The Children Ecotourism Gambit
Children ecotourism sounds like a somewhat odd mix of words. Usually, when ecotourism is mentioned the images that come to mind will be that of progressive adults who are weaving their progressive causes with plain, old fashioned vacation time. Such a description is somewhat limiting, however.
The reason for this is that ecotourism is not merely a vacation or leisure activity, it is an activity that can provide for tremendous personal growth. Additionally, this personal growth is not exclusive to adults, but it can benefit children as well. In fact, introducing children to ecotourism may prove a valuable investment in their future. (This has been dubbed by some as The children ecotourism gambit) Unfortunately, there will be those who remain forever skeptical of anything with the words personal growth attached to it. This skepticism, however, would be harmful to the children ecotourism gambit.
Children ecotourism and personal growth
When the term personal growth is used, it often conjures up images of new age style pop psychology. This will, in some cases, draw a certain level of sneers from those who here the term. Part of the reason for this is that pop psychology movements have a tendency to be created from limited research and then what has been created is packaged for mass consumerism in the form of self help books, cds, etc.
While there is some benefit to such psychology, there will always be a negative cloud of a doubt of legitimacy thanks in part to the over commercialization of the product. This is really not the case in the ecotourism realm as ecotourism is based on a number of solid and sound principles that deal with a love for the environment and conservation. There is a value system at play here because a deep rooted understanding of ecotourism will create the impetus for developing personal growth through a dedication to a higher cause that is based in legitimate love as opposed to commercial gain.
As such, children ecotourism endeavors will help instill in young children value systems that provide a pathway to personal growth and maturity as their activities are based on a serious concern for maintaining a greater good in the natural world.
Children ecotourism activities are unique and fun and can be enjoyed by children of all ages. Additionally, there are a number of spiritual benefits children ecotourism ventures can provide. Because of this, it would be of great benefit to provide a child with an ecotourism activity as it will shape their lives forever.
Ecotourism Benefits
Ecotourism is a relatively new concept, in which people can take retreats to natural places, such as parks or wildlife reserves, and there they can experience nature through various means.
On the other hand, differences between mass tourism and eco-tourism show that ecotourism is more nature based, low impact as well as small scale, promotes conservation, supports local communities, helps maintain natural and cultural integrity, and makes use of environmentally friendly methods as also technologies. It is believed that there are still some major negative issues having to do with ecotourism, namely corrupt governments that pay lip service to the concept while looking the other way as poachers or illegal loggers, for instance, continue to peck away at some precious resources. Basically, ecotourism is making a trip to locations that are environmentally significant as well as sensitive and though it is now gaining in popularity, has in fact been known to us in one form or another for quite some time. Thus, there is great ecotourism potential as is witnessed in the amount of money that the average eco-tourist is willing to spend on his or her ecotourism travels, and also the high value that such money provides to the local population. Thus, while ecotourism debates rage on, it is nevertheless quite clear that in spite of the many problems, there is hardly any denying the fact that ecotourism does in fact encourage powers that be into at least thinking about conserving nature, though opinions will certainly differ on what need to be protected, and how as well as for whose benefit. This will, in some cases, draw a certain level of sneers from those who here the term.
An unfortunate example of this is when people bring drinks that come in plastic rings.
Thus, one can easily see that there are major differences between mass tourism and eco-tourism and mass tourism is normally associated with high volumes, large scale, fast pace as well as hedonism, while ecotourism is small scale, nature centric as well as conservation oriented. Ecotourism is far more than a mere trendy vacation concept; it is a vital part of keeping the planet safe and pristine. Though ecotourism in general first evolved during the eighties, it has now become quite a major influence in tourism and the trend is seeing further progress as more and more people are becoming aware of what ravages mass tourism can inflict on our fragile natural resources.
Other such destinations that do not make for ideal mass tourism include Fiji, Tahiti, New Caledonia as well as the Cook Islands; though they do see some amount of mass tourism along with ecotourism, which of course is the primary form of tourism it is helping in leading to a more integrated type of tourism, which is thus narrowing down the differences between mass tourism and eco-tourism.
Thus, there is much research being conducted on whether nature tourism and ecotourism are indeed effective enough tools to sustain development in communities that lie close to protected tourist destinations. Such studies also aim at exploring relationship between the definition of ecotourism adopted by the government of the host country and the policies formed by such governments. Since ecotourism means traveling responsibly there are many potential benefits of ecotourism that one can get and there will also be many improvements to the environment as also to the local economy. Though there is no definition of ecotourism that is universally accepted there are also some doubts whether ecotourism is about a pure concept, or is a term that is for public consumption. For people who like to scuba dive, they find themselves condemned by many ecotourists as theyre being urged not to scuba dive in order to keep the ocean life safe from human harm. After making such case studies of ecotourism, it has been found that even though not many respondents were employed in tourism there was widespread support for ecotourism and conservation of wildlife. |
