Ecotourism: An economic analysis

Steele, Paul

doi:10.1080/09669589509510706

Cited by 39 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…For example, in the Nepalese Himalayas, ecotourism has been found to be very effective in places (Annapurna, Gurung and De Coursey 1994) and quite detrimental in others (Everest, Coburn 1984;Gurung and De Coursey 1994). Similarly, the Galapagos Islands are a prime ecotourism destination where case studies overwhelmingly come to the conclusion of unsustainability (De Groot 1983;Kenchington 1989;Steele 1995;Nolan and Nolan 1998), despite or even because of the attractive flagship species.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of ecotourism in conservation: panacea or Pandora’s box?

2005

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Abstract. Does ecotourism contribute towards conservation of threatened species and habitats or is it just a marketing ploy of the tourism industry? Using 251 case studies on ecotourism from the literature, I looked at the distribution of case studies over continents, habitats and flagship species types and what factors influenced whether an ecotourism regime was perceived as ecologically sustainable by authors. Over 50% of ecotourism case studies were reported from Africa and Central America. The overall distribution of ecotourism case studies did not reflect vertebrate endemism, nor overall tourism distribution in terms of tourist numbers and receipts. There were significant differences between continents and habitats with regard to the proportion of sustainable case studies: ecotourism is perceived to be less sustainable in South America and Asia, and in island and mountain habitats. The type of flagship species also influenced whether ecotourism was classified as sustainable or not: ecotourism with no flagship species was rarely classified as sustainable while charismatic bird and mammal species were associated with a higher probability of sustainability. In a multivariate analysis, flagship species type and local community involvement were important predictors of sustainability in ecotourism. Detailed a priori planning, local involvement and control measures were perceived by authors of case studies to increase the success of ecotourism in conservation. They also perceived that ecotourism can only be an effective conservation tool under certain conditions. If these are met, the evidence indicates that ecotourism can make a contribution to conservation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of ecotourism in conservation: panacea or Pandora’s box?

2005

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“…Whilst ecotourism can generate foreign exchange and economic rewards for conservation, it often threatens the resources on which it relies. Specific instances of negative impacts caused by ecotourism have now been documented and examples abound of garbage being dumped by tour boats, wildlife being harassed by enthusiasts, sensitive areas being trampled by trekkers, and coral reefs being damaged through pollution, siltation, boat anchors, walking and diving (Blane & Jaakson, 1994;Boo, 1990;Hall, 1994;Steele, 1995;Valentine, 1992).…”

Section: Ecotourism: Tourism For the Environment?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, some critics have suggested that ecotourism is just as damaging to the natural environment as mass tourism. Rather than providing a solution to the impacts of tourism, it will simply exacerbate them by encouraging increased use of natural areas and greater penetration into sensitive environments (Butler, 1990;Nelson, 1994;Steele, 1995;Wheeller, 1993).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecotourism and the Conservation Ethic: Recruiting the Uninitiated or Preaching to the Converted?

Beaumont¹

2001

Journal of Sustainable Tourism

132

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Ecotourism is being promoted as a sustainable alternative to mass tourism, although critics suggest that it may be just as damaging because it encourages increased use of natural areas. One of ecotourism's claimed benefits is the promotion of pro-environment attitudes and behaviours. However, this may not occur if ecotourists are already 'converted' to the pro-environment cause. To test this claim, a study was undertaken of ecotourists visiting Lamington National Park in southeast Queensland. A pre-/ post-visit questionnaire survey was conducted on-site, as well as a follow-up mail-out survey four months later. This paper presents results of that study in terms of four ecotourist groups. Results indicate that ecotourism can increase environmental knowledge and influence conservation views and behaviours. Of the four groups, coach day tour visitors were the least pro-environment initially but had relatively strong ecotourist motivations. They achieved the highest gains in knowledge and in the short term were influenced the most by the visit. In the long term, respondents who were the most pro-environment and who had learnt most during their visit were influenced the most. Therefore, for immediate effects of the experience on the uninitiated to endure, motivations need to be stimulated to encourage further involvement in and learning about nature. The question remains as to whether encouraging such involvement will have net benefits for the environment.

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“…The promotion of specialized, alternative forms of tourism (e.g. agrotourism, ecotourism, mountainous tourism) has substantially assisted these efforts, particularly in provincial areas that are rich in environmental and cultural resources [13][14][15].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characteristics of tourism development in mountainous regions using categorical regression

Σούτσας¹,

Τsantopoulos²,

Arabatzis³

et al. 2006

Int. J. SDP

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Leisure and tourism activities conceived as part of the developmental process of particular areas or regions can contribute to their economic growth to varying degrees of intensity so that they can be attainable and/or desirable. The exploitation of national resources is of great economic value in promoting tourism development in the provincial and underdeveloped areas of Greece. An evaluation of the factors that contribute to the growth of tourism in these regions would be useful in decision making and planning as far as their development is concerned. Such an interesting region from a tourism perspective, with many individual characteristics is the region of Metsovo, which belongs to Epirus, one of the poorest EU regions. However, Metsovo has recently presented a dynamic image since the region's natural resources and rich cultural heritage (many Greek benefactors originated from here), along with its farming products with designation of origin, have created major prospects for the promotion of tourism. The present research was carried out using a structured questionnaire and cluster sampling involving visitors staying in local hotels. The collected data were elaborated using the SPSS v. 11.0 statistical program. Descriptive statistics and categorical regression were used to analyse the relevant data. The main conclusions have shown that the profile of visitors to Metsovo can be summarized using the following characteristics: relatively young, minimum secondary school graduates and belonging to the upper social classes ( judged by their profession). In addition, for more than half of the visitors the region of Metsovo is their permanent holiday location, primarily for relaxation purposes. The main problems that visitors face in the region of Metsovo relate to the lack of parking areas and cleanliness. Visitors with a higher level of education and/or income choose to visit Metsovo during public holidays or weekends; they also show a tendency to spend more money in comparison to the rest of the visitors. Finally, visitors who describe the surrounding countryside as nice or very nice are characterized by a higher professional and educational standing.

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Ecotourism: An economic analysis

Cited by 39 publications

References 6 publications

The role of ecotourism in conservation: panacea or Pandora’s box?

The role of ecotourism in conservation: panacea or Pandora’s box?

Ecotourism and the Conservation Ethic: Recruiting the Uninitiated or Preaching to the Converted?

Characteristics of tourism development in mountainous regions using categorical regression

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