This book offers conceptual and practical insights into the complex interactions between ecotourism and the natural environment, with consideration given to government policy, marketing by suppliers, consumer behaviour and visitor/environmental management. Illustrated by international case studies the roles of and interplay between tour operators, their clients, resource managers and local communities are examined. This creates a comprehensive and insightful overview of the factors that work for and against the achievement of environmental sustainability in and through ecotourism. The result is a critical examination of ecotourism and environmental sustainability that highlights ideas for best practice and proposes new directions for future research

Ecotourism A Sustainable Option? Edited by Erlet Cater University of Reading, UK and Gwen Lowman Royal Geographical Society, UK Recent years have witnessed growing public and professional concern with environmental issues, including the fields of tourism and leisure. The adverse impacts of conventional mass tourism have led to demands for more environmentally sensitive approaches to tourist and leisure development. Increasing environmental awareness has also led to a rise in travel to destinations offering a wealth of unspoiled nature. These trends, broadly defined as "ecotourism", have produced one of the fastest growing and most hotly debated sectors in the tourism industry. This well-balanced and wide-ranging book provides the first overview of this key area, providing definitions, theoretical perspectives and detailed case studies, contributed by researchers, professionals and activists. This is an essential introduction to a dynamic and central topic in contemporary tourism.

Ecotourism, an emergent aspect of tourism, is considered one of the fastest growing industries in the world. According to the Economic Commission for Africa (2011), ecotourism is a panacea for promoting environmental conservation, socio-economic development and improving the living conditions of local people as well as sustaining their culture and traditions. This book discusses new research on the management, opportunities and challenges of ecotourism and sustainable tourism.

Sustainable development is the single most important consideration for those working in the tourism industry. Presenting a discussion by leading contributors on the impacts of tourism on local culture and the environment, this new edition moves forward the debates in sustainable tourism, covering new locations, concepts and perspectives, and new case studies providing a global outlook for a universal issue. --From publisher's description.

Despite its tiny size and seeming marginality to world affairs, the Central American republic of Costa Rica has long been considered an important site for experimentation in cutting-edge environmental policy. From protected area management to ecotourism to payment for environmental services (PES) and beyond, for the past half-century the country has successfully positioned itself at the forefront of novel trends in environmental governance and sustainable development. Yet the increasingly urgent dilemma of how to achieve equitable economic development in a world of ecosystem decline and climate change presents new challenges, testing Costa Rica’s ability to remain a leader in innovative environmental governance. This book explores these challenges, how Costa Rica is responding to them, and the lessons this holds for current and future trends regarding environmental governance and sustainable development. It provides the first comprehensive assessment of successes and challenges as they play out in a variety of sectors, including agricultural development, biodiversity conservation, water management, resource extraction, and climate change policy. By framing Costa Rica as an “ecolaboratory,” the contributors in this volume examine the lessons learned and offer a path for the future of sustainable development research and policy in Central America and beyond.

Sustainable Tourism on a Finite Planet" challenges readers to consider the new skills, tools and investments required to protect irreplaceable global resources from the impacts of escalating tourism demand in the next 50 years. This volume documents how technology is driving a travel revolution and propelling the growing global middle class to take leisure trips at unprecedented rates. Travel and tourism supply chains and business models for hotels, tour operators, cruise lines, airlines and airports are described with key environmental management techniques for each sector. This book recommends that decision makers assess the current and future value of natural, social and cultural capital to guide investment in destinations and protect vital resources. Case studies illustrate why budgets to protect local destinations are consistently underestimated and offer guidance on new metrics. Innovative approaches are proposed to support the transition to green infrastructure, protect incomparable landscapes, and engage local people in the monitoring of vital indicators to protect local resources.

All forms of tourism have impacts on the natural environment. The impacts of ecotourism tend to be concentrated in areas of the highest conservation value, hence the need to manage and minimize these. This comprehensive text considers the impact of off-road vehicles, recreational boats and activities such as hiking and camping on destination areas, as well as impacts particular to specific ecosystems such as marine, polar and mountain environments. It incorporates reviews of extensively studied impacts by well-known experts as well as recent research. Now in paperback, this book will be an essential resource for tourism students, as well as researchers and industry practitioners.