Sustainable tourism: an assessment on whether alternative tourism contributes to sustainable tourism

Sustainable tourism: alternative and new forms of tourism

The 21^st 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. 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 traditional forms of tourism have had an emphasis on the comfort of the tourists while paying little attention to the environment and the local populations (Belhassen, Caton and Stewart, 2008). It has led to the alteration of the environment and cultural landscapes with the aim of providing for what the tourists would prefer (UNEP, 2002). This approach is not sustainable in view of the fact that such alterations make such destinations lose their popularity in the long term (Lertcharoenchoke, 2011). Traditional approaches to tourism are therefore not sustainable. The only way to ensure that sustainable tourism is practised is by developing new and alternative forms of tourism (UNEP, 2002). 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, 2011). 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

With the acceleration of global warming and the global climatic change, the talk of sustainable management of the environment has been rife. 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 21^st 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 (Honey, 2008). 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. 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.

Rural tourism and cultural tourism

Rural tourism is has been in existence for long albeit at an insignificant level. It is only in the 21^st 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. 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.

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.

New and alternative forms of tourism around the world

            In recognition of the need to use tourism to enhance the natural and cultural environments, countries around the world have begun focussing on alternative forms of tourism. Forms that create a platform for the preservation of the features that attract these tourists. India has embraced a special form of cultural tourism among rival factions in the country with the aim of creating inter-factional or ethnic understanding and fostering long term peace (Sarkar and George, 2010). In this arrangement, guests are welcomed by hosts from a different cultural background and they get to interact and experience their lifestyles (Sarkar and George, 2010).

Cultural tourism is also practised in Bulgaria. 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.

Eco tourism can also be considered as alternative tourism in view of its emphasis on conservation of the natural and cultural environments. In many tourism destinations in Africa such as Kenya, South Africa and Mauritius, the concept of eco tourism is firmly in place. Natural habitats in the largest national park in Eastern Africa (spanning across Kenya and Tanzania) 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.

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. The inhabitants of the region get to earn a living by sharing in their cultural lifestyles with the visitors while visitors provide the income for sustaining these locals and for investment in the preservation of cultural shrines, artefacts, costumes and records in a well balanced symbiotic relationship (Ashley, 2007).

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 these new forms 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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