The evolution of ecotourism and where it's headed today

We all know that ecotourism involves a focus on nature conservation. But there's actually quite a bit more to it than that ...

Definitions of ecotourism have always been fluid and varying.

Today, we'd say that ecotourism is about visiting unique, special or endangered natural spaces, but with a handful of important caveats, namely that the travel experience must:

In other words, when ecotourism works as it should, the natural environment is safeguarded for the future, the local economy receives a boost, and both visitors and hosts are enriched (metaphorically speaking).

Ecotourism goes further than just nature conservation

Ecotourism has come a long way since its introduction in the 1980s, and undergone a handful of phases during its short lifetime.

Ecotourism was conceived as a type of travel for folks who wanted to visit and learn about unusual places but not do any harm to them while there. Hopes were high that a new type of travel was being born that would solve the myriad problems associated with traditional travel, such as environmental degradation.

Unfortunately, the outcomes of ecotourism endeavours didn't live up to the idealistic hopes of its early advocates. The concept was also fairly quickly adopted by some astute marketers who used it to 'greenwash' their run-of-the-mill travel offerings.

Both of these developments led to some understandable disillusionment with the idea. Hong Kong-based hotel and tourism professor Bob Mckercher refers to this stage of the ecotourism evolution story as its "crisis of legitimacy".

The third phase of ecotourism saw it be reevaluated. Travel operators and travellers started wrestling with the limitations of ecotourism – what it can actually offer and which of the burdens of travel it can actually redress. Consequently, tour companies started to be more realistic in terms of what they promise clients.

Mckercher refers to this as ecotourism's "maturity" phase, and argues that this is the current phase within the industry.

Ecotourism is a worthy pursuit but it has its limitations

That said, some travel companies are now engaging with ecotourism in some very creative ways. We might even say that they're reimagining ecotourism, and in so doing are initiating a fourth phase. The term "impactful travel" is gaining traction and could perhaps be the clarion call for this new phase.

The idea behind impactful travel is that it always have a particular mission at its core.

For instance, you might travel to a destination where conservationists need extra hands for a wetland rehabilitation project. You're still travelling to an 'exotic' natural location where you intend to learn something, but instead of the goal of 'do no harm', you hope your presence will actually make a positive impact.

Given the fact that different approaches to ecotourism are being trialled and tested by various players, we feel that it's an agile and exciting time within sustainable tourism. What do you think?