The Awakened Consumer
The Ecotourist is an Awakened Consumer. The Ecotourist cuts across all traditional demographic groups, can be of any age, sex, race, or religion; lives in the information age; participates the world of social medias; has traveled some distance away from home visiting other parts of the world; knows and understands high quality brands and services; and is willing to pay more for ecologically sustainable products and services.
The rapid expansion of international tourism is fostered by economic
globalisation. Modern mass tourism is embraced by governments as well as
multinational aid and lending institutes as a “smokeless” (non-polluting) industry
to increase employment and economic prosperity, especially in developing
countries. Amid the trend of free trade and economic globalisation, the influx of
foreign capital for tourism development projects flows into remote and pristine
areas to create holiday paradises. With foreign capital, remote fishing villages
are being transformed into world-class island resorts catering to tourists from
around the world
What is Ecotourism?
Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people."
The International Ecotourism Society
Ecotourism Activities
- Provide positive experiences for both visitors and hosts
- Observation and appreciation of nature as well as the traditional cultures prevailing in natural areas
- Provide Educational and interpretation features
- Promote positive experiences for both visitors and hosts
- Support small groups by specialized and small, locally owned businesses
- Build environmental and cultural awareness and respect
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Ecotourism Values
- Build environmental and cultural awareness and respect
- Provide positive experiences for both visitors and hosts
- Provide direct financial benefits for conservation
- Provide financial benefits and empowerment for local people
- Raise sensitivity to host countries’ political, environmental, and social climate
- Supports international human rights and labor agreements
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Economics of Ecotourism
- Beginning in 1990s, ecotourism has been growing 20% - 34% per year.
- In 2004, ecotourism/nature tourism was growing globally 3 times faster thanthe tourism industry as a whole.
- Nature tourism is growing at 10%-12% per annum in the internationalmarket.
- Sun-and-sand resort tourism has now “matured as a market” and its growthis projected to remain flat. In contrast, “experiential” tourism—whichencompasses ecotourism, nature, heritage, cultural, and soft adventuretourism, as well as sub-sectors such as rural and community tourism—isamong the sectors expected to grow most quickly over the next two decades.
- United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and Conservation International have indicated that most of tourism’s expansion is occurring inand around the world’s remaining natural areas.
- Sustainable tourism could grow to 25% of the world’s travel market within sixyears, taking the value of the sector to £250 billion (US$473.6 billion) a year.
- Analysts predict a growth in eco-resorts and hotels, and a boom in nature tourism — a sector already growing at 20% a year — and suggest early converts to sustainable tourism will make market gains.
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