. Sustainable Tourism
Sustainable Tourism depends for its very existence on quality natural environments; it is equally dependent on human environments, resources and cultures.
For a long time tourism was seen as a ‘soft’ activity, different from other forms of development, inherently conservatory given that its sustainability relied on the preservation of the natural resource base and the local cultures. However it is now recognized that tourism is an industry just like any other, an industry which has been characterized by rapid, short-term ventures which have often damaged those very assets upon which they depend. "Tourism kills tourism" is acknowledged as a widespread phenomenon. Tourism is essentially an exploitative industry, and as such it is justified to regulate tourism as is done for any other polluting industry. Obvious is the need for the tourism industry to become sustainable.
"Sustainable tourism" is often equated with nature or Ecotourism; but sustainable tourism development means more than protecting the natural environment - it means proper consideration of host peoples, communities, cultures, customs, lifestyles, and social and economic systems. It is tourism that truly benefits those who are on the receiving end, and that does not exploit and degrade the environment in
which they live and from which they must earn a living after the last tourist has flown back home. It is tourism that enhances the material life of local communities, without causing a loss of traditional employment systems, acculturation or social disruption.
Thus tourism is brought within the debate on sustainable development in general. Sustainable development (and therefore sustainable tourism) takes into account three central points:
• the necessary interactions between the environment and economic activity;
• long-term time scale; and
• inter- as well as intra-generational equity - providing for the needs of current societies without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
From my own observations in Nepal, "Sustainable tourism" as described above is a very new idea, and of those in the tourism sector, only a few understand the term and its implications. Many continue to equate ‘sustainable tourism’ with ‘sustaining tourism growth’. Sustaining tourism growth seems a major priority of present tourism policy. There is much more to tourism than achieving target numbers of visitors, or target numbers of hotels and beds. And high targets at that. Quality versus quantity is a constantly painful decision/trade off in the tourism industry, and it usually goes to the proponents of ‘more and bigger is best’.
Implicit in the concept of sustainability as defined above and as defined by virtually every organization involved in Sustainable Development, is the concept of limits. Limits mean controls, controls mean do’s and don'ts developed from in-depth research on such things as environmental and social indicators and carrying capacities. No where is this more important than in Ecotourism.
Ecotourism
"Ecotourism" is a relatively new idea that has dramatically captured the attention of many people from a variety of backgrounds. It seems to be a catch-all word that has different meaning to different persons. To some it means ecologically-sound tourism; to others it is synonymous with nature tourism, alternative, appropriate, responsible, ethical, green, environmentally friendly or sustainable tourism. Despite the continued debate about exactly what Ecotourism entails, it seems that most agree that Ecotourism must be a force for sustaining natural resources. Ecotourism is nature travel that advances conservation and sustainable development efforts.
Ecotourism is in its infancy in Nepal, yet it has certainly become a buzz word in a short period of time. Everyone appears to be talking about it - and the media are latching onto the term wholeheartedly. My preliminary observation is that there is a general lack of understanding, in both the local media and tourism industry, of what constitutes an Ecotourism experience, what an Ecotourism venture/initiative entails, and what the underlying rationale for Ecotourism is.
Ecotourism is a specialized, niche market that has evolved with the diversification of the tourism industry into ‘alternative’ or ‘special interest’ forms of tourism, including nature and adventure tourism.
For a long time tourism was seen as a ‘soft’ activity, different from other forms of development, inherently conservatory given that its sustainability relied on the preservation of the natural resource base and the local cultures. However it is now recognized that tourism is an industry just like any other, an industry which has been characterized by rapid, short-term ventures which have often damaged those very assets upon which they depend. "Tourism kills tourism" is acknowledged as a widespread phenomenon. Tourism is essentially an exploitative industry, and as such it is justified to regulate tourism as is done for any other polluting industry. Obvious is the need for the tourism industry to become sustainable.
"Sustainable tourism" is often equated with nature or Ecotourism; but sustainable tourism development means more than protecting the natural environment - it means proper consideration of host peoples, communities, cultures, customs, lifestyles, and social and economic systems. It is tourism that truly benefits those who are on the receiving end, and that does not exploit and degrade the environment in
Thus tourism is brought within the debate on sustainable development in general. Sustainable development (and therefore sustainable tourism) takes into account three central points:
• the necessary interactions between the environment and economic activity;
• long-term time scale; and
• inter- as well as intra-generational equity - providing for the needs of current societies without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
From my own observations in Nepal, "Sustainable tourism" as described above is a very new idea, and of those in the tourism sector, only a few understand the term and its implications. Many continue to equate ‘sustainable tourism’ with ‘sustaining tourism growth’. Sustaining tourism growth seems a major priority of present tourism policy. There is much more to tourism than achieving target numbers of visitors, or target numbers of hotels and beds. And high targets at that. Quality versus quantity is a constantly painful decision/trade off in the tourism industry, and it usually goes to the proponents of ‘more and bigger is best’.
Implicit in the concept of sustainability as defined above and as defined by virtually every organization involved in Sustainable Development, is the concept of limits. Limits mean controls, controls mean do’s and don'ts developed from in-depth research on such things as environmental and social indicators and carrying capacities. No where is this more important than in Ecotourism.
Ecotourism
"Ecotourism" is a relatively new idea that has dramatically captured the attention of many people from a variety of backgrounds. It seems to be a catch-all word that has different meaning to different persons. To some it means ecologically-sound tourism; to others it is synonymous with nature tourism, alternative, appropriate, responsible, ethical, green, environmentally friendly or sustainable tourism. Despite the continued debate about exactly what Ecotourism entails, it seems that most agree that Ecotourism must be a force for sustaining natural resources. Ecotourism is nature travel that advances conservation and sustainable development efforts.
Ecotourism is in its infancy in Nepal, yet it has certainly become a buzz word in a short period of time. Everyone appears to be talking about it - and the media are latching onto the term wholeheartedly. My preliminary observation is that there is a general lack of understanding, in both the local media and tourism industry, of what constitutes an Ecotourism experience, what an Ecotourism venture/initiative entails, and what the underlying rationale for Ecotourism is.
Ecotourism is a specialized, niche market that has evolved with the diversification of the tourism industry into ‘alternative’ or ‘special interest’ forms of tourism, including nature and adventure tourism.
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