Journal of Ecotourism 

About: Journal of Ecotourism is an academic journal published by Taylor & Francis. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Ecotourism & Tourism. It has an ISSN identifier of 1472-4049. Over the lifetime, 445 publications have been published receiving 11128 citations.

Ecotourism: The Evolving Contemporary Definition

Abstract: A rise in the popularity of ecotourism has coincided with voluminous definitional discourse. Amongst stakeholders, confusion has resulted from the disparate nature of these definitions. In the absence of a common definition or set of key tenets the challenge has been to ensure operational ecotourism that adheres to the theoretical underpinnings of the concept. Without some semblance of definitional consensus, ecotourism may be on a precarious course whereby the ethics upon which the activity is conceptualised, the natural environment upon which the activity depends, and the legitimacy of the industry are at risk. The ambition of this research is to disentangle a set of themes from the evolving definitional debate in order to provide a framework for the development of ecotourism policy and applications. Recurring themes are identified through the application of content analysis methodology to select contemporary definitions. Those themes that appear most frequently are then introduced as an ecotourism conc...

Wildlife Viewing Preferences of Visitors to Protected Areas in South Africa: Implications for the Role of Ecotourism in Conservation

Abstract: Ecotourism has a potentially vital role to play in conservation by generating economic incentives for nature conservation. However, some authors contend that this potential may be limited by narrow viewing preferences among visitors to protected areas, suggesting that most tourists are primarily interested in seeing charismatic mega-fauna largely confined to government or privately-owned parks. We assessed viewing preferences among tourists at four protected areas in South Africa to test the validity of this contention. Mega-herbivores and large carnivores were the most popular species, particularly among first-time and overseas visitors, but African visitors and experienced wildlife viewers were more interested in bird and plant diversity, scenery, and rarer, less easily-observed and/or less high-profile mammals. Several of these favored species are extinction prone and often absent from wildlife areas due to sensitivity to human encroachment and competition with more abundant species. Hence, ecotourism ...

The Use of Importance-Performance Analysis and Market Segmentation for Tourism Management in Parks and Protected Areas: An Application to Tanzania's National Parks

Abstract: This paper presents an application of the IPA technique, coupled with market segmentation, to a sample of visitors to Tanzania's National Parks. The utility of the technique in a protected area context is highlighted, by comparing it with the results from three programme perspectives – non-segmented data (a homogeneous IPA programme), segmented data that look at performance measurements only (a segmented performance-only programme), and segmented data (a segmented IPA programme). A few examples of non-parametric statistical analysis are presented to highlight the flexibility of the technique. When combined with market segmentation, IPA is a superior technique to that of a non-segmented approach, which views the sample as homogeneous and can lead to the displacement of visitors. It is also superior to that of a performance-only approach. The technique is achievable for a protected area agency with limited resources and expertise and is also a good starting point for agencies with suitable resources and exp...

The Economic Promise of Ecotourism for Conservation

Abstract: Many conservationists have promoted ecotourism as a strategy to protect natural resources while also meeting human needs. The purpose of this study was to analyse effects of ecotourism on natural resource use and livelihoods in an indigenous community of 80 families in Peru. Household interviews and participant observation were used to track social and economic changes in the community as it partnered with a private tour company to build and co-manage an ecotourism lodge. Effects of ecotourism were measured among the same households before and after the lodge opened, and between households with varying levels of participation. The hypothesis that economic benefits from ecotourism would provide incentives for people to alter their livelihoods and change their uses of natural resources was tested. Results showed that ecotourism effects were ambiguous. Though employment led to a general decline in farming and hunting, new income enabled greater market consumption and expansion of production. Ecotourism also ...

Ecotourism as a Western Construct

Abstract: Most of the burgeoning literature on ecotourism is essentially Western-centric, insofar as it accepts as given an approach that is deeply embedded in Western cultural, economic and political processes. Despite the plethora of definitions as to what actually constitutes ecotourism (Fennell, 2003; Page & Dowling, 2002), the most common denominator is that it is nature-based. However, in the same way that Macnaghten and Urry (1998: 95) suggest that ‘there is no single “nature”, only natures’, it therefore follows that ‘nature tourism’ will be variously constructed by different societies and therefore that there will be multiple ‘nature tourisms’. Despite the fact that it should be obvious that it is patently not the case that ‘one size fits all’ we have witnessed the internationalisation of ecotourism, as evolved from a Western ‘classical conservationist’ approach (suggested by Mowforth and Munt (2003) to be more akin to preservationism), and its apparent universality as a concept. This paper examines how th...