University of Aarhus ECOTOURISM AS A WAY TO PROTECT ...

Ecotourism as a sustainable way to protect nature
2.2.4. Ecotourism - is there a final concept
It is important to understand ecotourism not separately from other tourism
branches. There will be always connection to all aspects of tourism with the
common guideline. There is no border-line which separates different branches
from each-other. We can regard the ecotourism as the continual shift from mass
tourism to more sustainable kinds of tourism. Even in the ecotourism concept,
we can find some kind of continuum (spectrum) from active(hard) to
passive(soft) ecotourism (Weaver, 2001). Due to this continuity it is problematic
to set up final concept without doubt. Therefore we thing that the ecotourism
concept is still open issue with lots of challenges.
2.3. Is Ecotourism really sustainable
2.3.1. Conditions for successful ecotourism
Apparently ecotourism is not inherently sustainable. Three important
segments must be included in the ecotourism planning for the result to be
sustainable. It must be economically viable, environmentally appropriate and
socio-culturally acceptable. Economy, environment and culture are all involved,
one is not more important than the other (Wall, 1997). But it will probably take
a long time before we fully understand how to apply all the aspects of
sustainability on the concrete problems, including ecotourism.
2.3.2. How many tourists are ecotourists
Another issue closely connected to the sustainability of the visited areas,
is the number of (eco)tourists present at any given time. According to the UNEP
guidelines about ecotourism which define the appropriate number of tourists in a
group, it is evident that ecotourism is mainly an individual small-scale activity.
The UNEP guidelines recommend groups of up to 25 persons and hotels with
fever than 100 beds in one structure (UNEP, 2002).
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