Ecotourism and “greenwashing” July 14, 2007
Posted by Ralph Pina in : ecotourism , 1 comment so far
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.
