Erlet Cater

Tourism : the state of the art

Tourism and development the tourism industry tourism marketing and research tourism, the public sector and Scotland tourism and human resource management tourism and the environment tourism and society.

Ecotourism in the third world: problems for sustainable tourism development

Abstract As the fastest-growing sector of the tourism industry ecotourism offers tourism companies and Third World destinations alike the prospect of capitalizing on the comparative advantage of these nations in terms of unspoiled natural environments. By definition, such development should benefit destinations more in terms of small-scale, local involvement with fewer adverse impacts. The opportunity for these countries to enhance their development potential by harnessing their natural resources without, at the same time, destroying them cannot be denied. What is essential, however, is the recognition that, without adequate understanding of underlying factors and careful planning and management, ecotourism may include unsustainable aspects.

Ecotourism: a sustainable option?

Partial table of contents: ISSUES AND INTERESTS. Societal Change and the Growth in Alternative Tourism (R. Prosser). Environmentally Responsible Marketing of Tourism (P. Wight). Tourism: Environmental Relevance (R. Sisman). Ecotourism in the Third World--Problems and Prospects for Sustainability (E. Cater). DESTINATION CASE STUDIES. Tourism and a European Strategy for the Alpine Environment (S. Khan). Ecotourism in Eastern Europe (D. Hall & V. Kinnaird). Ecotourism in the Caribbean Basin (D. Weaver). The Annapurna Conservation Area Project: A Pioneering Example of Sustainable Tourism? (C. Gurung & M. De Coursey). Ecotourism in Antarctica (B. Stonehouse). Index.

Ecotourism as a Western Construct

Most of the burgeoning literature on ecotourism is essentially Western-centric, insofar as it accepts as given an approach that is deeply embedded in Western cultural, economic and political processes. Despite the plethora of definitions as to what actually constitutes ecotourism (Fennell, 2003; Page & Dowling, 2002), the most common denominator is that it is nature-based. However, in the same way that Macnaghten and Urry (1998: 95) suggest that ‘there is no single “nature”, only natures’, it therefore follows that ‘nature tourism’ will be variously constructed by different societies and therefore that there will be multiple ‘nature tourisms’. Despite the fact that it should be obvious that it is patently not the case that ‘one size fits all’ we have witnessed the internationalisation of ecotourism, as evolved from a Western ‘classical conservationist’ approach (suggested by Mowforth and Munt (2003) to be more akin to preservationism), and its apparent universality as a concept. This paper examines how this has come about before moving on to consider how uncritical acceptance of Western-constructed ecotourism and a failure to recognise that there is no universal or unique understanding will only serve to reinforce rather than reduce the very inequalities that it may attempt to reduce.

Tourism in the least developed countries

Abstract The least developed among the less developed nations face enormous obstacles in reaching even the low levels of development of other poor countries. The development of tourism, in those countries with potential, appears to offer a valuable source of foreign exchange in order to accelerate them on that path to development. A systematic appraisal of the variables which condition both the impact of and potential for tourism in such nations is vital. The extra low level of development and more fragile total environment of these countries accentuates the need for such an assessment. It is essential that tourism planning should be integrated with the rest of spatial economy. Its contribution to development will depend not only on domestic considerations but also on the workings of the international economic system.

Environmental Contradictions in Sustainable Tourism

The principles of sustainable development are widely accepted, but, given the conflicts of interest that occur over time and space, their resolution is likely to be problematic. Nowhere is this more evident than in the field of tourism. There is probably no other economic activity which cuts across so many sectors, levels and interests. The relationship between tourism development, socio-economic development and the environment is circular and cumulative. Most tourism activity places additional pressures on the environmental resources upon which it is based, compromising the present and future interests of tourist and host populations as well as of tourism organizations. Without adequate environmental protection, prospects for development will be undermined. There is an essential need to build on the positive links between the environment and tourism and to break the negative links. The latter will not be easy, however, owing to the conflicts of interest that occur. The positive links may be described as win-win situations, benefiting environment and development prospects alike. Negative links are also likely to occur however. To break these, trade-offs will have to be made between conservational and developmental goals. An identification of the extent and nature of these trade-offs will be facilitated by environmental accountancy procedures which include environmental auditing.

Spread and backwash effects in ecotourism: implications for sustainable development

Increasingly, ecotourism is advocated not only as a form of sustainable tourism, but also for the contribution that it can make towards sustainable development. Donor agencies such as DFID and USAID now recognise the contribution that ecotourism can make towards sustainable livelihoods, and it is being advocated as a pro-poor strategy in the developing countries. Ecotourism must not, however, be considered in a vacuum, isolated from all other forms of economic activity. It is vital to set it into the context of place characteristics, which both condition, and are conditioned by, economic, socio-cultural, political, ecological, institutional and technical forces that are exogenous and endogenous as well as dynamic. It is essential to understand how ecotourism interacts with these as there are marked spread, or positive, and backwash, or negative, effects between the various sectors, levels and interests which will dictate prospects for sustainable outcomes.

Tourism in the Yunnan Great Rivers National Parks System Project: Prospects for sustainability

Yunnan Great Rivers National Parks System Project in China has identified as a sustainable development alternative to the range of unsustainable that currently threaten the extraordinary natural and cultural assets of sub-provincial area. However, the prospects for sustainable tourism in itself, for its contribution to sustainable development in general, are not only depen on its inherent characteristics but are also mediated by contingencies of place. in turn, are conditioned by a myriad of factors, both endogenous and that cut across the various sectors, levels and interests.

The space of the dream: a case of mis‐taken identity?

This paper examines the inherent contradictions presented by locating ‘the space of the dream’. In this case it is the fictitious lamasery of Shangri-La described by James Hilton in the novel Lost Horizon, claimed to have been inspired by a monastery to the north of Zhongdian in the Chinese province of Yunnan. Whilst some of the idyllic attributes of Hilton’s vision of paradise on Earth are grounded in the natural and cultural diversity of the entire region, contingencies of place were bound to compromise any attempt to promote any one location as such for the purposes of international tourism. If it is a case of mis-taken identity, however, does it matter? The tourists may internalize their expectations and build a composite image of their diverse and disparate experiences which they take back home.

Tourism, Ecotourism, and Protected Areas: The State of Nature-Based Tourism around the World and Guidelines for Its Development

Derived from papers submitted at Parks Congress workshops, 1992. The aim is to show how tourism and protected areas can flourish alongside each other by guiding the development of tourism along lines which respect the limited capacity of many areas to absorb the pressure of visitors and their activities. The editor has drawn together a wealth of knowledge and experience and distilled it into essential guidance for protected areas planners, managers and tourists alike