Development & Aid, Environment, Tierramerica

Ecotourism Summit

May 19 2002 (IPS) - Ecotourism, or ecological tourism, is a phenomenon of modern times that combines the passion for travel with concern for protecting the environment. It has become an important economic activity, to the point that it has prompted a global summit devoted to the issue.

The World Ecotourism Summit, taking place in Canada (May 19-22), is the highlight of the International Year of Ecotourism, convened by the United Nations for reflection on the best ways to promote this activity.

Ecotourism provides an opportunity to generate economic alternatives for communities located in some of the world's most beautiful areas without harming the environment. However, if tourist activity takes place without adequate planning, it could have devastating ecological effects.

The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), which organized the summit in collaboration with the World Tourism Organization, cites the World Conservation Union's definition of ecotourism: environmentally responsible travel and visitation to relatively undisturbed natural areas, in order to enjoy and appreciate nature (and any accompanying cultural features – both past and present) that promotes conservation, has low negative visitor impact, and provides for beneficially active socioeconomic involvement of local populations.

The summit was convened in order to discuss the key aspects for developing ecotourism, including the challenges of sustainability, regulation, the required institutional frameworks, marketing strategies and oversight.

“Ecotourism is in essence tourism that is sustainable, that does not cause harm” and should therefore provide benefits both for nature and for the local communities, says the website of the Ecotourism Association of Brazil, one of the countries that holds major attractions for environmentally-minded visitors.

There is a great deal of information on the Internet about ecotourism, much of it aimed at promoting excursions and locations for potential travelers. But there are also web sites dedicated to studying the development and impact of this activity, as is the case of the enormous portal of the International Ecotourism Society.

The Ecotourism Summit has caused an increase in material available on the subject, such as the publication of documents and books about environmental tourism in a world in which hundreds of millions of people travel each year.