Lizzi's Top 10 Revelations

At the beginning of the ecotourism class this semester, I genuinely had no idea what to expect. I had never given much thought to the multiple aspects of what ecotourism entails which is why when we defined it as "responsible travel to natural areas which conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people. It also creates knowledge and understanding through interpretation and education of all involved as well as being sustainable travel through educational locations". I hadn't given much thought to the different parts of what ecotourism meant, particularly the education aspect. There is also the other aspect of giving back to the community and immersing yourself with the culture completely. This is much more important because it's crucial to give back to the community you're visiting.

When looking into different locations to visit for ecotourism trips, most of them are protected. Usually, "ecotourism involves visits to areas that are under some form of environmental protection by governments, conservations or scientific organizations, or private owners or entrepreneurs” (Honey, 13). This isn't surprising to me in the least bit, however, I do believe there is more that can be done to preserve these lands. The United States has been around since the nineteenth century which allows for ecotourists to visit. Because these lands are being protected by the National Parks Service, it allows the land to be preserved for a longer amount of time because they're being treated with respect.


Taking a look into how the tourism industry markets ecotourism it wasn't surprising me to that they make different vacations look more "green" than they actually are. It's disappointing that “the tourism industry, including the travel pass, has come to view “green travel” as a marketing tool to attract the growing the number of environmentally and socially conscious travelers seeking alternatives to conventional “mass tourism” (Honey, 25). I think that some people go into their trip believing they're being as green as possible during their stay but in reality they've become a victim of "green washing". Green washing can consist of things as simple as just not washing the towels everyday. This isn't necessarily ecotourism if you're just not washing your items everyday or using the cleaning service as much as possible. Many people who consider their trips ecotourism trips aren't practicing every aspect of ecotourism.

Now, obviously to get to these desired locations, it's typical to fly to where the ecotourist wants to go. Unfortunately, “despite the environmental initiatives, there has been growing awareness of the impact of air transportation on climate change” (Honey, 43). It's very clear that climate change is an extremely real thing that is affecting our planet is countless different ways. It's unfortunate that to see the world, you end up hurting it more. Air transportation is one of the fastest-growing sources of greenhouse gases which means that even though we’re trying to get to locations to see how they’ve been preserved and help them stay that way, we’re slowly killing our planet. 

When it comes to protecting land, Costa Rica has done an unbelievable job regardless of the amount of foot traffic. Right now, “more than 25 percent of Costa Rica’s territory, with an estimated land value of $2 billion, is under some form of protection” (Honey, 169). It would be amazing if more places had the ability to protect this much land and have it be at this high of a value. I feel like people would treat the land with more respect if they knew what it was worth. Some people think that they're allowed to venture wherever they please but that's not possible if the land is destroyed by too much foot traffic.

When discussing Tanzania, it was stated that "the increase in lodges and campsites in areas like Serengeti’s western corridor has reduced the incidence of poaching because the presence of larger numbers of tourists and guides makes it harder for poachers to operate” (Honey, 233). I think this is such a benefit for the people of Tanzania because they want to decrease the amount of poaching to preserve the animals that inhabit the areas ecotourists go to visit. It also comes down to safety as well. You can't have poachers where people are staying because there's the small chance they could end up injuring or killing a tourist where they are hunting.




Because ecotourism is something that can bring so much joy as well as revenue to people in a country, it's surprising to me when countries don't go out of their way to create locations that bring in a solid amount of tourism. Zanzibar is one of the best examples because “the word ecotourism has been part of the lexicon of Zanzibar’s government officials and tourism promoters since the early 1990’s. But today, the word is found mainly in print, not in action” (Honey, 269). It's really interesting to me that even though they take the time to promote ecotourism on paper, they don't actually take any action when it comes to ecotourism. Because ecotourism can bring in so much money, I think it would bring lots of opportunities to Zanzibar.

One of the places I would love to visit the most is South Africa, especially because they have so much to offer in terms of ecotourism. The countries "system of national, provincial, and homeland parks has long been considered among the world’s best protected and most carefully tended” (Honey, 391). Because of this, South Africa is able to bring in a substantial amount of tourists, particularly for the animals that they have to show off. There is no where else in the world that can give you that type of experience and the fact that they're able to preserve it so well is amazing. Although it's a great place to visit, keeping in mind that traveling there and respecting the land is of utmost importance. It's also important to take into consideration that you should be learning about the animals and nature you are immersing yourself within because that way people are able to get more out of the experience.

When it comes to the United States, they are "a tourism superpower: it is the number-one-country in the world in tourism receipts and the third-highest in international tourist arrivals (behind France and Spain)” (Honey, 397). This doesn't come as a surprise to me however, I do think that a lot of tourists that are originally from the United States look to other countries for ecotourism when in reality there are amazing places within their own country. There are so many places I would love to explore within the United States but when planning a vacation I typically look to places I may not get more opportunities to go to. It makes me re-think the way I plan my next vacation as well as the activities I plan.

Overall, ecotourism needs support from more than just the ecotourist itself. “Although alliances with NGO’s and experts can provide skills, funds, and political clout, it is difficult for community-based ecotourism to take hold and expand without strong government support” (Honey, 445). Because ecotourism is evolves around exploration of land, it's crucial that those areas have the support of the government to help fund the protection of it. Although there are countless environmentalist groups as well as advocates for the amazing ecotourism locations, unfortunately more is needed. There are more aspects that go into ecotourism that I had originally thought and I would love to see more initiatives taken to protect the land that Mother Nature has provided us with. If not, these miraculous locations could disappear before our eyes.