Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Adventure travel is a rapidly growing market, and one of the most popular activities is whitewater rafting.
All tourists and especially these rafters on the Stanislaus River in California have a responsibility to leave
only footprints and promote conservation.
PhotobyRobertHolmes;courtesyoftheCaliforniaDivisionofTourism.
It encompasses all aspects of travel
from airlines to hotels to ground transportation to tour
operators. That is, each component of the ecotourism product is environmentally sensitive.
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As a form of travel, ecotourism nurtures understanding of the environment's culture and natural
history, fosters the ecosystem
&
'
s integrity, and produces economic opportunities and conservation gains.
Go to
www.travelgreen.org
to see the U.S. Travel Association
'
s efforts on protecting the environ-
ment through sustainable travel.
National Geographic Traveler has created the term geotourism, which it de
nes as tourism that
sustains or enhances the geographical character of the place being visited
its environment, culture,
aesthetics, heritage, and the well-being of its residents. This de
nition tries to describe all aspects of
sustainability in travel.
If these de
nitions sound like a case of the best of all possible worlds for the traveler, the
destination, and the locals, to a degree it is. The problem is living up to the promises of the de
nitions
and making ecotourism a reality. Otherwise, ecotourism becomes a paradox, bringing visitors to fragile
environments and ruining them rather than preserving them. In fact, many people quarrel with the
word ecotourism. If you consider the two parts of the word ecotourism
—
the
inconsistencies are apparent. Ecology is de
ned as the science of the relationships between organisms
and environment. When tourism is connected to it, a foreign entity is introduced and nature
ecology and tourism
—
—
s
relationships are changed. Ecotourism does not work when ecotours are so popular that they destroy
the very environment they seek to protect.
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Bene
ts and Importance of Ecotourism
Before we write off ecotourism as impossible, however, consider the bene
ts:
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Provides jobs and income for local people
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Makes possible funds for purchasing and improving protected or natural areas to attract more
ecotourists in the future
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