As I continue to blog and share my own thoughts and compelling findings of others that I find relevant, it’s always a pleasant surprise to stubmle upon new ideas and new perspectives of looking at the same challenges in a different light. Like this piece on Sustainable Tourism and Ecotourism that appeared in Mozaik Branding Blog of Athens, Greece.
Ecotourism is an alternative form of tourism whose sole purpose is holiday activities and the core element of this type of tourism is natural-based.
The basic intention of this type of tourism is to raise awareness amongst travellers about the natural setting or place that they visit for and at the same time minimize any corrosive (in terms of negative impact on environment) impact of the human activity.
The idea of Ecotourism was raised and evolved during the 80s where the necessity for environmental care became more imperative, in order to protect the natural habitat from human intervention for the future generations.
The main characteristics of Ecotourism, concern mainly destinations where the cultural and environmental heritage are in abundance, in certain parts of our planet. The increasing demand for alternative types of tourism, such as Ecotourism, make countries (like Greece) more popular as destinations.
Photo: Europarc-Consulting
According to Responsible Travel, there’s a constantly rising need from consumers for Ecotourism.
- 96% of Condé Nast Traveler readers think hotels and resorts should be responsible for protecting the environment they operate in.
- 74.5% says that a hotel’s environmental policies can influence their decision to stay there.
- In 2005, an analysis found that more than 2/3 of US and Australian travelers and 90% of UK tourists believe that within the hotel’s responsibility should be considered the active protection of the environment and the support of local communities.
- 46 % of the German’s think ‘it is an added value to stay in an environmentally friendly accommodation
- 80 % of the Dutch want information on ethical issues in their travel information.
Based on the indisputable figures above, a third party observer can realize that it is essential for the hospitality industry to embrace this rapidly growing type of tourism, and (the hospitality industry to) incorporate within its philosophy all the vital concepts of ecotourism.
Inspiration: Eco Chic Hotels; Wave Expeditions – Costa Rica; Mozaik Branding, Greece
Endangered Eden 