A framework for ecotourism

Abstract

Tourism is one of the world's largest industry sectors (WTO 1991; WTTC 1993); and its environmental management issues are relatively little studied (Buckley and Pannell 1989; Butler 1991; Westcott and Molinski 1993; WTTERC 1993). Ecotourism is arguably its fastest growing subsector (Mat­thews 1993), but poorly defined. There are four main links between tourism and environment: components of the natural environment as the basis for a marketable tourism attraction or product; management of tourism operations so as to minimize or reduce their environmental impacts; economic or material contribution of tourism to conservation, either directly or indirectly; and attitude of tourists towards the environment and environmental education of clients by tourist operators. Therefore, there are environmental aspects to every major component of tourism business: products and markets, management, money, and people.