"Ecotourism-related Tour Operators"

2000

The research within the area of ecotourism still appears to be at its infancy stage. The definitional perspective of the concept is lacking both in terms of scope and criteria used, as well as in aspects of its planning and operationalisation. There are a variety of ecotourism definitions all reflecting a range of paradigms and perspectives. The view that this article has taken is that the definition of ecotourism is not really necessary if the discussion focuses on the concepts rather than the issues implied by ecotourism. Hence, it seems that ecotourism definitions could range from passive to active stances incorporating the three common concepts in the form of trade-off scenarios. The three common concepts within ecotourism are natural-based, educational, and sustainable (which includes economic and social criteria). Within these components, both benefits and costs exist, and in some circumstances there is disequilibrium towards greater costs. Fundamentally, ecotourism could merit wider credibility, but only when the different actors involved avoid overmarketing, and control the overuse of its products by consumers. In light of these pitfalls, this paper focuses on the three components of ecotourism and includes a review of ecotourism's definitions followed by an examination of its natural-based, sustainability and educational components. It concludes with the future state of ecotourism research in light of the changes in trends in the tourism industry.

Current Issues in Tourism, 2002

In a large number of attempts to define ecotourism researchers often suggest that one vital aspect of ecotourism is the scale of the operations. Ecotourism, so the argument goes, should be small-scale tourism. This view is often illustrated with a number of negative impacts of mass tourism on the environment and on the host communites. However, this paper introduces the reader to two major players in mass tourism, Europe's largest package tour operator TUI and Germany's secondlargest charter carrier LTU. Both are certainly not ecotour operations; however, both implemented a variety of policies and actions, which attempt to keep the environmental and social impacts in the destinations as low as possible. The examples show that positive action can be taken without compromising company operations and customer comfort.

Tourism Management, 1995

This paper reviews a variety of the definitions which have been given to the term ‘ecotourism’, and presents them as a continuum where, at one pole, all tourism can be viewed as ecotourism and, at the other, no tourism can be viewed as ecotourism. Examples of ecotourism definitions are then classified according to their position along this continuum. As a result of this classification it is suggested that it is desirable to implement management strategies which attempt to shift the ‘ecotourist experience’ from simple enjoyment and satisfaction through stages of greater understanding, attitude change and finally more environmentally responsible behaviour. A model which displays this shift is offered and a series of indicators which can be used to measure the transition are suggested.

2015

The ecotourism field has grown in the last decade from a concept to a reality. During this time period there has been a tremendous amount of discussion about how well ecotourism can contribute to conservation and sustainable development worldwide. Virtually no businesses existed ten years ago that considered or used ecotourism principles or standards when developing itineraries, training guides, or marketing products. Now, many businesses throughout the world are not only aware of ecotourism standards, but are striving towards meeting these standards. This is not to say that many nature tourism business owners were not conservationists even 20-30 years ago. Many business owners say they were already practicing ecotourism, long before it was labelled. However, there were no generally accepted ecotourism standards or guidelines until the late 1980s. In the last five years ecotourism guidelines have been formulated by many different organizations worldwide. This has been an important s...

Tourism Geographies, 2011

International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 2016

Tourism is an important, even vital, source of income for many regions and countries. Tourism brings in considerable amounts of income into a local economy in the form of payment for goods and services demanded by tourists. This paper articulates the concept of tourism and that of ecotourism, and their interrelationship, and explains the critical difference between tourism and ecotourism, which are commonly confused. The paper briefly describes about the history, forms & benefits of eco tourism. It also discusses about the characteristics of responsible and sustainable tourism. The criticisms of ecotourism are also briefly described.

Tourism Management, 2007

The ecotourism literature is focused on market segmentation, ecological impacts of wildlife viewing, and community-based ecotourism, but there has been minimal attention to critical areas such as quality control, the industry, external environments or institutions even as the components and parameters of ecotourism are being extended. This imbalance, combined with the fragmentation and lack of integration within the literature, suggest that ecotourism, as a field of academic inquiry, is still in a state of adolescence. r

Czech Journal of Tourism

The concept of ecotourism evolves differently in developing and developed nations due to which the basic principles of ecotourism are in question. The existing literature on ecotourism suggests ambiguity in conceptual understanding of ecotourism. Due to this qualm, ecotourism is evolving into various forms. Different stakeholders with varying objectives related to ecotourism make it further difficult to form the consensus on what constitutes ecotourism. Without the clear understanding of ecotourism, it is difficult to evolve ethics on which the ecotourism principles are based. The focus of this research is to find out the principle components or themes of ecotourism using a content analysis for the development of ecotourism policy and applications. This study identified six key components of ecotourism which are widely accepted by researchers and could be used to shape the fundamental understanding of ecotourism. These themes are: (1) Nature oriented travel; (2) Support of conservat...

Journal of Ecotourism, 2009