Managing the demand for ecotourism
From the Hill country of Thailand to the headwaters of the Amazon in Peru, there's a highly popular green style of travel well suited to adventurous souls who want to appreciate the world's diverse landscapes, wildlife and cultures on their own terms.
Ecotourism, also known as wilderness tourism, rural tourism or commercial backcountry recreation, is a natural offshoot of the wave of environmental awareness that has been sweeping today's industrialized societies.
While the concept of ecotourism is not new, wilderness travel is the fastest growing segment of the world tourism industry.
In British Columbia alone, it contributes 1.5 billion dollars a year to the province's GDP. This figure excludes the billions of dollars spent on hotels, restaurants and transportation.
Jim DeHart, president of the Wilderness Tourism Association of B.C. attributes this to the growing number of Millennials or Generation Y travellers. "These are the avid hikers and campers, born between 1980 and 2000, who can't afford to vacation in the lap of luxury," notes Dehart.
There is no sign the trend for ecotourism is slowing, according to John Tichenor, general manager of World Heritage Travel Group. Tichenor, who leads custom tours to all corners of the globe says ecotourists are generally looking for a beautiful destination they can enjoy with a reasonable degree of safety and comfort.
They also want a unique environmental vacation with a significant historical trail, archeological site or an especially rare species. The environmentally sensitive traveller likes to contribute to the local ecosystem, whether helping directly with conservation and research work, or lobbying on an international level. National Geographic style trips are popular.
The sudden growth in travellers, however, combined with a strong sensitivity toward environmental protection, has sparked serious concerns about protecting the fragile ecosystems that have become so attractive. Tour operators, government planners, and conservation specialists have taken a closer look at ways to strike a balance between the soaring demands for outdoor adventure travel and the need to protect the unique qualities of tourist destinations.
Appropriately, they meet each year in Alberta's Banff National Park where there has been a long-standing debate over preservation and development in the heart of the Canadian Rockies.
Alex Zellermeyer, who works for the Canadian Parks Service, says there are significant environmental hazards when a region attracts international attention. "The United Nations World Tourism Office estimates that 800 million people will travel to foreign nations in 2015. That number is rapidly growing," he explains.
For well-known urban destinations the numbers have been creating immense problems for decades. "Ten years ago, 10.8 million people visited Notre Dame Cathedral--108 visitors per minute," says Zellermeyer. "The average 35 buses idling outside were chewing up the church with sulphur and nitrous oxides. I hate to see the problems facing Notre Dame now, especially since the number of visitors has steadily burgeoned."
When a lesser-known region becomes a hot spot, even relatively small numbers of visitors can create devastating problems unless there is a multifaceted effort to achieve a sustainable level of tourism.
The Annapurna region of Nepal has been seriously damaged by less than 40,000 trekkers a year. Chandra Gurung, dirctor of the Annapurna Conservation Area Project, says Nepal is trying to manage the 4,725 per cent growth in tourism over the past 30 years with a comprehensive approach. More importantly, an education campaign has been directed at visitors.
These lessons can also be applied back home by encouraging visitors to hike the federal and provincial trails rather than bush whack their way through the forest, notes Lisa Pintaric, an avid outdoors enthusiast. "Canadian and Alberta parks people want hikers to stay on the trails to protect the environment and prevent animal attacks. Ecotourists need to follow the rules wherever they travel."
Mount Everest. Photographer unknown.
