The Consumption of Tourism - Tourism and Development: Concepts and Issues - page 363

to better match the developmental needs and objectives of destinations ?
Two important questions immediately follow, forming the basis of this chap-
ter. First, are we witnessing, as some would claim, the emergence of the 'good'
or 'responsible' tourist ? And, second, what influence do the characteristics
of the consumption of tourism have on the nature of tourism development ?
Green Consumerism and the 'Good' Tourist?
For almost two decades, commentators have proposed that increasing
numbers of tourists are adopting what may be described as a more environ-
mentally appropriate approach to the consumption of tourism. In other words,
it is alleged that the traditional, mass-package tourist is being replaced by a
more experienced, aware, quality-conscious and proactive tourist-consumer;
following a shift in general consumer attitudes, tourists 'want more leisure and
not necessarily more income, more environmentally sustainable tourism and
recreation and less wasteful consumption' (Mieczkowski, 1995: 388). Poon
(1993) refers to this apparent phenomenon as the emergence of 'new tourism'
and the 'new tourist'. Whereas the 'old', mass tourist was satisfied with a
homogeneous, predictable, sun-sea-sand type holiday experience, the new
tourist is more experienced, independent and flexible, seeking quality experi-
ences that educate, are different, are environmentally benign and that satisfy
special interests. At the same time, according to Poon (1993: 145) the 'new'
tourist also knows how to behave, how to consume tourism 'correctly'.
Importantly, this assumed emergence of the new, implicitly good tourist
is frequently used to justify the promotion and development of appropriate,
sustainable forms of tourism - that is, tourism that will contribute to the
sustainable development of destination areas. Indeed, the rapid growth in
demand over the last two decades for activities or types of holidays that may
collectively be referred to as 'ecotourism' is often cited as evidence that ever-
increasing numbers of tourists, as a result of their heightened environmental
awareness or concern, are seeking out more appropriate and, in a develop-
mental sense, beneficial forms of tourism. For example, Cater (1993) reported
that the number of arrivals to three selected ecotourism destinations, namely,
Belize, Kenya and The Maldives, virtually doubled during the 1980s. Simi-
larly, others suggest that participation in ecotourism has increased annually
by between 20% and 50% since the early 1980s and now accounts for up to
20% of all international tourism arrivals (Fennell, 1999: 163; Hvenegaard,
1994). More recently, not only was it argued that more than 1 million
'responsible' holidays are taken annually, but it was also predicted that this
figure would grow by 25% each year (Goodwin, 2007).
The actual size or value of the ecotourism or sustainable tourism market
is open to debate, largely because there is little consensus as to the definition
of ecotourism itself. Equally, although the figures cited for participation in