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Ecotourism for Sustainability

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Tourism, Culture, and Heritage".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 October 2020) | Viewed by 21276

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Colin Michael Hall

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Guest Editor

Department of Management, Marketing and Entrepreneurship, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
Interests: tourism and human mobility; regional development and social/green marketing; human dimensions of global environmental change and conservation; environmental history, especially national park history & wilderness conservation; the use of tourism as an economic development and conservation mechanism
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Ecotourism has long been held as a means to ensure that tourism contributes to the conservation of biodiversity and natural heritage while also economically assisting local communities that have significant ecosystems, landscapes and/or species. However, the linkages between tourism and natural areas go back to the very origin of national parks and the delicate balance between conservation and visitors that is yet to be solved. Ecotourism is therefore arguably a further addition to the long-standing issue of making the relationship between tourism and nature a sustainable one. However, the meaning and application of the notion of ecotourism have expanded over time to refer to products, market segments, commoditised nature, branding, operators and seemingly anything with an ecological dimension. If ecotourism seemingly covers everything does it now count for nothing? This Special Issue therefore provides an opportunity to reappraise both the value of particular aspects of the field of ecotourism and the contribution of ecotourism to sustainability overall.

Prof. Dr. C. Michael Hall
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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Keywords

sustainable nature-based tourism
sustainable ecotourism
national parks and protected areas
biodiversity conservation
community-based tourism
ecotourism
nature-based tourism
natural heritage
charismatic species
rewilding
urban ecotourism
environmental change

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 5362 KiB

Open AccessArticle

How Eco is Eco-Tourism? A Systematic Assessment of Resorts on the Red Sea, Egypt

by Amir Gohar and G. Mathias Kondolf

Sustainability 2020, 12(23), 10139; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su122310139 - 04 Dec 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 6033

Abstract

Eco-tourism is a growing part of the tourism industry. However, there are no agreed-upon criteria of what constitutes eco-tourism, so the industry is currently self-identified, with eco-lodges simply declaring themselves so. Here we present the first systematic comparison of eco-tourism versus conventional (or mass) tourism, using as our study area a set of 37 resorts along the southern Red Sea coast of Egypt, all constructed on similarly oriented parcels between the sea and the Red Sea Mountain Range. We compared resorts based on their water, energy, and waste management (all virtually equivalent), and based on mappable environmental parameters such as swimming pool surface area, distance from mangrove patches, conflict with flood plains, extent of lawn area, and means of access to deep water. We found that the self-identified eco-tourism establishments were not significantly different from the conventional tourism resorts in terms of their stress on environmental resources. We recommend that future eco-tourism operations be modified in two key ways. First, on the planning level, by modifying the regional master plan created by the central government tourism authorities. Second, on the site design level, by introducing significant improvements to the design approval processes for the developments to ensure compliance with environmental requirements. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecotourism for Sustainability)

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18 pages, 2331 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Senses by Seasons: Tourists’ Perceptions Depending on Seasonality in Popular Nature Destinations in Iceland

by Anna Dóra Sæþórsdóttir, C. Michael Hall and Þorkell Stefánsson

Sustainability 2019, 11(11), 3059; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su11113059 - 30 May 2019

Cited by 23 | Viewed by 6584

Abstract

Seasonality in visitor arrivals is one of the greatest challenges faced by tourist destinations. Seasonality is a major issue for sustainable tourism as it affects the optimal use of investment and infrastructure, puts pressure on resources and can create negative experience of crowding at destinations. Peripheral areas commonly experience more pronounced fluctuations in visitor arrivals. Iceland is one of those destinations. Although the number of tourists visiting the country has multiplied in recent years, seasonality is still a major challenge, especially in the more rural peripheral areas of the country. Iceland’s high season for tourism occurs during its brief summer (June to August), but in recent years more people visit the country on shorter winter trips, creating new management challenges. This research is based on an on-site questionnaire survey conducted in seven popular nature destinations in Iceland which compares the experience of summer and winter visitors. The results show that winter visitors are more satisfied with the natural environment while their satisfaction with facilities and service is in many cases lower. The areas are generally perceived as being more beautiful and quieter in winter than in summer. However, most destinations are considered less accessible and less safe in the winter. Tourists are much less likely to experience physical crowding during winter, although winter visitors are more sensitive to crowds, most likely because of expectations of fewer tourists. Finally, this research shows that tourists are less likely to encounter negative effects of tourism on the environment in the winter, (e.g., erosion or damage to rocks and vegetation), than in summer. The results highlight the importance of understanding visitor perceptions in a seasonal and temporal context. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecotourism for Sustainability)

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22 pages, 1140 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The National Parks in the Context of Tourist Function Development in Territorially Linked Municipalities in Poland

by Alina Kulczyk-Dynowska and Beata Bal-Domańska

Sustainability 2019, 11(7), 1996; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su11071996 - 03 Apr 2019

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 3390

Abstract

The article is divided into two parts. Its first part analyses the functions of environmental education and land sharing performed by national parks in Poland. The second part presents the transformations of both tourist and nature protection functions of 117 municipalities (gminas), territorially linked with 23 national parks in Poland. For this purpose, a statistical analysis was carried out, applying linear ordering methods—synthetic development measures (SDM) were used. Subsequently, a comparative analysis of municipalities in each of the defined areas was carried out, along with an assessment of the correlation between the level of the nature protection function and the tourist function development. The research covers the years 2001–2016. SDM of nature protection function and tourist function in the municipalities linked with national parks indicate stability of the nature protection function as well as dynamic changes in the tourist function. It allows rejecting the research hypothesis that national parks intend to block the tourist function of municipalities. The research findings indicate the need for cooperation between municipalities and national parks not only for the sake of nature protection, but also for the purpose of area economic activation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecotourism for Sustainability)

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16 pages, 1750 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Households’ Assets Dynamics and Ecotourism Choices in the Western Highlands of Cameroon

by Jude Ndzifon Kimengsi, Mukong Alfred Kechia, Balgah Roland Azibo, Jürgen Pretzsch and Jude Kwei

Sustainability 2019, 11(7), 1844; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su11071844 - 27 Mar 2019

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3376

Abstract

Ecotourism is increasingly accepted as a suitable alternative for sustaining rural livelihoods. In spite of this trend, quantitative assessments of relationships between household assets and ecotourism choices, and the policy implications thereof, currently account for only a negligible number of studies in sub-Saharan Africa. This paper contributes to this evidence gap by analyzing the extent to which households’ assets drive ecotourism choices on a representative sample of 200 households in Cameroon. The Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and the Human Development Index (HDI) were used to construct indices for ecotourism choices. The ordinary least square and logit models were also employed to estimate the effect of various household assets on ecotourism choices. A high preference was observed for the production and sale of arts and crafts items and the promotion of cultural heritage sites as key ecotourism choices. More women are found to participate in conservation education, as opposed to culture-related activities such as arts and crafts. Access to education and training were inversely related to cultural festival promotion. The results suggest the need to: (i) stem the overdependence on conservation sites for wood supply to the arts and crafts sector, (ii) enforce endogenous cultural institutional regulations, including those that increase female participation in guiding future ecotourism choices. This paper contributes to ecotourism development and conservation theory, with regards to unbundling household level predictors of ecotourism choices, and has implications on the design of policies to implement environmentally less-demanding ecotourism activities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecotourism for Sustainability)

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