Ecotourism and “greenwashing” July 14, 2007
Posted by Ralph Pina in : ecotourism , trackback
Coined in the 1980s, ecological tourism, or ecotourism has been a contested concept. Over the years there have been many definitions and the ensuing academic debates have only served to confirm that there are - or were - great disagreements. We at ecoAfrica believe in ecotourism and what it attempts to achieve, but only in so far as it represents a travel ethic as opposed to being a market segment or yet another tourism niche.
“Greenwashing ” is what happens when marketeers appropriate the concept. Travel simply has to have some proximity to “nature” or marketing materials contain a few strategically placed “eco” prefixes for it be passed off as “ecotourism”. Galling examples of greenwashing are the many golf “eco estates” that are all the vogue in South Africa at the moment.
For those who hope that ecotourism is able to deliver on its promise of ensuring the preservation of wild places, the conservation of ecosystems and the establishment of sustainable (not sustained) tourism as the dominant mode of tourism, greenwashing is a practice that must be exposed and eliminated. One of the mechanisms that has been proposed, and patchily implemented, is the certification (or accreditation, in some quarters) of true ecotourism, often through the award of so-called ecolabels. Some years ago I wrote a short primer about ecolabels entitled Ecolabels in ecotourism: what are they and why so many?
Those who read it will note a slightly critical tone, mostly around the fact that most implementations are voluntary, private sector initiatives and that they are bound to fail as a market mechanism that is meant to influence demand (through influencing tourist buying behaviour). I motivated my opinion in a subsequent piece entitled Ecolabels in ecotourism: do they have a future?
Although there seems to be a trend to greater environmental awareness and concern amongst “consumers” (I hate this demeaning term) in general so that ecolabels may well influence behaviour is some way, I fear that it is but a trend, a fad. Consequently I still stand by my position that ecolabels are of value, but only as regulatory tools in the hands of agencies that are the custodians of wilderness and protected areas.
Comments»
I agree with you in what you say , but i suggest it shouldnt be inforced to the point where people who have little money and a great idea ! are removed from the game .
On google i noticed one person trying to get an idea underway , it seems obvious they dont have a lot of money to play with by what they have written . If these accreditations are to stringent then many who are just starting out and have infact got good conservation ideas , might find the going to tough in the beginning ! and not be able to carry on through lack of finance .To the loss of conservation !and to the gain of the chainsaw and only money in one persons pocket .
On google i found one such person ! see http://kaikawaka.conservation.tourism.googlepages.com/home