Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Box 23.4
Ecotourism in Belize
Ecotourism in Belize emerged in the 1980s and 1990s in
response to a demand from those living in advanced
industrial countries for new and more remote holiday
destinations that offered relatively untouched natural
environments and cultures. Belize had the resources to
fulfil this demand, including a spectacular barrier reef,
scenic cays, tropical rain forest, and a Mayan cultural
history.
During the first phase of development, existing
dwellings were often enlarged to provide tourist
accommodation. These locally owned and managed
establishments added diversity to a healthy fishing
economy. However, by the mid-late 1980s, foreign capital
was introduced to build resort-style hotels in areas like
Ambergris Cay. Tourism growth was dramatic as visitor
numbers more than doubled from 1985-1990, and
tourism became an important revenue earner.
At this stage, a discrepancy began to emerge
between the aims and image of tourism as projected by
the government, and the reality of the situation on the
ground. Official sources promoted the concept of
ecotourism, and at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992 Belize
was praised for pursuing 'conservation and therefore
ecotourism' (Godfrey, quoted in Munt and Higinio
1993:13). The government claimed that it was
emphasising sustainable tourism through measures such
as the establishment of reserves to maintain attractions,
e.g. Hoi Chen Marine Reserve, and efforts to encourage
the involvement of local communities, e.g. the
Community Baboon Sanctuary at Bermudian Landing.
Yet in practice there are high levels of foreign
ownership, foreign exchange leakages and
environmental degradation. Examples include the
building of all-inclusive hotels, golf courses and polo
fields, which involve loss of income for local people and
the creation of structures alien to indigenous culture and
society. Three-quarters of the land set aside for these and
similar facilities in the early 1990s was to be transferred
to foreign developers, although protests delayed this
move. Even the Belizean Tourism Industry Association
was largely composed of expatriates.
These contradictions question whether a truly
alternative form of tourism has emerged in Belize, or
whether this so-called ecotourism is merely a precursor
to more traditional forms of mass tourism activity.
Sources:
Pearce 1989; Munt and Higinio 1993.
society and culture of people like the Maasi
(Olerokonga 1992). Similarly, journeys of
exploration by travellers in southern Spain, like
Laurie Lee (1971) and Penelope Chetwode (1985)
in the early 1960s, helped to open up inland
Andalusia, where mass operators like Thomson
now run coach tours. One of the most striking
examples of the way in which a 'theoretically
correct' ecotourism can become a precursor to a
more damaging, less sustainable yet more
fashionable and popular form of ecotourism is that
of Belize (see Box 23.4).
Nevertheless, examples of long-established,
relatively successful forms of ecotourism do exist.
One of these, which attracts 'rough' and
sometimes 'specialist' ecotourists, is associated
with wilderness holidays in the United States.
Small numbers of backpackers travelling on foot
or by canoe are allowed into federally owned and
protected forest wilderness areas, or the back
country in some national parks, on a strict quota
system. Quotas are set at levels that avoid damage
to the pristine environment and also allow visitors
to enjoy an experience of isolation in an untamed
wilderness setting, such as parts of Yosemite
National Park. No facilities are provided within
the wilderness areas, although the local population
near entry and exit points gain some economic
benefit from people who holiday within these
areas. However, numbers are too low to swamp
such communities, thereby avoiding the perils of
negative social and cultural impacts.
CONCLUSION
One of the world's leading industries, tourism is
based on the annual temporary migration of
millions of people. Traditionally, they travel from
major urban industrial parts of the developed
world, where demand is focused, to more
peripheral areas of supply. As incomes rise and
political affiliations change, so new markets open
up, like those in Eastern Europe. The effect of this
temporary migration upon destinations is
substantial and often damaging to the economy,
society, culture and environment. This impact can
be traumatic, as the popularity of destinations rises
and falls in a cyclical manner (Butler 1980, and
illustrated in Box 23.1) that is controlled by
