Sustainable tourism: alternative
and new forms of tourism
The
21st century has seen an unprecedented increase in the demand for
tourism hence underscoring the fact that tourism is the fastest growing
industry worldwide (Ashley, 2007). This growth raises some concerns in view of
the fact that increased human activity could lead to environmental degradation.
The concerns are enhanced by the fact that the world is rapidly industrialising
and this makes the natural habitats extremely popular for tourists who wish to
take time off the stressful urban settings and attain some level of refreshment
(Belhassen, Caton and Stewart, 2008). Special attention is also accorded to
tourist destinations with a rich cultural heritage. This growing popularity
raises concerns on the extent to which the environmental features can be
exploited without degradation. Many of the ecosystems that are increasingly
popular are quite vulnerable with agenda 21 of the earth summit describing the
most vulnerable ecosystems as coastal areas, wetlands, deserts, mountains and
small islands (UNEP, 2002). This calls for a new approach to tourism: one that
would ensure that the resources are managed in a manner that allows them to
remain useful over long periods of time. The most basic description of
sustainable tourism is the practice of tourism in a manner that ensures that
there is minimal adverse effect on the environment and the socio-cultural
setting of tourist destination (Lertcharoenchoke, 2011). In order to promote sustainable tourism,
forms of tourism such as eco tourism, rural tourism, cultural tourism and
others have been developed (Lertcharoenchoke). This paper explores these
alternatives in a bid to draw inferences on the relationship between
sustainable tourism and the alternative forms of tourism.
Sustainable tourism and new forms
of tourism around the world
With
the acceleration of global warming and the global climatic change, the talk of
sustainable management of the environment has been rife. Attention has been
dedicated to assessing how various activities could contribute to environmental
degradation and how the negative effects can be minimised. Most notable has
been the focus on industries and the push to cut down on the level of emissions
released into the atmosphere with special attention also dedicated to
industries involved with mining natural resources. The 21st century
has seen some of the biggest strides made in the direction of sustainability
with companies frantically reviewing the supply chains to work out ways of
minimising adverse effects on the environment. The tourism sector has not been
an exception. With the understanding that most tourism destinations are
vulnerable, attention has been turned towards coming up with ways of ensuring
that the habitats are not destroyed through tourism. In other words,
sustainable management of the environment in the tourist destinations is aimed
at ensuring that such habitats can continue to host meaningful tourism for
generations. Sustainability could also refer to the conservation or enhancement
of the cultural heritage of the host communities. This calls for forms of
tourism that are dedicated to sustainability with some of them being eco
tourism, rural tourism, cultural tourism, community based tourism, pro poor
tourism, and others. These forms of tourism are mainly focused on ensuring that
significant proportions of the revenues are dedicated towards the preservation
of the physical and socio cultural resources. Many of the alternative forms of
tourism are related with the distinct ones being eco tourism and rural and
cultural tourism.
Eco tourism
Various
definitions have been fronted on how to eco tourism with no unanimous agreement
on any of them. However, analysts seem to be unanimous on existence of the
following components of eco tourism: avoids negative effects to the natural and
cultural environments; educates the tourism on conservation and its importance;
directs revenues collected towards projects on conservation and protection of
natural environments; promotes peaceful coexistence between local communities
and the protected habitats; emphasises on the use of facilities that are found
locally to ensure the retention of proceeds in the host regions; and emphasises
on the development of infrastructure that is sensitive to the environment
(Jacobsen and Robles, 1998). Alternative forms of tourism call for meaningful
engagement between the tourist and the host with each party enjoying themselves
and acquiring some benefits from the experience (Lertcharoenchoke, 2011). It is
this description that qualifies eco tourism to be part of the alternative forms
of tourism. In many tourism destinations in Africa, the concept of eco tourism
is firmly in place. Natural habitats in the largest national park in Eastern
Africa is maintained using the proceeds of tourism where a percentage of the
revenues is used for the conservation of the water catchment areas for the
erecting of an electric fence around the park to discourage poaching
(Lertcharoenchoke, 2011). Eco lodges are also developed to minimise the effect
of infrastructure on the natural environment.
Another case of eco tourism can be found
in Peru. As early as 1996, a tour operator (Rain Forest Expeditions) signed a contract
with local community to contribute 60% of its proceeds for the purposes of
environmental conservation and development of environmental protection structures
(Honey, 2008). This came down as one of the most acclaimed examples of
community based eco tourism in Peru. Eco tourism is by design aimed at
promoting the theme of sustainability and is therefore one of the most commonly
used methods of enhancing sustainable tourism.
Rural tourism and cultural tourism
Rural
tourism is has been in existence for long albeit at an insignificant level. It
is only in the 21st century that rural tourism has began to receive
attention for its strategic nature and its potential to contribute to
sustainable tourism (Aabo, 2006). Rural tourism allows the tourist to
participate in the rural lifestyle together with the hosts. They partake in the
cultural rites, or at the very least become close observers. They also master
the routines and consume the traditional dishes on offer. Rural tourism is
often viewed as a way of breaking away from the hustle and bustle of the urban
centres. Rural tourism is typically used by the higher income members of the
society. This is due to the fact that by its very nature, it would require one
to spend more time with the hosts than the traditional tourist would have at
their disposal (Lertcharoenchoke, 2011). Rural tourists take a substantial
amount of time off to experience rural life. In the USA, rural tourism is an
upcoming subsector with visits to the rural areas often on the rise during the
festive seasons (Honey, 2008). Rural tourists are especially attracted to the
undeveloped traditional setting provided by these rural areas. The concept of
staying in a traditional style village and the absence of technology has been
found to be refreshing. On its part, rural tourism benefits the rural areas by
providing a means of income. It also enables the hosts to take pride in their
way of living and provides the motivation for them to maintain their
traditional setting for the purposes of attracting future tourists. UK’s Lake
District is one of the most popular rural tourism destinations in Europe
(Ashley, 2007). It maintains an undeveloped rural setting in addition to its
being rich in beautiful sceneries hence providing the perfect setting for
people looking for a way to reconnect with nature and their roots.
Cultural tourism refers to tourists
visiting given destinations to experience the culture and lifestyle of the
hosts (Bar kin, 2002). In many cases, rural tourism and cultural tourism go
hand in hand. It is in the rural lifestyles that traditional ways of living and
culture are strongest. However, distinction could be drawn from the fact that
cultural tourism doesn’t always have to be in a rural setting. Culture is a
people’s way of living and is unique to every ethnic group. Understanding
diverse cultures helps in promoting understanding and is a useful tool in
intercultural interaction: a dimension that all must come to terms with in the
increasingly globalised world (Sillignakis, 2011). The success of cultural
tourism depends on the extent to which the host communities can preserve their
culture in its original form. Proceeds from this form of tourism are therefore
used to contribute towards the preservation of artefacts, cultural sites and
even the recording of cultural rites and rituals for purposes of ensuring
continuity. Bulgaria is one of the countries whose population have a rich
cultural heritage (Vagionis, 2011). Their remarkable levels of hospitality make
them to be the hosts of choice with cultural tourism set on a steady growth
rate. With the help of the national and regional governments, structures have
been established to ensure that cultural tourism is at its best in Bulgaria
(Vagionis, 2011). The sustainability factor is evident in the manner in which
Bulgarians have undertaken to immortalise their culture by preserving
artefacts, cultural sites and recording every bid of their cultural practises
and having records well preserved.
Criticism of alternative tourism as
a tool for enhancing sustainable tourism
Not
everyone agrees with the approach of focussing on alternative tourism as a way
of promoting sustainable tourism. There have been critical views on aspects
such as rural tourism with emphasis on the potential negative effects of
tourism. Most hosts of rural tourists tend to be poor people who are vulnerable
to manipulation by the more financially affluent tourists. There is always the
fear that the hosts may end up adopting the practices of the tourists and hence
have the cultural lifestyle destroyed: going against the very essence of rural
tourism (Nash, 1996). Just like other natural habitats, cultural lifestyles are
susceptible to influence by foreigners. This becomes more evident when the
cultural heritage that the people hold dear becomes a source of income hence
having its deeper meaning destroyed. The very act of paying to experience
culture undermines the culture itself and the socio-cultural resource is
destroyed from the very beginning. There is also the question of the ability of
rural and cultural tourism to sustain the communities involved. The promotion
of this form of tourism places pressure on the chosen destinations to stick to
the traditional ways of life and avoid the gains of technological advancement
in other areas (Aabo, 2006). Some of the technological advancements are
arguably good sources of income and there is therefore the question of getting
people to sacrifice greater good for a smaller one. The argument is that in
their bid to remain with a rural setting devoid of technological advancements;
these locals may be sacrificing the chance to make a decent living through
other means. According to these critics, a decent source of income can only be
realised by having larger volumes of tourism and sustainability would almost be
impossible when mass tourism sets in (Aabo, 2006).
Conclusion
Sustainable
tourism is about making use of resources in a manner that ensures that such
resources can remain useful in the long term. Concerns of sustainability have
been gaining ground, especially with the growing realisation that tourism has
the potential to affect the environment negatively. Given that tourism also
taps into socio cultural resources, the concept of sustainability has been
extended to the socio cultural aspect. These concerns have led to the emergence
of alternative forms of tourism: those aimed at ensuring that the resources
being used are managed in a manner that guarantees their usefulness over the
long term. The most popular among these new forms is eco tourism. This refers
to a system where a proportion of the proceeds from tourism are dedicated
towards the preservation of the environment. Rural tourism and cultural tourism
are also other forms which are concerned about the sustainability of cultural
and natural resources. Sustainable tourism through the above named forms has
been proven to work in most cases. Critics have however been sceptic about the
tradeoffs especially when it concerns the preservation of the rural lifestyle.
However, there is sufficient evidence to support the conclusion that
alternative tourism is a good option for enhancing sustainable tourism.
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