Some Of The Differences between mass tourism and eco-tourism Include Scale And Attitude Towards Conservation
There is considerable acrimony among proponents of mass tourism and those of ecotourism concerning various factors including travel safety as well as security and even global or regional schisms are developing. There are indeed many factors such as the rich vs. poor, developed vs. developing, economic vs. cultural values and of course terrorist vs. tourist that needs to be considered. The question is whether we will choose one side or is integration possible. Tourism is it mass tourism or ecotourism is certainly a vehicle that promotes better learning about different peoples and their cultures.
Making An Informed Decision
Nevertheless, there are certain differences between mass tourism and eco-tourism and we need to explore these to arrive at an informed decision about which one is better and also to learn how to improve both forms of tourism. Mass tourism will generally have its own characteristics that include concentration of high volume sales, shifting of large groups of tourists, full utilization of holiday packages and also development of huge transport systems and infrastructure, and marketing is more hedonistic.
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. 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.
Whereas mass tourism has been around for a long time, ecotourism only began in the eighties and this is another one of the major differences between mass tourism and eco-tourism. Ecotourism aims at balancing economic development of tourism, and conservation as well as protecting the natural resources is central to it, while mass tourism is like a juggernaut that pays scant heed to any lofty ideals and is instead hell bent on churning profits and thus pays little attention to sustainable development, and as such, this is another of the many important differences between mass tourism and eco-tourism.
In addition, while considering the differences between mass tourism and eco-tourism one can also think of tourist destinations themselves that are either suited for one form of tourism and exclusive to the other. Take for instance the Pacific Islands that are ideally suited for ecotourism and not for mass tourism. Thus, one can easily understand that if ecotourism is uppermost in the minds of tourists, they will naturally gravitate towards such places, where there is little or nothing for the mass tourist type of traveler. Ecotourism may also take one to places where the climate as well as constraints of smallness make such destinations unsuited for mass tourism. 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.
Eco Tourism Legislation
However, in practice the term is used by tour operators to market their products and relates to any form of tourism that is associated with nature.
The whole concept of ecotourism revolves around the need to remain friendly to your environment and even travel to far-off destinations should not do the kind of damage that it is doing such as producing greenhouse gases that is a result of air travel, especially when it is to remote and untouched parts of the world. It had many leading experts that came from different countries, but who shared a common interest in ecotourism and who came together to discuss the critical issues as well as challenges, and also opportunities that ecotourism as an industry throws up and many workshops and also plenary sessions were conducted. This will, in some cases, draw a certain level of sneers from those who here the term. The year 2002 was designated the Year of Ecotourism, which is a healthy sign of things to come.
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.
There is an entire story to tell about the evolution of ecotourism, and the tale is quite interesting in regard to what ecotourism actually means, and how far its come thus far. Ecotourism is perhaps very well known for encouraging eco-tourists to simply photograph the natural resources and leave their footprints at the places that they have visited. There have also been many conferences held as well as literature developed on ecotourism that have brought to the fore many principles to which ecotourism must adhere to, and which must be followed if we are to arrive at a proper definition of ecotourism. For example, if a park decides to have a nature walk aspect to it, paths will be cleared and some trees cut down to make way for the paths. You might also be able to search the internet and get the information from your towns official website. The environment is something that too many people take for granted.
Ecotourism or responsible tourism is something that came into the consciousness of us humans during the latter part of the eighties, and so the history of ecotourism can safely be said to have begun during this period.
Knowledge is, after all, a form of power that derives from a clear and deliberate understanding of a specific subject matter. Sustainability is another aspect to ecotourism and very often it has been seen that there are some places where there are people hell bent on exploiting these sensitive areas, which require giving jobs and putting money into the local economy to prevent such from happening. Ecotourism may also take one to places where the climate as well as constraints of smallness make such destinations unsuited for mass tourism. If we could find a place that was worth visiting and it did not cost more than what we could afford, then that was all there was to taking a holiday. This is because the more remote the place, the more interested people became in learning about the nature around them and how to preserve it. The classroom is not a place where an advocate can climb on a soapbox and subject his feelings towards a captive audience. |
