Ecotourism Doesn't Have to Be a Case of Gullible Travels
12/1/96
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Headline: Ecotourism Doesn't Have to Be a Case of Gullible Travels
Source: MoJO
Date: 12/1/96
Author: Leora Broydo
Leda Muoz is a biologist who has spent the past
nine years working as a tour guide for Wildland
Adventures, an American ecotravel company in her
native Costa Rica. Muoz, like many who work in
the burgeoning ecotourism industry, says her
clients are distinguished from "average" tourists
because of their deep interest in conservation,
wildlife, and native cultures.
There was that day, though, when Muoz caught a
member of the tour group stuffing seashells into
her backpack during a visit to one of Costa
Rica's prized biological reserves. "They're very
pretty and I want to take them for my
grandchildren," the pillaging granny justified,
thus augmenting a primary credo of ecotourism:
Take only memories, leave only
footprints...unless, of course, you see something
that would make a nice gift.
Then there was the trip during which a
photographer kept rearranging the indigenous
people into "more natural" positions. "He was
making them pose so he could take the perfect
picture," Muoz recalls.
Fact is, even goody-two-shoes tourists can have a
negative impact on almost anything they touch.
But this hasn't slowed the growth of "socially
responsible" travel, or ecotourism, the
fastest-growing segment of the travel industry:
Close to 8 million U.S. travelers have taken at
least one ecotourism trip, and 35 million more
will likely take one within the next three years,
according to the Vermont-based Ecotourism
Society. That's a lot of footprints.
Yet both the ecotourism industry and conservation
groups argue that tourists can positively affect
the environment and people, especially in Third
World countries -- with their money. In theory,
tourism can replace an industry that threatens
the environment, such as logging or commercial
agriculture, and provide local people with a
better way of life. The key is to make sure the
tourism dollars are going to the right place.
That's where choosing a good tour operator comes
in. Needless to say, many of these outfits were
Joe's Travel, until they found out people would
spend money on anything with "eco" in it, and
then they became Joe's Ecotravel.
The Ecotourism Society has guidelines to help
find a truly eco-friendly operator. For example,
a company should be able to show that funds from
a trip go directly to the local community -- this
includes employing locals and using lodging and
food from the area. The society also recommends
asking tour operators about what they do for
local conservation. Find out if they donate money
to local organizations that concentrate on
environmental concerns, or if the operators have
established local conservation projects.
Most experts recommend ecotourists begin their
regional education before jumping on a burro in
Copper Canyon, giving a big ol' Texas hello to
the Quechua Indians at Lake Titicaca, or getting
friendly with the fauna of Irian Jaya. After all,
even the most environmentally conscious souls can
become high-impact clods once the fanny pack is
strapped on.
One tourism group says those considering
ecotravel should "begin from the undeniable
assumption that your very presence in a place is
going to have an impact, both environmental and
cultural. Then, take steps to ensure the impact
is going to be positive. Begin by reading
articles and books, speaking with people who have
traveled there, and choosing a travel company
that shares your concerns." Muoz, after years of
experience working with socially responsible
tourists, imparts some simple advice: "Be
humble."