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.

Offering an overview of worldwide ecotourism, showing how both the concept and the reality have evolved, this book examines the growth of ecotourism within the Galapagos Islands, Costa Rica, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Kenya and South Africa, their political systems and their economic policies.

Endorsed by The International Ecotourism Society, Sustainable Tourism & The Millennium Development Goals: Effecting Positive Change demonstrates how ecotourism and sustainable tourism can assist in supporting and meeting the goals set forward by the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and how it can foster a global partnership for development. The text discusses how ecotourism and sustainable tourism can assist in supporting and meeting the MDG by drawing on case studies and examples. The final summary chapter discusses how ecotourism and sustainable tourism can assist in supporting and meeting the MDG by 2015 and identifies the challenges and goals that need to be considered in the future. In this edition you will find: - Historical perspective of the development of ecotourism and sustainable tourism - The Millennium Development Goals defined - Overview of how ecotourism and sustainable tourism can assist in meeting the goals of the MDG - Engaging case studies and examples to reinforce the concept

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.

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

Drawing on case studies from Pacific Islands, Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia, this book examines ecotourism enterprises controlled by indigenous people in tribal reserves or protected areas. It compares indigenous ecotourism in developed and developing counties and covers cultural ecotours, ecolodges, and bungalows, hunting and fishing tours, cultural attractions and other nature-based facilities or services.

Sustainable Tourism is vital reading for anyone seeking to understand the complexities associated with sustainable tourism development, and how government and industry have responded to the challenges the concept poses. The major areas addressed in this edited volume are: * perspectives and issues associated with the concept of sustainable tourism development * accreditation, education and interpretation, including specific examples such as Green Globe 21, the European Blue Flag Campaign and the WWF's PAN Parks Programme * sustainable tourism case studies of tourist destination regions, natural areas and tourism enterprises drawn from Africa, Australia, the South Pacific, North America, South-east Asia and the Caribbean An impressive international editorial team has combined to present in this text not only a variety of perspectives on sustainable tourism development, but also significant insights into barriers, challenges and current industry and government responses to it in various parts of the globe. 'Sustainable Tourism' will be a welcome addition to the libraries of tourism industry professionals, individuals involved in the management of natural areas; tourism policy makers; tourism academics; and students with an interest in the future sustainability of tourism and the industry that supports it.