An evaluation of ecotourism in Amazonas, Brazil

Registered “ecotour” lodges were studied using observation and interviews with visitors, employees, and local people. Findings were evaluated using proposed ecotourism principles. Besides providing employment, lodges improve access, stimulate new services (health utilities, etc.), and make valued but limited local purchases. In other ways, lodges fall short of the ideals inherent in the principles. They contribute little to conservation education, resource protection, or the involvement and empowerment of local people. Tourists wish to see and would support conservation and community development programs both financially and via their future selection of ecotour operators. Numerous implications for concessions, protected area management, and rural development in Amazonas are discussed.     

对我国生态旅游标准的理论探讨

生态旅游作为可持续旅游的重要形式发展迅速,生态旅游标准是生态旅游发展的规范,能够对生态旅游的规范发展起到积极作用.本文分析了生态旅游概念的演化与特质,对国际上的生态旅游标准与认证项目的模型构建、发展现状和演化趋势进行了总结,并在此基础上,对如何建立我国生态旅游标准的问题进行了理论探讨.     

The community participation process in ecotourism development: a case study of the community of Sogoog,Bayan-Ulgii,Mongolia

Theories on community participation in ecotourism development advocate obtaining maximum levels of both community control and benefit to achieve sustainable tourism. This paper explores issues in community-based ecotourism development in a small, remote community in western Mongolia. It assesses the community's desire to develop ecotourism, their understanding of the issues involved and the feasibility of the process in a poor herding community, where 63% are herdsmen, frequently absent with their herds. Using responses from 100 participants together with interviews with key stakeholders, it describes and analyzes the difficulties in establishing community participation and ecotourism implementation. Findings revealed that long-term viable community-based ecotourism development in remote areas requires close collaboration and sustained support from trusted community leaders and from knowledgeable and committed outside stakeholders. Approaches need to be carefully tailored to local circumstances, not “one size fits all”. Key areas of concern were environmental and cultural, including fears that their tradition of hospitality might be compromised, perceptions of the local NGO's benefits to the community and local, often naïve, expectations of ecotourism development. Despite fears, over 90% of those interviewed were willing to participate in an ecotourism project in this high-risk, unforgiving economic and climatic setting.     

Does ecotourism contribute to sustainable destination development,or is it just a marketing hoax? Analyzing twenty-five years contested journey of ecotourism through a meta-analysis of tourism journal publications

ABSTRACT

Conducting a periodical systematic review on a given field of study enables to comprehend the conceptual development of a discipline. A decade has passed since the last in-depth systematic review on contemporary ecotourism research has been published. This study is, therefore, executed to systematically analyze ecotourism research articles published in the previous twenty-five years and thereby to reassess the past, understand the present and envisage the future of ecotourism development. 470 articles published in nine top-tier tourism journals are screened and analyzed. Thematic and summative content analyses are employed to examine the contents of each publication. The findings highlight that over the years, researchers have examined myriads of ecotourism research themes. Despite fluctuations over the years, the overall publication trend shows growth. Most ecotourism studies are conducted in developing countries, with Asia taking the lead followed by Africa and Latin America. However, in terms of researchers’ domicile, the USA becomes the first followed by Australia, the UK, and Canada. Despite modest successes, overall, the contribution of ecotourism towards sustainable destination development remains indiscernible. The current study provides up-to-date insight into the ecotourism literature by highlighting the main themes and trends of ecotourism research over the last twenty-five years. Research findings also enhance our understanding of the evolution of ecotourism research and ignite further study in ecotourism by suggesting issues that merit rigorous investigation.     

Local community participation in ecotourism and conservation issues in two nature reserves in Nicaragua

This paper explores the factors influencing community participation in ecotourism and how this affects conservation in the Nature Reserves of Mombacho Volcano and Datanlí-El Diablo in Nicaragua. Information was collected using individual structured and semi-structured interviews and focus groups, with local people, farmers and tour operators, combining quantitative and qualitative techniques. The farmers in the two communities are engaged in the protection of the reserves because of environmental concern and also because their own welfare is at stake. In different ways, the farmers and communities benefit from ecotourism, but not enough. Either they are excluded from the management system, or they lack resources to promote the sites and improve infrastructure. Community participation is to a large extent dependent on the management system, but it is not the only aspect required to make ecotourism successful. A minimum of governmental support to infrastructure and local entrepreneurship is required. In the case presented, there are direct economic benefits from ecotourism, as the records of visitors illustrate. But there are many differences between the two reserves and their communities, illustrating that ecotourism development is complex and demanding, and demonstrating that ecotourism is not a “one size fits all” approach to sustainable development.     

基于游客视角的生态旅游认证支付意愿实证分析

生态旅游认证产品能否取得商业上的成功取决于旅游消费者对它的接受程度,本文通过对浙江省4个景区的实地调查,分析了旅游消费者对生态旅游认证产品的认知和态度,并运用假设评价方法评估了旅游消费者对生态旅游认证产品的支付意愿.研究结果表明,旅游消费者对生态旅游认证产品的选择意愿受性别、教育程度、月收入、旅游频率、旅游方式、过去一年旅游花费、对生态旅游进行专门的认证并授予生态资格证书的赞同程度,以及未认证生态旅游产品的价格等因素的影响而差别显著;计算所得的支付意原表明,平均而言,旅游消费者愿意支付比未认证的生态旅游产品高35.1%的价格来购买通过认证的生态旅游产品.     

Urban ecotourism: Defining and assessing dimensions using fuzzy number construction

This study assesses the dimensions of urban ecotourism. The indicators in this study undertaken in Taiwan were shaped by a novel approach, the fuzzy number construction approach. This approach possesses various advantages, including an ability was to cope with ambiguous issues; its comprehensive nature and the need for subjects to respond with a single number. The results revealed that economic factors played a lesser role than did social and environmental factors. Additionally the study reinforces the significant position of community participation while promoting urban ecotourism. The paper reports data and findings derived from two ecotourism destinations, one located in urban area and the other located in non-urban area. The findings indicate that “identifying with local culture” had the highest weight (7.19%), followed by “inclination of supporting environmental conservation” (7.06%),“satisfying local environment” (6.82%), “the 5 degree of habitat diversity” (6.58%),“inclination of urban ecotourism” (6.50%), and “coverage of the green areas” (6.36%). Implications for management indicate that urban park areas suffer greater stress due to recreational usage.     

Indigenous and democratic decision-making: issues from community-based ecotourism in the Boumā National Heritage Park,Fiji

Participatory development literature involving community-based ecotourism management (CBEM) has only recently addressed issues pertaining to indigenous governance and decision-making systems. This paper contributes to sustainable tourism by presenting local decision-making practices and issues arising from the perspective of the members of one village in the Boumā National Heritage Park, Fiji. It shows that introduced democratic decision-making systems may not contribute to political empowerment in CBEM and can cause difficult situations. It is argued that greater attention to local systems of governance is required if tourism practitioners are to fully understand decision-making and participation in CBEM. The paper also offers a culturally appropriate methodology that may produce more meaningful outcomes for sustainable tourism research in indigenous Fijian contexts, and in other contexts worldwide. It argues that levels of empowerment should not just be treated as the outcome but as a part of the process of tourism development. It explores the core Fijian cultural concept of vanua as a way of life, involving interrelated social, ecological and spiritual elements. An emic perspective utilising informal talanoa (discussions) is used and examined, along with the roles of kin groups, village spokesmen and clan systems, and their relationship with western business decision-making practices.     

Ecotourism Benefits and the Role of Local Guides at Masoala National Park,Madagascar

An investigation of ecotourism at Masoala National Park, a forested coastal area in northeastern Madagascar and the country’s largest national park, focused on ecotourism benefits and the role of local guides in promoting conservation awareness. Interviews, participant observation, and archival research were used to investigate the park’s guide association, resident attitudes toward Masoala National Park, and ecotourism as a method of park and rural development. Many factors make Masoala National Park a prime ecotourist destination, including the possibility of viewing its endemic species, such as red-ruffed lemurs. The park has a strong local guides’ association and currently combines conservation and development through a programme that returns a portion of tourism revenue to local communities. Actual or potential benefits received from the park, including ecotourism revenues, were found to influence the positive and negative perceptions of Masoala National Park held by residents living in the park periphery. However, limitations on ecotourism development include poor infrastructure and difficult access, a challenging climate including a hurricane season, and past national political instability.     

南岭国家森林公园旅游企业主导的社区参与模式研究

社区是生态旅游利益相关者的关键角色之一.本文在有关社区参与生态旅游的理论研究和文献综述的基础上,针对我国生态旅游社区参与的实残,选取具有代表性的南岭国家森林公园为案例,通过对当地社区、旅游企业及政府等相关利益主体及其相互关系的研究,提出了\"旅游企业主导的社区参与模式\",并探讨了该模式可持续运作的关键环节和优化模式.因子分析的结果进一步表明,社区主人翁意识、公共福利、教育培训机会以及经济收益等,是影响社区参与生态旅游的自主性和可持续性的重要因素.研究结果丰富了生态旅游社区参与的理论,并对我国生态旅游的社区实践具有一定的参考价值.     

公众参与旅游规划的思考——来自香港大澳的调查启示

本文通过问卷调查方法研究分析了居民、实际消费者、潜在消费者3个公众群体对于香港大澳生态旅游发展规划成果方案的支持意愿、了解程度以及焦点问题等方面的后期评价,进而探讨了其与大澳生态旅游发展规划公众参与工作实施的因果关系,认为合理的参与时限、专业人员的作用、主体多元化、持续动态参与对于提升公众参与规划的实际效果具有现实的作用。     

The “Ecotourism Curriculum” and Visitor Learning in Community-based Ecotourism: Case Studies from Thailand and Cambodia

Visitor learning is a basic component of community-based ecotourism (CBET), yet has seldom been the subject of research. This study examines how local environmental, cultural and livelihood knowledge comprise the ecotourism curriculum in two CBET projects located in southern Thailand and Cambodia, respectively. Following an accounting of local ecotourism curriculum content and teaching pedagogies employed at present in the two projects, recommendations are made for enhancing visitor learning in CBET. These include curriculum development, which recognizes and incorporates the particular forms of local knowledge present in a given CBET community, and the application of pedagogies of experiential and transformative learning in the teaching of this curriculum.     

生态旅游与当地居民利益——肯尼亚生态旅游成功经验分析

生态旅游已成为当今世界旅游业的热点 ,然而不适当或不科学的生态旅游开发已使很多生态保护区遭受了不同程度的损坏。本文以曾经是世界生态旅游成功的典范国家肯尼亚为例 ,分析了生态旅游的成功与当地居民利益之间的关系 ,试图提供给旅游企业开发者和经营者一个发展良好生态旅游的借鉴。     

国家公园科学保护与生态旅游高质量发展——理论思考与创新实践

国家公园科学保护与生态旅游高质量发展是国家公园体制建设面临的重大实践需求和重要科学议题。在阐释国家公园高质量发展特征的基础上,围绕国家公园的生态保护、生态旅游、特许经营、保护模式、解说系统、生态产业、社区参与、管理体制等理论与实践问题进行思考与跨学科对话。分析认为：（1）科研支撑是国家公园科学保护与生态旅游高质量发展的基石;（2）生态旅游是国家公园生态产品价值实现的重要方式,其必要条件是要素支撑体系、特许经营制度和关键政策突破;（3）特许权和特许经营制度是保护机制,从旅游特许经营走向社区特许经营、生物科技特许经营、基础设施特许经营、区域联合特许经营等是未来发展的必然趋势;（4）社区参与是国家公园高质量发展的基础保障,渠道拓展、能力提升、共建共享是提升社区参与质量的重要方式;（5）文化服务是国家公园多元功能的重要组成部分,构建科学的解说系统、建设实体平台和虚拟平台,有利于促进文化服务的供给及其社会文化价值的实现。     

A Review of “Raj Rhapsodies: tourism,heritage and the seduction of history”

Many researchers have used stage-based and life cycle models to describe destination development and local residents’ changing reactions to tourism. Typically, they report that resident attitudes towards tourism, and its perceived outcomes for host populations, worsen with increasing experience and involvement in tourism. However, stage-based models traditionally focus on mature destinations in developed countries. In contrast, scholarship on ecotourism derives largely from developing countries and suggests that increased participation leads to more favourable outcomes and attitudes towards tourism. This paper breaks new ground by exploring attitudes to tourism in an emerging destination in a developing country and linking that exploration to a revised stage-based model. It uses ethnographic data to evaluate responses to recent tourism development in Nicaragua. While findings are complex and do not support a linear relationship between the level of experience in tourism and the attitudes of local residents, they do indicate a relationship between these two theoretical perspectives that can be used to inform one another. Notably, workers in tourism are more critical of the tourism industry than residents are. Important amendments to stage-based models are suggested that will assist tourism planners with the creation of more sustainable, community-centred development.     

生态旅游概念的研究

通过分析生态旅游的提出和国内外研究的现状,文章将现有生态旅游概念系统地归纳为5种学说,即\"保护中心说\"、\"居民利益中心说\"、\"回归自然说\"、\"负责任说\"、\"原始荒野说\",并分别进行了深入剖析.在此基础上,作者从生态旅游产生的背景、生态旅游的市场、生态旅游的资源、生态旅游者的动机和出游目的等角度,全面阐述了生态旅游的真实内涵,并提出了具有市场操作性的生态旅游概念.     

Residents’ Participation,Perceived Impacts,and Support for Community-based Ecotourism in Cambodia: A Latent Profile Analysis

Throughout Cambodia, community-based ecotourism (CBET) has been initiated and established to generate additional income for local people and to conserve local natural resources since the early 1990s. However, few studies have addressed residents' attitude towards CBET. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to identify the residents' attitude towards CBET. The study classified 209 residents of Yeak Laom CBET in north-eastern Cambodia with respect to their participation in non-remunerative and remunerative activities, perceived impacts on livelihood assets and livelihood outcomes, and support for CBET. Rather than the conventional cluster analysis used by most previous studies, Latent profile analysis was employed. The study suggests that residents of a CBET may consist of four attitude clusters, namely Absolute Supporter (69%), Beneficiary Supporter (14%), Concerned Supporter (11%), and Ambivalent (6%). In conclusion, most residents of a CBET are likely to support CBET development and believe that it has positive impacts on their livelihood assets and outcomes, albeit with little involvement. The residents of the study area can be considered as a tourism-hungry community.