Topic 15: Tourism

Knowing what to expect from your destination will make all aspects of planning an adventure trip easier, as well as helping you to get the most out of the experience. Research will help you pick the best places to go but you’ll also learn what you need to pack. What health and safety (1) __________ to take, and what cultural (and sometimes political) issues you should be aware of.

Climate and seasonal pricing are important factors in your decision about when to go. (2) ______ for adventure travel, bad weather or weather you’re not prepared for can ruin the trip. While you can’t predict the (3) __________ weather in advance, you can learn about climate trends ahead of time when doing your destination research. Seasonal popularity and pricing should also be considered if you intend to keep away from peak-season crowd and prices.

While some research is absolutely essential, don’t plan every moment of your trip in advance. Over-planning tends to make us less (4) __________ to take part in the spontaneous events that are part of any sort of adventure travel. It’s really important to (5)_________ a big reserve of excitement and energy ready for the unexpected adventures.

Tourism will always have an impact on the places visited. Sometimes the impact is good, but often it is negative. For example, if lots of people visit one place, then this can (1) ________ the environment. The question is - how can we minimize the problems without preventing people from travelling and visiting places?

The main aim of ecotourism is to reduce the negative impact that tourism has (2) ______ the environment and local people. The idea is to encourage tourists to think about what they do when they visit a place. It’s great to talk about protecting the environment, but how do you actually do this? There are a larger (3)_______ of key points. Tourists shouldn’t drop litter, they should stay on the paths, they shouldn’t interfere with wildlife and they should respect local customs and traditions.

Some people see ecotourism as a (4) _______. They say that any tourism needs infrastructure - roads, airports and hotels. The more tourists that visit a place, the more of these are needed and, by building more of these, you can’t avoid damaging the environment. But, of course, things aren’t so (5) _______. Living in a place of natural beauty doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t benefit from things like better roads. As long as the improvements benefit the local people and not just the tourists, and the local communities are consulted on plans and changes, then is there really a problem?

Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana, is a country in southern Africa that shares borders with South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe. The capital, Gaborone, (1) _______ on the Notwane River in the South east of Botswana. The Kalahari Desert covers more than 70% of Botswana. The Kalahari isn’t a true desert because it rains more each year there than in most (2) _______ deserts. Despite this, Botswana is a dry country. When it does rain, the rain is often heavy and there are floods.

Botswana is a popular tourist destination, with people from all over the world coming to see its amazing animals. During the seasonal floods, the land becomes a lush animal habitat. The wide variety of wildlife (3) __________ elephants and lions. Many visit Chobe National Park to see its 70,000 elephants, (4) __________ are the largest of all living elephants. The grassland and river valleys are home to giraffes, cheetahs, hyenas and wild dogs. The baobab tree, an icon of the African savannah, plays an important role in Botswana culture and nearly every part of it is useful. For example, it (5) __________ used to make rope and people pick the leaves to make soup.

The Greenbox emerged as Ireland’s first and most successful integrated ecotourism destination with a set of standards based on sound environmental practices highlighting all (1) ____ the region and its people had to offer.

The Greenbox aimed to deliver environmentally sustainable tourism products, accommodation and attractions. Such tourism activity would have minimal impact (2) ____ the ecology of the area, be of maximum benefit to the local communities and (3) ____ the needs of the environmentally conscious visitor. The Greenbox encompassed an area covering all of Leitrim and Fermanagh and parts of Donegal, Sligo and Cavan.

The Greenbox promoted travel which is small scale, low impact, culturally sensitive and community orientated, and provided a marketing tool for businesses that were grounded in sustainable principles and (4) ____ within the Greenbox area. The concept was broader than (5) ____ established definition of tourism, embracing activities such as organic food production, rural transport, energy and waste management.

The biggest difference between an eco-lodge and a green hotel is the setting in which you’ll find them. Eco lodges tend to be more remote, located in relatively pristine natural environments such as beaches, jungles and mountains. Green hotels, on the other hand, are more often associated with cities and towns.

Eco lodges and green hotels both emphasize elements such as environmental responsibility and minimizing negative impact. The best ones offer renewable energy sources, recycling services, eco-friendly toiletries, energy efficient lighting, locally sourced food, organic linens and towels, non-toxic cleaning supplies, non-disposable dishes, water conservation methods and various other sustainability-focused initiatives.

But eco lodges tend to be more dependent on the natural environment than green hotels. They are also generally more active in nature and wildlife conservation, more focused on educating visitors about the flora and fauna of local ecosystems, and more deeply connected with the area’s indigenous culture (whose influence is often incorporated into the lodge’s decor and restaurant menu).

The best eco lodges also work to ensure positive relationships with the local people. They train and employ them at fair wages, take part in community development initiatives, offer activities that help visitors conserve and appreciate local customs, and contribute to the local economy. In this way, they reinforce the notion of ecotourism as a more sustainable long-term business model than altering or destroying habitats for quick financial gains.

Environmentalists often fear that tourists will trample all over sensitive natural resource areas, but tourism may bring the needed and only economic incentives to help drive conservation, said Bynum Boley. Ecotourism and natural resource conservation already have a mutually beneficial relationship that is ideal for creating a sustainable partnership.

“Ecotourism destinations benefit in the form of enhanced tourism competitiveness from the protection of quality natural resources,” he said. "Meanwhile, the conservation of these natural resources is increasingly valued since these pristine natural resources are the foundation of the ecotourism industry and the driver of all economic benefits associated with ecotourism."

Tourism is a $7.6 trillion global industry, provides 277 million jobs and is a primary income source for 20 of the world’s 48 least-developed countries. It also subsidizes environmental protection and helps protect, conserve and value cultural resources that might otherwise be undervalued by the host community, Boley said. In the newpaper, Boley and co-author Gary Green said that despite past tension between the tourism industry and environmentalists, the two should team up as allies to fight off increasing conversion of land away from its natural state. Ecotourists not only provide a boost to the economy in such places, they can also motivate landowners into keeping the environment in its natural state instead of converting it into something unsustainable. They could also influence the public perception of conservation, Boley explained, which does not often favor environmental protection.

“The public has become increasing less prone to respond to environmental messages,” he said. “Economic messages are needed in order to attract the public’s interest.” Too often, Boley and Green said, unique natural resource areas are converted into urban, suburban and agricultural developments without considering their ecotourism potential. In addition to the lost ecotourism revenue, there are a host of negative environmental consequences such as biodiversity loss, water and food shortages and the land being unable to mitigate the effects of climate change. These areas are not valued for their unique attributes or the valuable natural resources they provide, Green said, “so we lose them.” Tourists have historically been seen as having a negative impact on the environment. Critics complain that they violate fragile and threatened natural environments while contributing to greenhouse gases from the increased number of flights to these exotic and often remote locales. While these criticisms are justified, Boley and Green said responsible programs promote education of ecological conservation and environmental sustainability, fostering a greater understanding and appreciation of these exotic areas.

The International Ecotourism Society (TIES), a non-profit organization committed to promoting sustainable tourism, states that ecotourism unites conservation and communities with sustainable travel. With that being said, they offer six core principles of ecotourism that vacationers should follow: minimize impact, build environmental and cultural awareness and respect, provide positive experiences for both visitors and hosts, provide direct financial benefits for conservation, provide financial benefits and empowerment for local people, and raise sensitivity to host countries’ political, environmental, and social climate.

Ecotourism offers the opportunity to help protect and maintain our planet. Beginning with responsible travel, sustainable tourism promotes green practices such as recycling and using organic products. There are also many environmental programs and initiatives made available so that people can get involved with sustainability. For example, in Kenya, tourists can get involved with the Basecamp Foundation, which has a monitoring program for big cats and elephants. These kinds of experiences try to demonstrate the positive impact of tourism and teach tourists about the significance of maintaining the environment. However, the simple act of being a tourist in a fragile, natural area helps a great deal, as the money spent there assists in raising funds to protect those areas for generations.

Sustainable tourism supports local communities by allowing their economy to grow. Tourism alone employs a large number of local staff. This in turn empowers communities to fight against poverty and encourages the support of local events, festivals, and organizations. As a result the community and its local businesses thrive.

Not only is ecotourism an environmentally fun experience, but it’s also educational. By embarking on an ecotourism vacation, people gain an awareness and understanding of the social and economic conditions of the place they visit. In addition, vacationers learn to appreciate the area’s environment through conservation and also to respect the culture of the local people. While tourists are normally unaware of a country’s poverty or ill conditions, ecotourism strives to expose tourists to the realities of these areas. Ecotourism is a new holiday experience that mixes together vacation fun with conservation and education. Sustainable tourism creates environmentally aware individuals and helps develop their appreciation of nature and local culture. Not only do vacationers go home with new knowledge, but also a worthwhile experience.

With 13,000 floral species and over 15,000 faunal species, three newly discovered big animal species, and a ratio of country/world species of 6.3%. Vietnam has enormous tourism-particularly ecotourism-potential. In fact, since 1986, when Renovation Reforms began the shift from a centrally planned to a socialist-oriented market, or multi-sectoral, economy, tourism has been an sector of primary concern to the government. In May 1995, the prime minister of Vietnam approved a master plan of tourism development for the period 1995-2010. In February 1999, the state decree on tourism was part of the socio-economic development strategy for the period 2001-2010 approved at the IX National Congress of the Party: “Tourism development has become a spearhead economic industry indeed. It is necessary to improve the quality and effectiveness of tourism activities, bringing into full play the natural conditions, and cultural and historical tradition to meet the domestic and international demand for tourism and to catch up with tourism development in the region” (Document of the IX National Congress 2001).

Tourism has so far brought great benefits to the economy, but it has also contributed to environmental degradation, especially biodiversity deterioration. Thus, the concept of “sustainable development”-development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs - must be factored into tourism development. This consideration is reflected in the term “ecotourism,” which is referred to variously as ecological or environmental tourism, nature or green tourism, sustainable or responsible tourism.

Ecotourism involves travel to relatively undisturbed natural areas with the specific object of studying, admiring, and enjoying scenery, plants, and animals, as well as any cultural features found in these areas. It is distinguished from mass or resort tourism by its lower impact on the environment, lower infrastructure requirements, and its role in educating tourists about natural environments and cultural values.

Fully aware of its significance, the government of Vietnam has prioritized ecotourism in its strategy for tourism development to ensure both sustainability and economic benefits. Though ecotourism in Vietnam is at a beginning stage of development, it is expected to grow strongly through support from government and international organizations.