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Eco-tourism – What? Why? How?

By T. Damu

Every single soul on earth – be it on land, in water or air – is linked through tourism! There is an obvious socio-economic and environmental angle to tourism, which has a human and cultural face too, as it leads to improved lives of many people and increased understanding among all the people of the world.

Tourism, as per the World Tourism Organization, is the world’s largest growth industry, tripling in size and economic impact over the past fifty years, and is forecast to triple again over the next two to three decades! Even though SARS and Iraq War sapped the percentage of International Tourist Arrivals by -1.2% in 2003 when compared to the previous year, the industry is upbeat about its prospects this year. The forecast for international tourist arrivals for 2010 is 1 billion which is slated to touch 1.6 billion by 2020. For India there  was a 15.3% increase in international tourist arrivals in 2003 with its share of an international tourism receipt of over 3000 million US$.

In the Asia and the Pacific region, India has only 1.8% share of international tourist arrivals and only 3.1% share of international tourism receipt! And as per the Conde Nast Traveler Report, India does not figure in the list of destinations that the affluent American is willing to travel to. The sad part is that even the lesser prominent neighbours like Vietnam and Thailand figure in the list. If South Asia is the dream destination for the affluent American, then India isn’t simply there as his/her priority! In the Asia-Pacific region China tops the list followed by Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore. Why it should be so? The Indian Tourism Inc. has to take a serious note of this.

One of the fastest growing subsectors of the tourism industry is ecotourism, which generates billions of dollars year after year around the world. Ecotourism developments in the developing countries are said to the cause for the rapid annual tourism growth in the Asia and Pacific region and other parts of the world. These countries have foreseen the trend and quickly embarked on sustainable models for ecotourism. Whereas India is still to wake up!

The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) defines ecotourism as “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and sustains the well-being of local people.” The implementers and participants of ecotourism are expected to observe certain principles to avoid conflict with nature and forge a sustainable relationship for peaceful coexistence. According to TIES, the principles of minimum impact; environmental and cultural awareness and respect build-up; positive experiences for both visitors and hosts; direct financial benefits for conservation; local people empowerment and their socio-economic betterment; sensitivity to host countries’ political, environmental and social culture, and support to international human rights and labour agreements should be sacramental and workable as well.

It was Hector Ceballos-Lascurian, a Mexican architect by profession and an environmentalist who coined the term ecotourism. Hector was then the Director General of Standards and Technology of the Mexican Ministry of Urban Development and Ecology and founding President of Pronatura, an influential Mexican conservationist NGO. The prime objective of ecotourism as stated by this naturalist is to study, admire and enjoy the scenery and the wild flora and fauna in the relatively undisturbed natural surroundings. 

It doesn’t stop there. The ecotourist is expected to observe and conserve both the present and past socio-cultural aspects found in these areas. Hector says, “Ecotourism implies a scientific, aesthetic or philosophical approach, although the ‘ecotourist’ is not required to be a professional scientist, artist or philosopher. The main point is that the person who practices ecotourism has the opportunity of immersing him or herself in nature in a way that most people cannot enjoy in their routine, urban existences. This person will eventually acquire a consciousness and knowledge of the natural environment, together with its cultural aspects, that will convert him into somebody keenly involved in conservation issues.”

Eco-tourism is a scientifically designed tourism product that helps the eco-tourists to follow certain well-laid out principles and practices. Even as the tourists are educated to enjoy Mother Nature, they learn to avoid or at least minimize the adverse impact on her. Though principally “nature-based”, eco-tourism also aims at socio-cultural environment conservation by ensuring local community participation, employment generation and sustainable development all around the chosen eco-spot. It is basically a small group-activity module, which could be implemented only by professional or knowledgeable tourism providers, and not by all and sundry, as it is seen today in India.

Not only the tourists and the local communities but also the government departments concerned, the professional tourism developers from the travel, trade and hospitality industry, the environmentalists and the eco-development organizations are all stakeholders of ecotourism. All of them have a high degree of responsibility and accountability towards environment conservation as the case may be. For meaningful and successful ecotourism that contributes to eco-conservation and sustainable development of the region as well depends largely on the environmental behaviour of the tourists and the attitudes and activities of the other stakeholders. Above all the political will and governmental regulations in implementing and monitoring the best eco-tourism policies and practices in letter and spirit holds the vital key.

Tourism in general should be eco-responsible and sustainable. The term tourist should not evoke an image of some one who freaks around carefree, forgetting his responsibilities as a citizen! It should not be misconstrued that only the bunch of people who are called ecotourists are responsible for observing and preserving nature and its people!

The hospitality industry could do a lot to promote ecotourism directly and indirectly. Having a well-developed Environmental Management System in a hotel is one major step towards greening the tourism industry indirectly. For example, the Taj Group, a chain of sixty odd hotels in India and abroad, managed by the Tatas, is in the first place bound by a well-pronounced Environmental Behaviour code under the Tata Code of Conduct.

All the Taj hotels have an Environment Management System titled EcoTaj, which creates environmental awareness among its employees, customers, suppliers and the community at large. The Environment Policy Statement of the Taj Group of Hotels proclaims the Company’s commitment “to protect, conserve and restore our natural environment for the benefit of present and future generations.” The Environmental Policy of Taj underscores the importance of building, managing and maintaining hotels and allied facilities in a very eco-efficient manner by using fewer resources, generating minimal waste, continuous improvement of environmental performance, reduction of environmental impact of the hotel’s activities, energy conservation/audit, water conservation and recycling, audit of indoor air quality, pollution reduction, community initiatives, disaster management and emergency planning etc.  Environmental training is part of the regular training modules of the Taj. Such is the eco-responsibility of the corporate sector in the hospitality industry, which directly makes the tourism sector committed to its environment.

If this is the case, think of the onerous task that rests on the shoulders of tourism providers, who offer ecotourism. Ecotourism is not a ploy or a child’s play to attract the gullible tourists. It is highly scientific. Because the ecological impact of the proposed tourism activity should be quantified prior to undertaking the package in order to prevent any adverse or irreversible impact in the area. Also during the proposed ecotourism project it should be continually evaluated with tested means that would help take steps to arrest and further avoid any adverse impact in the initial stage itself and throughout the project period. The rationale in the relation between the resource utilization and their renewal possibilities should always be borne in mind. There should be innovative employment generation without any element of environmental conflict built in it. Scientifically analyzed and honest data about the place proposed to be toured/camped should be available with the eco-tourists prior to and after the “experience”, which could be a guideline to other tourists and policy implementers.

A billion dollar question is that how many so-called eco-tourism projects are really worth their salt? Some eco-tourism packages have drawn more flak than appreciation. We should study why this is so. How are we going to have real eco-tourism packages in our environmentally sensitive areas with the sort of wildlife sanctuaries that we have? How could our eco-tourism projects be made meaningful and professional to evince interest in more tourists, students and even ecologists not only in India but also from abroad?

There is no other concept that has been so much misused or maligned in the history of tourism industry all over the world than the term ecotourism. The ten-letter coinage seems to have given license to some tourism players to do whatever they want in the name of ecotourism. In the hands of such “exploiters” ecotourism is seen as environmental opportunism. An exception in South India is the one in the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, where a group of former poachers, who were rehabilitated and educated, are the ecotourists’ excellent guides and also the forest watchers of that region! That is an exemplary effort in ecotourism. If hardcore poachers could be turned eco-tourist guides by sincere and sustained efforts, would it be difficult to educate youngsters and others to be eco-friendly tourists? One is just not enough. This calls for a good system in place. All National Parks, wildlife and bird sanctuaries in India should develop such a well-planned ecotourism package.

There are some hard-core critics who say that there are no ecotourists in the world today! They point out that no ecotourist can claim to be a “green” personality, since the moment he or she decides to fly by a jet airline or travel by a diesel car, he or she turns ‘black’! Because, they say, that flying is one of the world’s most polluting means of transport followed by the car or a bus on roads!! According to this school of environmentalists, air transport is the most dangerous villain in the act of green house gas emission around the world. For carrying every passenger from London to New York, a jet spews about a tonne of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere they point out. Thus the growing sensitiveness to ecotourism goes beyond the realms of localized thinking and acting. That’s why we should take this tourism product very seriously.

It becomes more and more inevitable and urgent to develop new approaches in eco-tourism to educate the tourists and the public in general as well as to make the eco-tourism packages socio-economically and culturally beneficial to the local populations. One thing is very obvious: Ecotourism should become every one’s concern as it makes the natural resources available to the present generation as well as to the posterity in a meaningful and useful way without jeopardizing the local populace as well as the global community in an indirect way.