{"id":24832,"date":"2019-07-03T08:00:21","date_gmt":"2019-07-03T06:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ecobnb.com\/blog\/?p=24832"},"modified":"2020-05-22T14:40:29","modified_gmt":"2020-05-22T12:40:29","slug":"responsible-tourism-ecotourism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ecobnb.com\/blog\/2019\/07\/responsible-tourism-ecotourism\/","title":{"rendered":"Responsible Tourism: making less Photos and shaking more Hands"},"content":{"rendered":"

What is Responsible Tourism? Respecting the environment, but also supporting local communities and making better places for people to live in.<\/h2>\n

Tourism<\/strong> is probably the most profitable industrial sector in the global economy, although it is not a purely economic phenomenon. As a matter of fact, tourism can create opportunities for sharing<\/strong> and awareness-raising<\/strong> of important social themes. This is the reason why it is necessary to develop this concept into a dualism between tourism and sustainability<\/strong> to coin an innovative definition of ecotourism, responsible tourism,\u00a0<\/strong>and sustainable tourism<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

From\u00a0Ecotourism to Responsible Tourism<\/h2>\n
\"compass
Our green future, photo by Jamie Street on Unsplash<\/div><\/div>\n

\u201cEcotourism<\/strong> means travelling responsibly in natural surroundings, respecting the environment and the sake of local people<\/strong>\u201d<\/em> (TIES 1991)<\/p>\n

\u201cEcotourism means traveling with environmental awareness<\/strong> and visiting natural areas almost pure in order to enjoy and appreciate nature (such as the cultural attraction of past and present). This encourages the preservation, it has a few negative consequences and promotes an active and beneficial socioeconomic participation of local people<\/strong>\u201d<\/em> (Elisabeth Boo, 1990)<\/p>\n

\u201cEcotourism is a way of traveling responsibly in almost natural environments. It tries to reduce negative environmental effects and sociocultural transformation. It helps to finance protected areas and creates possible sources of income for local people\u201d<\/em>. (working team \u201cEcotourism\u201d for German Ministry)<\/p>\n

According to WTO (World Tourism Organization, a division of the United Nations), there is no universal definition of ecotourism. However, its main characteristics can be summarized in this way:<\/p>\n

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  1. All forms of tourism in which the main motivation of the tourist is observing and appreciating nature or traditional cultures in a natural environment;<\/strong><\/li>\n
  2. \u00a0It has educational<\/strong> and interpretative features;<\/li>\n
  3. \u00a0It is mostly organized \u2013 not always \u2013 in small groups of small specialized companies run by local people<\/strong>. There are also some foreign operators of different dimensions that organize, manage and distribute ecotouristic tours, usually for small groups;<\/li>\n
  4. It reduces negative effects<\/strong>\u00a0on the natural and cultural environment;<\/li>\n
  5. It supports the protection of natural areas<\/strong> through:\n
      \n
    • the creation of economic advantages for the host locations, organizations and institutions that manage protected areas, to\u00a0protect them;<\/li>\n
    • the production of alternative jobs and sources of income in local communities;<\/li>\n
    • the formation of conscience for the protection of natural and cultural heritage in local people and tourists\u2019 minds.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Since the 1990s to date, the focus towards ecotourism has been growing more and more leading to a real ecological boom. For this reason, some alternative definitions of ecotourism have become popular. From \u201cgreen\u201d tourism to low environmental impact tourism, from rural tourism to slow tourism. This has certainly raised awareness of environmental issues and attention to eco-tourism.<\/p>\n

      Though responsible ecotourism<\/h2>\n
      \"ecotourism
      Photo by H Ng Nguy N Vi Ton Unsplash<\/div><\/div>\n

      Ecotourism, ecological tourism or responsible tourism? There are a lot of words defining the same concept, this can lead to confusion. Responsible ecotourism<\/strong> makes clear the social responsibility of the tourist. It doesn\u2019t mean raising awareness only of nature and visited places, but also being respectful\u00a0of local communities<\/strong> that live there.<\/p>\n

      The new frontier of ecotourism is sustainable tourism or responsible tourism: An\u00a0environmentally friendly tourism, that must also be respectful of local\u00a0communities who have to be economically supported through tourism. How? You should buy in local markets, prefer hotels and restaurants run by local people, choose local tour guides. In this way, the money you spend during your travel can arrive directly to local people, this has a positive impact on local communities.<\/p>\n

      What is\u00a0responsible\u00a0tourism?<\/h2>\n\n\t\t