Compendium of Best Practices and Recommendations for Ecotourism in Asia and the Pacific

Country: International
Language: English
Year: 2012
Pages 136
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Publication Author
United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)

Description
Ecotourism, as a niche tourism market, is considered to be one of the fastest growing segments of the tourism industry. Some have claimed that ecotourism is increasing by 25% to 30% a year (Hassan, 2000; Jones, 2005; Pforr, 2001; Sharpley, 2006; Wood, 2002) and most tourism forecasters predict ecotourism to grow further over the coming years, driven by consumer concerns over environmental and climate changes.

The development of “ecotourism” has been a beneficial by-product of the sustainability agenda and is based on the idea that ecologically fragile and natural areas can be protected with the financial returns of ecotourism activities. Indeed, ecotourism aims to promote conservation through a sustainable management regime under a “protection through usage” approach with the objective of creating a greener tourism industry and an increase in the ecological and socio-cultural awareness and behaviour of tourists (Pforr, 2001). Indeed, most definitions hold that ecotourism should be minimally disruptive to the natural and cultural setting in which it occurs; that is, it should be sustainable (Weaver, 2008).

While ecotourism is growing, many tourism operators do not fully understand its concept: what it means, what activities qualify, who participates, where it occurs, what impact is acceptable, or how it can be optimally managed (Weaver, 2008). Although there are numerous criteria and guidelines that have been developed to assist and guide tourism operators, these are often difficult to identify, require a financial commitment or accreditation process and/or simply provide a list of “dos and don’ts” for operators.

The Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria (GSTC), an initiative by a group of organizations comprising the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the United Nations Foundation, the United Nations Environment Programme, the Rainforest Alliance and many others from the private and public sector provides the tools to address this disparity. To develop the criteria, the Global Sustainable Tourism Council consulted with almost 100,000 tourism stakeholders and analysed over 4,500 criteria from more than 60 existing certification schemes and voluntary sets of criteria. The GSTC are designed as voluntary standards that represent the minimum any tourism business should aspire to in order to protect and sustain the world’s natural and cultural resources while ensuring tourism meets its potential as a tool for poverty alleviation.

Due to the nature of ecotourism with its underpinning sustainable development objectives and environmental focus, ecotourism businesses should arguably be at the forefront in meeting such standards.

Tags: ecotourism

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Compendium of Best Practices and Recommendations for Ecotourism in Asia and the Pacific