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ECOCLUB® |
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ISSN 1108-8931 |
International Ecotourism Monthly |
Year 4, Issue 46, Mar. 2003 |
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The
Expert The Expert showcases the knowledge of our Expert Members who volunteer free advice to other Members of ECOCLUB.com on their topic of expertise. (Articles appear in the order ECOCLUB received them) In this issue: |
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Reply by Expert Member Carlos Libosada to an on-line Enquiry About your query on promoting cultural tourism. I believe that that in special areas like Cameroon, promoting ecotourism would need little effort as the area is quite known as a cultural destination (not only ecotourism). My concern would be on pushing for the concept of ecotourism which is on the protection of the local culture when the (hordes of) tourists visit the area. Of course there would be steps like minimising the number of visitors and making the tour costly. But what if the amount of people would still be beyond the capacity of the locals to handle (both service-wise and psychologically). Plus, the length and frequency of contacts between visitor and locals might eventually make the local culture evolve into a purely tourism-based culture thereby diminishing the authenticity of the culture. So, before we promote cultural tourism, make sure that we can handle the visitors first. If you will ask me, I would advocate that we minimise the contacts between authentic cultural communities and visitors. There are a lot of ways of doing that like setting up cultural villages or buffer areas, coming up with information materials on the sensitivities that should be observed by the visitors, etc. I'm sure there would be a lot of materials you can gather. Lastly, as I mentioned before, tourists visit other cultures for its authenticity. Make sure that your culture remains that way. Don't sell authentic ritual materials and heirlooms even for big bucks. If you allow this, you would see your people using non-authentic materials for their rituals (which is really sad).
Reply by Expert Member Ian Menzies to an on-line Enquiry: No, ecotourism is not merely a marketing term but one that applies to a particular operational segment of the tourism industry as well as that market niche from which we source our ecotourists. There are many definitions of ecotourism, do a web search and you will see what I mean, (Ed. also see our Members Charter) but in an operational sense it refers to "those operators who seek to offer an interactive, interpretive, educational and enlightening experience where the environment (including the human environment) and its ecosystems is sustained and nurtured for future generations". That's my quote....you may use it. In my own operations we also constantly monitored the country through which we passed and recorded any degradations or intrusions that might affect its health and continued well-being. After all, our environment is a living organism and just like human beings needs regular "check ups". In the early days, particularly in the 80s and early 90s, there were many so-called eco-operators who did "bastardise" the word and advertised an ecotourism experience but failed to deliver. That is why in Australia we have the toughest accreditation scheme in the world for eco-operators. Called NEAP...the National Ecotourism Accreditation Program.....it has become a very effective tool for monitoring and assessing whether operators who offer an eco-experience really do deliver. Look up the web site of the Ecotourism Association of Australia...you will find links that will explain. Now.....do your internet research and find other opinions on the matter. It is only through your own research that you will come to understand just how important the 'eco' is in ecotourism. An enquiring mind is your greatest asset. |
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