By the end of this decade the tourism industry will have exceeded all others to become the largest global industry. As a response to the devastating effects of mass-tourism, the recognition of the depletion of the worlds natural resources and growing interests in conservation, the tourism industry began to change course. Sustainable tourism or ecotourism was born out of a desire to allow tourists to visit beautiful and endangered ecosystems without compromising their existence for future generations.
The basic problem, however, lies in defining the very concept of ecotourism and deciding where the line should be drawn between conventional mass-tourism and nature tourism. The sheer volume of definitions of ecotourism offered by different interest groups, qualifies the problem. The difficulty, thus, multiplies, as without an effective definition, the task of evaluating ecotourism development is rendered impossible. Furthermore in the absence of a universally accepted definition, unethical use and abuse of the term ecotourism may be applied to tourism development regardless of its environmental consequences, to 'eco'-sell more or less the same old tourism product. It is, therefore, imperative that we 'patent' the word 'ecotourism' and establish rules and regulations to which all ecotourism development must adhere. Progress is being made in this area and in fact the Federal Trade Commission and an act of Congress may soon establish uniform, acceptable standards to definitions for environmental marketing claims [McLaren, 1996].
Mexico like many other developing countries, has developed its tourist industry in line with the trends of mass-tourism and has suffered the adverse effects that this invariably brings. With the growth of environmental awareness during the 1960's and 1970's and a recognition of the environmental devastation that had occured in resorts such as Acapulco and Cancún, both the private and public sectors have recognised the potential for developing projects that aim to, [or at least would appear to] conserve the nations natural assets. Ecotourism has been accepted as one way forward, notwithstanding the afore mentioned definitional difficulties and 'eco'-sell marketing strategies.
Quintana Roo exemplifies this situation, more so than any other state in Mexico due to the reliance of an expanding tourist market on ecosystems that are rapidly being destroyed. The state has been quick to take to the idea of ecotourism, and whilst the majority of developments labling themselves as ecotourism have met with enormous success, the validity of their claims to be environmentally aware is not so clear.
Ecotourism is a hard concept to implement, especially in developing countries such as Mexico, where environmental policies do not figure highly in government development plans. Furthermore;
There is a great danger that the sophisticated marketing strategies of travel and tour operators, will lead to the false belief that ecotourism is the panacea for all tourisms ills. It is not even guaranteed to be ecologically sensitive, let alone sustainable as far as host populations, tourists and the environment itself is concerned. Yet to argue against ecotourism is to swim against the tide [Cater, 1992(2):20].
Therefore, it must be said, that whilst there are still flaws in the ecotourism ideology, ecotourism does represent a more attractive alternative to mass-tourism. If developers do not opt for ecotourism, natural areas will invariably be destroyed through other uses. It would, therefore, seem that:
The decision is not between keeping some place wonderful and unvisited, or diminishing its charm by encouraging ecotourism; it is between doing nothing as everything lovely is destroyed, or at least trying to do something through the ecotourism route [Burford, 1996].
Mexico may not yet have developed a perfect example of ecotourism, however, if managed and implemented properly, regions such as Quintana Roo may have the chance to avoid the damaging effects of mass-tourism in the future. Whether this will be the case, can only remain to be seen.
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Ecumenical Coalition on Third World Tourism
PO Box 35 Senanikhom, Bangkok
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Survival
11-15 Emerald Street,
London, WC1N 3QL.
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Southlands College,
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London, SW19 5NN.
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Boulevard Kukulcan L. D1-A Edificio Bahía,
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Q.Roo, México.
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Ecotourism : Reality or Rhetoric: Ecotourism Development in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico is a critical analysis by Natasha Kate Ward. Author retains copyright; all rights reserved. Contact Natasha Kate Ward via email: natasha_ward@hotmail.com
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