Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 23.4
Examples of good tourism practice in New Zealand.
Source:
Human 1997.
the economy, such as agriculture, and supporting
the indigenous culture and environment.
However, ecotourists are not a single
homogeneous group. Table 23.5 illustrates the
range of tourist types who consider themselves
ecotourists. In practice, once ecotourism, initially
involving 'rough' or 'specialist' types of tourist,
begins to emerge in previously remote and
underdeveloped areas, these become more widely
known and more fashionable, and visitor numbers
increase rapidly. Overseas developers move in, and
the adverse effects of the industry begin to
outweigh its benefits. Negative impacts are quickly
apparent because of the relatively fragile nature of
the environments in which ecotourism often
occurs (Hailes 1991). Indeed ecotourism, on
occasions, can become a precursor to traditional
forms of mass tourism. 'Smooth' ecotourists who
undertake safaris would typify this situation, in
which small-scale expeditions in East Africa
during the early post-war period have been
replaced in national parks like Masi Mara and
Amboseli by package tours run by multinational
operators. Such tourists might be more
appropriately described as mass tourists rather than
those who seek ecotourism as a variant of
alternative tourism. The large-scale safari
enterprises in which they participate have led to
increased damage to the flora and fauna of these
national parks (Lea 1988) and have trivialised the
Table 23.5
Types of ecotourist.
Source:
After Mowforth 1993.
