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

Ecotourism as a sustainable way to protect nature
brings over development and uneven development, because of the sudden
increase in income. Often the money does not stay in the host country, because
the tourist companies and accommodations are international owned; the only
benefits to local communities are from low-payment service jobs. Mass tourism
also brings environmental pollution and spoils cultural attractions. Tourist
attractions that earlier on were a beautiful spot becomes degraded as a result of
mass tourism. Following the UNEP definition this is what ecotourism tries to
avoid.
The local people should benefit from ecotourism. They should be given
job opportunities and a higher income than the income resulting form extraction
of natural resources, such as mining, agriculture and fishery. The local future
economy could improve by preserving the ecosystem and promoting tourism. It
can be difficult to convince the local people to promote long-term tourism rather
than short-term extraction of resources. This is the situation in South Africa,
where conservation of the National Park will create 33 jobs and mining will
create 2000 jobs and they will get their income immediately. It is not easy for
local people in developing countries to invest in long-term, future projects, when
they need the money here and now. And 2000 jobs are more attractive than 33
jobs.
The different stakeholders should also benefit from tourism, as on the
Galapagos Islands, where the revenue from the entrance fees is distributed on
different stakeholders. The theory that the different stakeholders will protect
what they receive money from is not enough. They need to be educated and
participate in the planning process.
It is also important to satisfy tourists up to a point, so there will keep
being a stabile influx of tourists and therefore income. It is then necessary to
inform the tourists of what to expect, so they avoid getting disappointed. As the
80