Eco-Tourism as a Marketing Term Coursework Assignment (Coursework Sample)

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Eco-Tourism as a Marketing Term
Introduction to the problem and thesis statement
Tourism is the oldest known industry that has created employment for millions of people around the world. Most emerging markets heavily rely on this industry for generation of their revenues. In most developed nations tourism is a significant and key pillar of development. Lately, this industry has seen an emergence of a fast-growing subsector that is now known as Ecotourism. This is the fastest growing sector of tourism experiencing growth in the range of 10-25% growth annually. Different quarters have defined Ecotourism differently, but the widely accepted view is that Ecotourism is the act of responsible travel to natural sites that conserves the environment and looks into the wellbeing of the locals.
This travel is aimed at conserving the environment and empowering the local communities in those areas of travel. In spite of the greenwashing that this industry has received, much more desires to be done. This industry does not live up to its intended spirit. At the moment the industry has led to more harm than good. Proponents of this industry cannot admit it, but in the real sense, the industry is more harmful than any other sector of tourism (Blowers, 21). So much praise has been showered to this subsector of tourism as a result of greenwashing. The aim of this paper is to address the problems associated with ecotourism and possible solutions to them.
Factors That Have Led To the Degeneration of This Industry and Risks Involved
Romantic Devastation
Ecotourism is presented as a preserver and enhancer of local cultures. This claim is insincere and lacks honesty in it. In most parts of the world, the local cultures and people are used as an exotic backdrop to the natural sceneries found in those local communities. Advertisements and marketing of tourist attraction sites are carried out using the communities’ cultural heritage. The people’s culture is used to attract tourists from the various origin, but in the real sense, the aim is to have people visit the local natural sceneries. In most cases, the governments do not observe the human rights of the locals or the land rights. Governments are repossessing lands from the local to create eco-tourism zones (Hawkins, 31). This is taking place in total disregard of the indigenous occupants’ rights. Where compensation has been carried out, it has often been minimal payouts that are often not negotiated. The indigenous people are torn between losing their lands and accepting the meager payouts. Marketing of these places is often carried out without the community’s involvement. The communities only become involved when they are required to offer local assistance to the eco-tourists
Environmental Risks
Tourists desire to venture into virgin lands is resulting in more devastation to the environment. Ecotourism is slowly shifting tourism from the conventional wildlife and nature observation to a different industry. In this subsector of travel, there is increased human interaction with the environment. The interaction is freely unlimited. Virgin lands have been explored and exploited in the guise of tourism. This has resulted in the loss of biodiversity. In other instances, there has been the destruction of the natural habitats. A disturbance of these habitats has resulted in imbalances of the natural ecosystems (Ashford, 19). In addition to this proximal interaction of the eco-tourists and the wildlife exposes the animals to possible dangers. Cases of animal poisoning have been reported from various parts of the world. Eco-tourists have blatantly flaunted regulations on feeding the animals.
Bio Piracy
There is a clear-cut link between bio piracy and ecotourism. Bio piracy in most cases has been associated with the theft of plant seeds and at times the genes of the local populations. Researchers come guised as eco-tourists. They, in turn, use the local populace as their guides in determining which plants possess what medicinal values. After that, the ‘tourists’ make away with seeds from this native places. This is a problem particularly affecting the developing nations of the world. In this nations where financial security is at risk, the vice has been on the rise.
Littering the Environment.
It is common knowledge that the tourists will generate wastes in their travels. But where do they take their waste products to? Ecotourism travel groups will give some well written down directives as to how waste should be dumped, but how effective that is, remains a mirage. As the tourists venture into these land, they recklessly dump their wastes into these places. The tragedy of this vice is that most of the wastes are non-biodegradable. This implies that from their time of dumping they are not bound to decay. Animals have often died from consuming nylon wastes. Regulations should be put in place to curb this menace.
Hindering Development.
Most eco-tourism projects come at a great cost.in the developing nations of the world. The governments have had to forego development at the cost of sustaining these eco-friendly parks. This has a direct impact in that these parts have continuously been left behind. The communities living in these areas have enjoyed the short-term benefits of this industry (Yunting, 23). At present, there are no plans in sight to ensure that this industry offers a long-lasting solution to developing these areas.
Feasible Solutions to Problems Associated With Eco-Tourism
The general idea of an environmental (eco) friendly tourism is a great one. If this idea is well cultivated, it can lead to far many gains. All this industry needs is a proper framework to regulate how it is being executed. There should be set minimum salaries for the local guides involved in this industry. Theirs should be a form of employment rather than a tips based employment. In addition to this, the governments should focus on ensuring that the tourists are restricted from engaging in bio piracy. Flora and fauna should be left in their natural settings as far as possible. The eco-tourism lodges should also be compelled to source their supplies from the local settings. This will ensure that the economies of these local settings also grow with the industry. Their livelihoods should also be improved, and their financial stability improved. Serious conservation frameworks should be set in place. The governments should use the revenues generated to preserve the local habitats where this form of tourism is taking place.
Demystifying the Eco-Tourism Industry
On the other hand proponents, of this industry have greenwashed this industry to a large extent. They claim that the industry has created employment to the local people. Their arguments are based on the notion that it is the local communities that are involved this empowerment is farther from the truth (Munt, 47). In a sense it is modern day slavery. The eco-tourist pay the locals meagre salaries which do not commensurate to their services. The lack of the locals unions has resulted in massive exploitation of the locals. The average pay of to the locals has been in the range of $1-$10 U.S dollars. This is less than the average hourly wages of the ordinary American populace.
Also, claims that eco-tourism conserves the environment have been put forward. The argument has been that eco-tourism is a responsible form of tourism. This claim is far from the truth. Bio piracy has been on the rise globally. As the seeds are stolen indiscriminately it is not a guarantee that they will do well in the new habitats. This therefore denies the mother habitats the chance to grow these seeds. Moreover, the tourists dispose their wastes into these ecosystems. This has always had the effect of unsettling the ecosystem balance of these places. Claims that this industry supports international labor laws are misleading.
International labor l...