Cities Under Ecotourism

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This lopsided and poor quality of urbanization manifests that ecotourism will not lead to sustainable development of the city. One reason is that the profits generated from ecotourism mostly are belong to the foreign investors, and do not stay in the local segment. In turn, citizens lack the rights to share those profits, as Kostas E. Sillignakis explains, “economic impact studies consistently find a high level of ‘leakage’ of initial tourist spending, with much of it leaving the host country to pay for profits on investments by transnational hotel chains and tour operators, and for imported goods and services used in the tourism industry”(8). With such a considerable amount of money being deducted, there is really not much left for the locals. Hence, some ecotourist areas have not really benefited from ecotourism, if they measure the contribution ecotourism has made to the gross earnings accurately. Under this circumstance, the areas are unable to accrue enough money for

urbanization in an all-round way.

Since most forms of ecotourism are owned by foreign investors and corporations that provide few benefits to local communities, an overwhelming majority of profits are put into the pockets of investors. These profits are not reinvested into the local economy and its urbanization as ecotourism has originally intended. For some developing countries, ecotourism can be used as a tool to boost its economy, but not in the long term, when natural resources are depleted, and basic infrastructure are obsolete. Agha Iqrar Haroon illustrates an example in Pakistan, “where mountainous areas are owned by certain influential families who enjoy almost 70% of the benefits of tourism, whereas the general public has access to only 30%. Big tour operators and the government also take their share”(110). After cutting the

cake of revenues into different pieces, the general public only receives a small share of it,

because they are involved in the small jobs that can be held for just a couple of weeks or months. It is unlikely that common men and the poor will benefit from this kind of practice of

ecotourism. Thus, local involvement in the planning and management of ecotourism is critical. The government should encourage local people and communities to directly participate in this process to protect their rights, and make decisions based on the long-run

benefits of the city. The economic growth of the city is uneven, and susceptible to external forces and changes, because it is precariously dependent on employment in the public-service sector without industrialization and strong economic base.

Ecotourism clearly does not only have negative impacts. However, inconsistency in its application has hindered the development of the concept and its practical realization, especially when applying it as a tool for urbanization. Without local involvement and careful planning, the burgeoning industry of ecotourism leads to irrational use of land, deteriorating conditions for the urban poor, and most alarmingly, unsustainable urban development. It is crucial that people make optimal use of ecotourism, realize the cost of it, and try to minimize

its side effects on urbanization, so that more people can reap its economic benefits.

Works Cited

Carrier, G. James and Donald V. L. Macleod. “Bursting the Bubble: The Socio-Cultural Context of Ecotourism.” The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute 11. 2 (2005): 315-334. JSTOR. Web. 25 May 2014.

Haroon, Agha Iqrar. “Ecotourism in Pakistan: A Myth?.” Mountain Research and Development 22.2 (2002): 110-112. JSTOR. Web. 17 May 2014.

Horton, Lynn R. “Buying Up Nature: Economic and Social Impacts of Costa Rica's Ecotourism Boom.” Latin American Perspectives 36.3 (2009): 93-107. JSTOR. Web. 17 May 2014.

Torres, Maria Rebecca and Janet D. Momsen. “Gringolandia: The Construction of a New Tourist Space in Mexico.” Annals of the Association of American Geographers 95. 2 (2005): 314-335. JSTOR. Web. 25 May 2014.

Sillignakis, Kostas E. “ECOTOURISM: What It Is and What It Does – The Case

of Africa.” RESEARCH & PROJECTS. Sillignakis. 2007. Web. 19 May 2014.

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