affected by tourism as a result of its natural beauty and nature attractions must see a direct link to preserving the environment and ecology of the area so that tourists can enjoy the area, as unchanged as possible, for many years to come. Ecotourism often flies in the face of continual development and sprawl. Locals must be organized and educated on the benefits of limiting development in certain areas that tourists are drawn to.
Provide Financial Benefits for Locals
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Local people in a host region, area or nation must receive the financial benefits of ecotourism as well as be empowered to take advantage of participation. If the financial benefits do not affect the common, everyday person, then fewer people in the local community will be bought into ecotourism and adhering to a sustainable way of living and protecting the natural environment.
Statistics on Tourism
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Tourism is considered to be the top export for 83 percent of developing countries as well as 33 percent of the world's most impoverished countries, according to Ecotourism.org. Second to oil, tourism is the most important source of foreign exchange to the world's 40 poorest countries.
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- Photo Credit tourist image by Aleksandr Himcenko from Fotolia.com
