Five Parameters of EcotourismHuub GaymansValley HikesABSTRACTBefore discussing the parameters of ecotourism success, it is necessary to discuss first the parameters of ecotourism itself. Ecotourism has almost as many meanings as the people who use the term. Therefore, it may be more fruitful to accept that there are many forms and degrees of ecotourism, as opposed to dividing the tourism world into eco and non-eco. Proposed here is a rating system, based on five parameters. Just as hotels and restaurants receive a rating of one-to-four stars, ecotourism attractions could be judged on a system of butterflies with respect to their environmental policies. The proposed parameters are: Reduced impact on environment /environmental sustainability policies, interaction with nature, community involvement and interaction with people, environmental activities, and economic sustainability. We then ask to what extent an ecotourism venture is able to score high on each of the parameters, on a continuous or sustainable basis.VALLEY HIKES AND OTHER ECOTOURISM DEVELOPMENTS IN JAMAICAValley Hikes is a young non-profit ecotourism company in Port Antonio, Jamaica. It grew out of a Dutch-fundedIntegrated Rural Development Programme. Although Jamaica has a large tourism industry, neither the government nor the private sector is yet very supportive of ecotourism development. Not until people are con- vinced that ecotourism can be profitable will ecotourism develop- ment receive the support it needs. It will be a long struggle for Valley Hikes.If one is not too strict about a definition of ecotourism, many tourism attractions in Jamaica and elsewhere could be referred to and marketed as ecotourism attractions. Certainly the term ecotourism, which companies and governments are more likely to adopt, in the Caribbean and elsewhere, has considerable market value. So the number of attractions that call themselves ecotourism is growing. Oddly enough, the Jamaican Government just adopted a definition of ecotourism which is so strict and idealistic that hardly any tourism product can be called ecotourism. Within Jamaica probably only Valley Hikes would fall within the boundaries set by that definition, as will be discussed later.MEASURING ECOTOURISMON A MULTIDIMENSIONAL SCALEOne of the problems of definitions is that they put a dividing line between what is and what is not ecotourism without differentiating any further. As long as many definitions abound, tourism compa- nies can and do use the terms such as “ecotourism,” “nature tour- ism,” “community-based tourism,” and “responsible travel.”There are a few ventures such as Valley Hikes in Jamaica, the Community Baboon Centre in Belize, and others, that govern them- selves by strict rules to minimize negative impacts and maximize positive impacts on nature and the community.On the other hand, so-called ecotourism can have a very negative environmental effect. For example, in the Black River in Jamaica, crocodiles are disappearing because of the number of motorized tourist launches. There are many in-between situations, where a purist would not apply the term ecotourism. The downhill bicycle tours near Buff Bay, Jamaica, have little community involvement and offer little education about nature. But this attraction has a relatively small impact on nature while offering the participants the joy of cycling in a very beautiful environment.Instead of defining ecotourism precisely, it may be more useful and realistic to apply a gradual scale. Since most definitions of ecotourism combine different elements, the scale can not be linear, but should be multi-dimensional.
The parameters that could be used for such a scoring are:
1.Reduced impact on environment / environmental sustainability
2.Interaction with nature
3.Community involvement and interaction with people
4.Environmental activities
5.Economic sustainability
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