Nature Tourism And Ecotourism: Making A Transformation From One To The Other In Tanzania May Be Possible
Nature tourism and ecotourism are things one would associate with traveling to places of natural attractions, where the emphasis is not on exploiting the resources, but to conserve and sustain such cultures and places. There is a lot of travel to destinations where eco-tourists build on environmental awareness and help in a small way in providing benefits in conserving the ecology and culture of local people and their communities.
Africa Is Closely Associated With Both These Forms Of Tourism
A part of the world that is most closely associated with nature tourism and ecotourism is the continent of Africa where such concepts are best exemplified with the amount of tourism taking place in game parks and reserves where one can take in the exciting wildlife and birds and also marvel at the wonders of nature that can be found in different parts of the continent. In addition, you can revel in the age old cultures and traditions that meet and interact with modern day thoughts and lifestyles.
As both nature tourism and ecotourism began to become more popular there was a realization that nature, recreational destinations and also the heritage of these places were to be preserved if people were to remain attracted to these forms of tourism, and this is probably best exemplified in the case of South Africa that is a natural haven having the most outstanding vistas, beautiful sights as well as abundance of natures resources.
Another example of what is needed to transform nature tourism into ecotourism is seen in the case of Ngorongoro Conservation Area in Tanzania. And, of late ecotourism is being promoted as an alternative to mass tourism, and thus there is a case for nature tourism and ecotourism to be viewed as a means of protecting, conserving and developing natural environments and also a way to provide economic benefits to local peoples and communities.
When economic benefits trickle down to local people, it allows, in theory at least, for the benefits to act as incentive to protect nature and also makes the locals take to behaviors that promote conservation rather than exploitation of natural resources. 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.
Most often, such protected areas are used in promotion of nature tourism so that people can enjoy as well as experience in its true form. Even so, ecotourism is seen more as responsible tourism and it means taking eco-tourists to places where the environment is conserved and which also sustains the local people.
Thus, a place such as the Ngorongoro Conservation Area in the north of Tanzania allows experts to investigate what is required to transform nature tourism into real ecotourism. The bottom line is that nature tourism is taking place in protected areas while the ecotourism is taking place in remote areas where conservation is the key.
Ecotourism Chile
Also, if we learn to recognize the importance of protecting biological diversity and properly regulate and manage these resources, we will benefit both the environment as well as see improved economic development.
These are rural places found all over the world, as well as resort areas that offer natural getaways. You can also think of it as being a once in lifetime opportunity because you may always have Disneyland to fall back on for a holiday, though chances are that the rainforests and suchlike may disappear if something serious is not done to protect them like taking an ecotourism holiday. Thus, one will really need to have the right definition of ecotourism in mind which will envisage public interest in the environment and also conserves the resources which go into marketing ecotourism. There was near unanimity that the idea of ecotourism was good and was well supported by the respondents and that ecotourism would generate income through selling of goods and services to tourists. The goal is to have ecotourism be as positive as possible overall.
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.
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. The answer is on areas that depend on their natural resources as a form of funding for their everyday economy. Ecotourism brings with it many local arts and crafts being developed and revived while mass tourism may see the renovation of sites of historic importance as also the many monuments that are mass tourist attractions. It provides for the impetus of awareness that educates the public on the importance of environmental issues and explains the consequences before they occur.
Ecotourism is no exception and though it has many major benefits there are a few not so positive sides to it such as the negative effects of ecotourism that touch on various aspects including low level jobs being created which are offered to the local population.
On the other hand, some people find that ecotourism is becoming a problem for other nature lovers. This, in spite of the fact that Costa Rica is the leader in the world as far as deforestation rates and ransacking of forest resources is concerned having lost approximately half its forest areas between the fifties and nineties to much cutting down of trees. It would also mean building capacity for the creation and also marketing of ecotourism environmental education products as also getting local people to participate in creating as well as developing new ecotourism environmental education products. There are also hills where green tea is grown and there are also many bird sanctuaries as well as heavily wooded forests and a lot of wildlife as well. 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. |