Ecotourism

1. Briefly describe the emergence of ecotourism and why it has gained favour as an ideal form of sustainable tourism development.

2. Briefly describe current approaches to ecotourism development and the extent to which these approaches do or do not achieve the ideals of sustainable ecotourism development. Note: here you think in terms of ecological, environmental, and social sustainability. You also need to consider the natural and cultural factors external to the tourism system that impede or promote the implementation of sustainable ecotourism strategies.

3. Identify 2 (two) ecotourism developments/products. Analyse ways in which they have adhered to or departed from the ideals of ecotourism. What are the factors that have contributed to the success or failure of these two ecotourism case studies?
4. Reflecting on what you addressed in the three tasks above, summarise the potential of ecotourism to deliver sustainable tourism development and identify constraints that will present the greatest challenges in realising the ideals of ecotourism. What processes would you suggest to best overcome these challenges, and why?