Special Interest Tours
incl. ecotourism
Videos
Two General Types of Tours
according to purpose, market segment, economic impact, tourist’s level of demand, etc.
Mass-Market Tours
Usual, typical tourist activities
Special Interest Tours
Niche market – client driven
Types of Tourism (P. Robinsons, et al., 2013)
Activity Tourism
sports, educational, volunteer
Adventure Tourism
skydive, safari, white-water rafting
Alternative Tourism
ecotourism, sustainable, csr
Arts Tourism
performing arts, galleries, street arts
Business Tourism
meetings, incentives, conferences
Coastal and Marine Tourism
swimming, diving, snorkeling
Community Tourism
immersion, volunteering, homestay
Cruise Tourism
pre, post, ports of call activities
Culinary Tourism
gastronomy, street food, exotic
Cultural and Heritage Tourism
events, rituals, folklore
Dark Tourism
death, disaster, war
Educational Tourism
Internship, apprenticeship, study programs
Ecotourism
sustainability, green, wildlife
Event and Festival Tourism
mardigras, World Cup, Formula 1
Fair Trade Tourism
fair payment of commodity
Farm and Agri-tourism
fishing, farming, planting
Film Tourism
film festival
Health Wellness and Spa Tourism
spa facilities, meditation, yoga
LGBT Tourism
cruise, “pink” economy, cosmetic
Medical Tourism
therapy, cosmetic surgery, treatment
Religious and Genealogical Tourism
pilgrimages, mausoleum visits, graves
Responsible Tourism
ecotourism, sustainable tourism
Rural Tourism
countryside, coastal
Slow Travel and Tourism
e.g. traditional mode of transportation
Serious Leisure and Volunteering
skills development, voluntary work
Sex Tourism
prostitution
Shopping and Retail Tourism
great Singapore sale, post-Ramadan sale
Sports Tourism
Olympics, World Cup, Wimbledon
Wedding Tourism
Las Vegas
Wildlife Tourism
wildlife reserve, savannah, scuba diving
Genealogy of Ecotourism
The term Ecotourism was unknown in the English language until the mid 1980’s.
It was in the beginning of the 21st century when recreational activity already involves appreciation and observation of nature and the wildlife.
Ecotourism’s First Appearances
Ecotourism as “eco-tourism” first used in an academic literature by Romeril in 1985.
Mexican ecologist, Hector Ceballos-Lascurain used the Spanish word “ecoturismo” even earlier in the decade (Boo, 1990)
National forestry service of Canada marketing the concept of an educational “ecotour” along the Trans-Canada Highway as early as 1973.
BUT a lot of us still don’t understand what it means, what activities would qualify under such category, the participants, where it occurs, what impacts are accessible or how it can be optimally managed.
“there are however a number of pitfalls with ecotourism, most of which are associated from its position within the tourism spectrum, its similarities with other green tourism products as well as its effective application”
Orams, 2001
For the purpose of ECOTOURISM management:
Nature-based Tourism?
Alternative Tourism?
…it is treated as BOTH.
ECOTOURISM is a type of tourism that is focused on learning about natural environment and sensitive to its well-being.
Jafari's Four Platforms of Ecotourism
ADVOCACY PLATFORM
post-war era 1950’s 1960’s
Resulted to many positive consequences and few negative consequences.
Positive consequences include:
Direct revenue and employment, indirect revenue and employment (through multiplier effect).
Stimulation of development in peripheral areas, promotion of cross-cultural understanding and incentives to preserve destination’s culture and history.
Tourism should be encouraged.
Government should facilitate the growth rather than stop or control its expansion.
CAUTIONARY PLATFORM
1970
Negative consequences of mass (little control from the government) tourism became more evident especially in third-world countries.
Results to net negative consequences for destinations unless careful regulations are put into place central argument is that the direct and indirect revenues in destinations with weak economies are substantially eroded by leakages related to high imports and repatriation of multinational corporate profits.
ADAPTANCY PLATFORM
1980s
Maintained the same ideological position of the cautionary platform but distinguished by its efforts to propose and implement tourism options that would supposedly better suited to bringing about positive outcomes for destinations, that is they are better adapted to the conditions of a given place.
Alternative tourism - alternative to mass tourism
- conceived to be harming less-developed regions.
Niched “specific” market.
Homestays, cultural villages, vacation farms, volunteer tourism.
Emphasized on socially and culturally responsible outcomes but did not focus on the benefits of the environment.
Ecotourism served to fill this void by emerging in the mid-1980s.
Ecotourism - form of alternative tourism.
KNOWLEDGE-BASED PLATFORM
1989, 2001
More objective and holistic approach that recognizes all strengths and weakness of all types of tourism and utilizes scientific knowledge to determine the best combination of tourism modes for each destination
- sustainable development
-that takes into consideration destination’s environmental, and socio-cultural carrying capacity.
Three Core Criteria of ECOTOURISM (Blamey (1997, 2001)
ECOTOURISM as a form TOURISM
An ECOTOURIST should be:
BASIS in Nature
Natural environment
Learning
Usually include an element of:
Types of Learning:
Formal
Informal
Interpretation
Effective interpretation is critical in achieving the diverse goal of ENTERTAINMENT as well as ENLIGHTENMENT and BEHAVIOR TRANSFORMATION
Types of Interpretation
Off-site Interpretation
On-site Interpretation
Interpretation Centers
Effective interpretation should be:
Sustainability
Sustainable Development
A type development that meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Perceived Contradicting Concepts in Sustainable Development
BUT Sustainable Development advocates look at this flexibility as an ASSET
Hunter (1997) legitimizes sustainable development as an adaptive paradigm:
ALL approaches should also include the sociocultural dimension of sustainability
Other Considerations:
Status Quo Sustainability
Levels of environmental integrity are not changed
Enhancement Sustainability
Financial Viability
EMERGING MARKETS
Emerging Market Paradigms
Dominant Western Environmental Paradigm
“Humans are superior to the natural environment…”
“Nature as resource available for exploitation.”
Green Paradigm
“Environmental sustainability...”
“Humans are part of nature…”
Human and nature are equal.”
Consumer Clusters
Non-Environmentalists
- Does not consider environmental issues to be important either from policy perspective or in terms of their consumer behavior
Veneer Environmentalists
- individuals who tend to express sympathy with the environmental causes, but generally engage in green behavior only if it is convenient.
True Environmentalists
- considered as "cultural creatives", are committed to the environment and engage in substantial green consumption and behavior on a daily basis.
The Ecotourist Market
THE ECOTOURISM SPECTRUM
HARD Ecotourist
-Strong Environmental Commitment
-Enhancive sustainability
-Specialized trips
-Long trips
-Small groups
-Physically active
-No services expected
-Deep interaction with nature
-Emphasis on personal experience
-Make own travel arrangements
SOFT Ecotourist
-Moderate or Superficial commitment
-Steady state sustainability
-Multipurpose trips
-Short trips
-Larger groups
-Physically passive
-Services expected
-Shallow interaction with nature
-Emphasis on mediation (guided)
-Rely on travel agents and tour operators
SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC CRITERIA
GENDER
-MALE(Kellert, 1985)
-FEMALE(Diamantis, 1999)
AGE
37–40 yrs (Dearden, 1985) - Hard Ecotourists
20-29 yrs (Blamey, 1998) - Soft Ecotourists
EDUCATION, INCOME, OCCUPATION
Undergraduate and Graduate degrees (Dearden, 1998)
ECOTOURISM ENVIRONMENTS
Types of Ecotourism Environments
Protected Land Areas
An area of land especially dedicated to the protection and maintenance of biological diversity and associated cultural resources managed by a federal or state government department.
Marine Protected Areas
An area of the sea especially dedicated to the protection and maintenance of biological diversity and associated cultural resources managed by a federal or state government department.
Modified Spaces
Agricultural Land
Urban Spaces
-Green Space – Parks, Cemeteries, Golf Courses
Artificial Wetlands
-Rainwater catch basins, flood ways
Artificial Reefs
Intentional
Unintentional
- Shipwrecks
Wastelands
according to purpose, market segment, economic impact, tourist’s level of demand, etc.
Mass-Market Tours
Usual, typical tourist activities
Special Interest Tours
Niche market – client driven
Types of Tourism (P. Robinsons, et al., 2013)
Activity Tourism
sports, educational, volunteer
Adventure Tourism
skydive, safari, white-water rafting
Alternative Tourism
ecotourism, sustainable, csr
Arts Tourism
performing arts, galleries, street arts
Business Tourism
meetings, incentives, conferences
Coastal and Marine Tourism
swimming, diving, snorkeling
Community Tourism
immersion, volunteering, homestay
Cruise Tourism
pre, post, ports of call activities
Culinary Tourism
gastronomy, street food, exotic
Cultural and Heritage Tourism
events, rituals, folklore
Dark Tourism
death, disaster, war
Educational Tourism
Internship, apprenticeship, study programs
Ecotourism
sustainability, green, wildlife
Event and Festival Tourism
mardigras, World Cup, Formula 1
Fair Trade Tourism
fair payment of commodity
Farm and Agri-tourism
fishing, farming, planting
Film Tourism
film festival
Health Wellness and Spa Tourism
spa facilities, meditation, yoga
LGBT Tourism
cruise, “pink” economy, cosmetic
Medical Tourism
therapy, cosmetic surgery, treatment
Religious and Genealogical Tourism
pilgrimages, mausoleum visits, graves
Responsible Tourism
ecotourism, sustainable tourism
Rural Tourism
countryside, coastal
Slow Travel and Tourism
e.g. traditional mode of transportation
Serious Leisure and Volunteering
skills development, voluntary work
Sex Tourism
prostitution
Shopping and Retail Tourism
great Singapore sale, post-Ramadan sale
Sports Tourism
Olympics, World Cup, Wimbledon
Wedding Tourism
Las Vegas
Wildlife Tourism
wildlife reserve, savannah, scuba diving
Genealogy of Ecotourism
The term Ecotourism was unknown in the English language until the mid 1980’s.
It was in the beginning of the 21st century when recreational activity already involves appreciation and observation of nature and the wildlife.
Ecotourism’s First Appearances
Ecotourism as “eco-tourism” first used in an academic literature by Romeril in 1985.
Mexican ecologist, Hector Ceballos-Lascurain used the Spanish word “ecoturismo” even earlier in the decade (Boo, 1990)
National forestry service of Canada marketing the concept of an educational “ecotour” along the Trans-Canada Highway as early as 1973.
BUT a lot of us still don’t understand what it means, what activities would qualify under such category, the participants, where it occurs, what impacts are accessible or how it can be optimally managed.
“there are however a number of pitfalls with ecotourism, most of which are associated from its position within the tourism spectrum, its similarities with other green tourism products as well as its effective application”
Orams, 2001
For the purpose of ECOTOURISM management:
Nature-based Tourism?
Alternative Tourism?
…it is treated as BOTH.
ECOTOURISM is a type of tourism that is focused on learning about natural environment and sensitive to its well-being.
Jafari's Four Platforms of Ecotourism
ADVOCACY PLATFORM
post-war era 1950’s 1960’s
Resulted to many positive consequences and few negative consequences.
Positive consequences include:
Direct revenue and employment, indirect revenue and employment (through multiplier effect).
Stimulation of development in peripheral areas, promotion of cross-cultural understanding and incentives to preserve destination’s culture and history.
Tourism should be encouraged.
Government should facilitate the growth rather than stop or control its expansion.
CAUTIONARY PLATFORM
1970
Negative consequences of mass (little control from the government) tourism became more evident especially in third-world countries.
Results to net negative consequences for destinations unless careful regulations are put into place central argument is that the direct and indirect revenues in destinations with weak economies are substantially eroded by leakages related to high imports and repatriation of multinational corporate profits.
ADAPTANCY PLATFORM
1980s
Maintained the same ideological position of the cautionary platform but distinguished by its efforts to propose and implement tourism options that would supposedly better suited to bringing about positive outcomes for destinations, that is they are better adapted to the conditions of a given place.
Alternative tourism - alternative to mass tourism
- conceived to be harming less-developed regions.
Niched “specific” market.
Homestays, cultural villages, vacation farms, volunteer tourism.
Emphasized on socially and culturally responsible outcomes but did not focus on the benefits of the environment.
Ecotourism served to fill this void by emerging in the mid-1980s.
Ecotourism - form of alternative tourism.
KNOWLEDGE-BASED PLATFORM
1989, 2001
More objective and holistic approach that recognizes all strengths and weakness of all types of tourism and utilizes scientific knowledge to determine the best combination of tourism modes for each destination
- sustainable development
-that takes into consideration destination’s environmental, and socio-cultural carrying capacity.
Three Core Criteria of ECOTOURISM (Blamey (1997, 2001)
- Dominant nature-based element in the attractions
- Educational or learning component
- Requirement of sustainability
ECOTOURISM as a form TOURISM
An ECOTOURIST should be:
- Purpose of Travel: leisure, holidays, business, VFR etc.
- Spatial Component: beyond their usual place of residence
- Duration of Stay: excursionists, stayovers
BASIS in Nature
Natural environment
- Charismatic megaflora
- Charismatic megafauna
- Megaliths (lanforms)
Learning
Usually include an element of:
- Education
- Learning
- Appreciation of natural attraction
Types of Learning:
Formal
- Credit courses
- Dissertation research
- Highly Structured interpretation
Informal
- Individual Observation
- Appreciative Experience
Interpretation
Effective interpretation is critical in achieving the diverse goal of ENTERTAINMENT as well as ENLIGHTENMENT and BEHAVIOR TRANSFORMATION
Types of Interpretation
Off-site Interpretation
- Guidebooks
- Brochures
- Internet
- Promotional videos
- Word of Mouth
On-site Interpretation
- Self-guided walks
- Car tours
- Guided walking tours and commentaries aboard safari vehicles
- Tundra buggies, cableways and submarines
Interpretation Centers
- Both on-site and off-site
- Located in or adjacent to habitat
- Provide a “substitute” for actual exposure to reduce negative impact on the environment
Effective interpretation should be:
- Avoid a fact oriented “academic instruction” style (boring)
- Conversational, enthusiastic and interesting style of presentation
- Use of references and analogies that are meaningful to the audience
Sustainability
Sustainable Development
A type development that meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Perceived Contradicting Concepts in Sustainable Development
- Sustaining the environment
- Continuous development
BUT Sustainable Development advocates look at this flexibility as an ASSET
Hunter (1997) legitimizes sustainable development as an adaptive paradigm:
- Anthropocentric
- Biocentric
ALL approaches should also include the sociocultural dimension of sustainability
Other Considerations:
Status Quo Sustainability
Levels of environmental integrity are not changed
Enhancement Sustainability
- More responsible;
- The environment must experience a “net benefit” as a result of ecotourism
Financial Viability
- Some ecotourism operations are managed on non-profit basis
- They MUST be self-sustaining
EMERGING MARKETS
Emerging Market Paradigms
Dominant Western Environmental Paradigm
“Humans are superior to the natural environment…”
“Nature as resource available for exploitation.”
Green Paradigm
“Environmental sustainability...”
“Humans are part of nature…”
Human and nature are equal.”
Consumer Clusters
Non-Environmentalists
- Does not consider environmental issues to be important either from policy perspective or in terms of their consumer behavior
Veneer Environmentalists
- individuals who tend to express sympathy with the environmental causes, but generally engage in green behavior only if it is convenient.
True Environmentalists
- considered as "cultural creatives", are committed to the environment and engage in substantial green consumption and behavior on a daily basis.
The Ecotourist Market
THE ECOTOURISM SPECTRUM
HARD Ecotourist
-Strong Environmental Commitment
-Enhancive sustainability
-Specialized trips
-Long trips
-Small groups
-Physically active
-No services expected
-Deep interaction with nature
-Emphasis on personal experience
-Make own travel arrangements
SOFT Ecotourist
-Moderate or Superficial commitment
-Steady state sustainability
-Multipurpose trips
-Short trips
-Larger groups
-Physically passive
-Services expected
-Shallow interaction with nature
-Emphasis on mediation (guided)
-Rely on travel agents and tour operators
SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC CRITERIA
GENDER
-MALE(Kellert, 1985)
-FEMALE(Diamantis, 1999)
AGE
37–40 yrs (Dearden, 1985) - Hard Ecotourists
20-29 yrs (Blamey, 1998) - Soft Ecotourists
EDUCATION, INCOME, OCCUPATION
Undergraduate and Graduate degrees (Dearden, 1998)
ECOTOURISM ENVIRONMENTS
Types of Ecotourism Environments
Protected Land Areas
An area of land especially dedicated to the protection and maintenance of biological diversity and associated cultural resources managed by a federal or state government department.
Marine Protected Areas
An area of the sea especially dedicated to the protection and maintenance of biological diversity and associated cultural resources managed by a federal or state government department.
Modified Spaces
Agricultural Land
Urban Spaces
-Green Space – Parks, Cemeteries, Golf Courses
Artificial Wetlands
-Rainwater catch basins, flood ways
Artificial Reefs
Intentional
Unintentional
- Shipwrecks
Wastelands