Ecotourism and sustainable development: Who owns paradise? PDF

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206 Book reviews / Tourism Management 22 (2001) 203}212 I and almost everyone else would agree, right. It is that such books, including some from the renowned socio- this is all hardly new and it is di$cult for the reader to logists mentioned earlier, this book is not only easily share the author...

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Book reviews / Tourism Management 22 (2001) 203}212

I and almost everyone else would agree, right. It is that this is all hardly new and it is di$cult for the reader to share the author's shocked outrage at each successive revelation. We were indignant perhaps when we "rst read of such things ten or even twenty years ago, but such indignation is di$cult to sustain and now we would rather know if the situation is changing, and if not, why not and what should, or could be done. The discovery, for example, that heritage or cultural tourism is highly selective of histories and of cultures will hardly come as a surprise to most of the book's readers. However, it remains a very competent sketch of contemporary social trends and their re#ection, or lack of it, in tourism promotion. It is very wide ranging in its choice of media, including analyses of the contributions of "lm, music, literature, and even in-#ight airline magazines, which proves that someone reads them, to the sense of place of tourism localities. It is well illustrated, an essential for a book whose focus is extremely visual. It provides numerous well worked and original examples drawn from around the world. Above all, despite its very ambitious coverage and resulting compaction of material, it remains remarkably #uently written. Unlike many

such books, including some from the renowned sociologists mentioned earlier, this book is not only easily accessible to the non-specialist undergraduate, it is actually enjoyable to read. As for the potential readership, the book is, I suspect, too specialised for adoption as a standard text for students on tourism courses and probably too far ranging for the research market. However, I enjoyed it and I hope others do as well. The use of the words, &tourism promotion' at the beginning of the title will attract tourism specialist with what amounts to an unful"lled promise of a book on tourism marketing but more of a pity is that it may repel students of regional identity or social geography who would "nd it of much interest. Having followed the authors' long tale of distortions and injustices, I cannot but agree that tourism is about power, control and exploitation. I only wish the book conceded from time to time that it is also about fun. G. J. Ashworth University of Groningen, Department of Physical Planning and Demography, PO Box 800, 700 AV Groningen, Netherlands

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Ecotourism and Sustainable Development. Who Owns Paradise? (Martha Honey) Island Press, Washington, DC, 1999, 405pp., C18.95 paperback, ISBN 1-55963-582-7 One of the main bene"ts of this new publication lies in the meticulous research undertaken by the author. It is refreshing to read case studies with an appropriate amount of contextual information. This is especially important for students of ecotourism who may be unfamiliar with the political and economic background to the development of ecotourism in a given country. Martha Honey, who has lived in both Costa Rica and Tanzania and conducted extensive research in these and other locations, provides in}depth coverage of ecotourism development in a range of `nation studiesa. All are familiar destinations for ecotourists * Galapagos Islands, Costa Rica, Cuba, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Kenya and South Africa but each illustrates distinct forces of change and approaches to tourism management. Each chapter is more than just a perfunctory overview which is a familiar o!ering from other ecotourism textbooks with su$cient coverage of both tourism in the context of each country and in#uencing national aspects. Any text book purporting to examine the `promise and pitfallsa of ecotourism must provide some discussion

on the conceptual issues and this is conveyed in the preliminary chapters of the book. The origins of ecotourism are explained and the reasons why many developing countries, which o!er some of the most remote natural environments in the world, have ventured into the tourism industry. Over the last ten years, a variety of authors * notably Wight (1993a,b), Mowforth (1993), Wheeller (1993), as early critics, have explored the meaning of ecotourism and given warnings that what companies promote using this label is often just a `green veneera. This problem is revisited by Honey, who provides some useful commentary to further this argument, taking examples from interviews with tour operators, industry reports and published academic work. She uses the term `ecotourism litea to describe forms of ecotourism which are super"cially `greena. However, it is stated in the text that ecotourism is still very much in its infancy and that what is needed are ways of making ecotourism `litea (or a niche market of nature tourism) into genuine forms of ecotourism. The end result that should be strived towards is developing a broad set of principles and practices that change both tourists and the tourism industry. These are, indeed, inspirational words. In terms of outlining a framework for analysis, Honey sets out seven characteristics which de"ne ecotourism; as she puts it `how to know ecotourism when you see ita.

Book reviews / Tourism Management 22 (2001) 203}212

These include: travel to natural destinations; minimising impacts; building environmental awareness; providing direct "nancial bene"ts for conservation; providing "nancial bene"ts and empowerment for local people; f respect for local culture; f supporting human rights and democratic movements.

f f f f f

There are no great surprises here * similar principles have been published by a number of organisations (e.g. WWF/Tourism Concern * see Eber, 1992) but that is not intended as a criticism. These characteristics are utilised later in the book to provide a coherent analysis of case studies. The need to consider ecotourism within current and historical parameters is carried out by means of the nation studies mentioned earlier. This is an e!ective approach as it provides a mechanism for establishing the constraints and opportunities acting on the development and form of ecotourism. It is identi"ed that tourism must be viewed as part of the development debate, not as a singular phenomenon. Inherent in this is a recognition of in#uencing factors, notably politics, "nance and debt, environmental conservation and socio}cultural change. The nation studies explore the extent to which the principles of ecotourism are being applied, the evolution of tourism activity, current trends in tourism and focusing on the issues associated with conservation and economic progress in the context of each country. Honey assists the reader in drawing the main points together at the close of each nation study by providing an `Ecotourism Scorecarda * linking back to the framework set out in Chapter 1. The scorecard uses evidence from each study to assess ecotourism policy and practice in line with the seven criteria for genuine ecotourism. This is a useful summary and is supported by research, providing an honest view of ecotourism development in each case study. One of the recurring themes contained in this book, quite rightly, is the role of the state in ecotourism. It is recognised that ecotourism is not just a form of economic activity which may be left for the commercial sector to manage but more appropriately as a form of sustainable development which requires a more holistic approach (particularly noting the chapter on Zanzibar to demonstrate this point). However, it is unclear to what extent ecotourism is and has the potential to satisfy sustainable development goals beyond the small}scale projects. Honey, admittedly, is unable to provide evidence of a changing global tourism industry in the light of green principles and practices. Honey concludes that the role of the state must be continued, despite the trend for a movement away from government}owned or-run projects,

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and must concentrate on establishing transparent guidelines, standards and monitoring procedures. Indeed, she states quite categorically on p. 87 that ecotourism development should require more from the state, not less. However, the reality is that most governments are reducing their responsibility and level of resources available for investment. It is certainly interesting to compare the tourism policies of the nations studied and the manner in which ecotourism is promoted. For example, Costa Rica is marketed as an ecotourism destination (despite some of the large beach resorts, dominated by overseas operators) whereas other nations (usually much larger in scale) promote only a small part of a country, like Tanzania. This certainly points to ecotourism being viewed mainly as niche market by the majority of governments. The role of the indigenous community is another expansive area of discussion, concentrating on power relations and control of tourism enterprises. Ecotourism is generally expected to provide opportunities for local people (typi"ed by the CAMPFIRE project in Zimbabwe where local communities established safari}based tourism) although sometimes may act in reverse (for example, where communities are displaced to enable development of externally owned ecotourism resorts as in Namibia and Botswana). The nation studies provide a mixed pattern of experiences ranging from little bene"t and no involvement (e.g. Zanzibar) to modest, top-down approaches at community involvement (e.g. Tanzania) to innovative and long}term experiments (e.g. Kenya) and high levels of involvement and entrepreneurialism (e.g. Costa Rica). Despite much attention in the academic literature in recent years, it is clear that community involvement in tourism is patchy and until precise guidelines exist, is likely to remain the same. A range of tourism environments are discussed, illustrating a range of tourism impacts and internal in#uences. The physical and ecological aspects are highlighted in the study of the Galapagos Islands (concern over introduced species, sport "shing, animal behaviour changes, habitat destruction and litter); political elements are endemic in all case studies but most prominent in the review of Cuba (relations with the US, rejection of foreign o!ers to invest in ecotourism) and Kenya (move away from Apartheid); social and community aspects are emphasised in the study of Tanzania (poor record of community involvement and bene"t, lack of employment for local people). Honey indicates the complexity of the arguments surrounding development and the role that tourism may play. While it is clear that governments recognise the need to conserve the environment (stimulated through involvement in the 1992 Rio conference and implementation of Agenda 21), the extent to which tourism will become ecotourism (the point which the author moves to towards the end) is doubtful.

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Book reviews / Tourism Management 22 (2001) 203}212

This book is cohesive, informative, widely researched and candid. Honey pulls no punches in her account of the state of ecotourism (genuine) in her nation studies and arrives at a somewhat negative but surely representative conclusion of the way in which ecotourism is developing on an international scale. The author constructs a picture of `how things ought to bea, compares the current picture of `how it isa and indicates the gap between. The book will be appreciated by those who seek the reality of ecotourism development, not just the super"ciality of clothing an old product in `greena. A lively writing style, not overly academic but absolutely rigorous in terms of research, this book will appeal to a wide audience. It is not a scienti"c publication and does not report extensively on speci"c research projects as some similar titles have done but conveys a great deal of widely researched material succinctly. It is certainly suitable and highly recommended for undergraduate and postgraduate students on tourism, resource management or development programmes and provides a substantive overview. The book, too, should be on the list of reading for all would}be informed travellers as it conveys some startling informa-

tion about some popular destinations for the discerning market.

References Eber, S. (1992). Beyond the green horizon. Principles for sustainable tourism. World Wildlife Fund, Godalming. Mowforth, M. (1993). Eco-tourism: Terminology and de"nitions. Research Report Series No. 1. Department of Geographical Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth. Wheeller, B. (1993). Sustaining the Ego. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 1(2), 121}129. Wight, P. (1993a). Ecotourism: Ethics or eco-sell? Journal of Travel research, 31(3), 3}9. Wight, P. (1993b). Sustainable Ecotourism: Balancing economic, environmental and social goals within an ethical framework. Journal of Tourism Studies, 4(2), 54}66.

Jo Yeoman Department of Land Use and Rural Management, Seale-Hayne Faculty, University of Plymouth, Newton Abbot, Devon TQ12 6NQ, UK E-mail address: [email protected].

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Tourism = politics and public sector management James Elliott; Routledge, London, 1997, pp. 280, price C16.99, ISBN 0415071585 Elliott's Tourism * politics and public sector management appears in the Routledge Public Sector Management series and, hence, the series editor's preface was written by Richard Chapman, Professor of Politics at Durham; the latter notes that the literature on this topic `is still in its infancya (p.viii). On this point, it is worth noting that Hall's seminal Tourism and Politics was published three years earlier and, as he remarked at that time, `the mainstream of tourism research has either ignored or neglected 2the generation of tourism policy, and the politics of tourism developmenta (Hall, 1994; p. 2). Elliott's nine chapters cover both the principles and practice of public sector management of tourism with particular emphasis on examples from the USA, Australia, Thailand, Vietnam and the United Kingdom. Chapter 1 follows the usual procedure of introducing the structure of the book whilst chapter 2 presents a basic outline of both the historical and contemporary importance of tourism. The title of chapter 3 is Public Sector Management and Tourism; this is where the reader really gets down to what PSM, as Elliott refers to it, is all about. As with all the chapters, bar the conclusion, there is identi"cation of what gets covered in bullet point format * in this case, the environment in which PSM operates,

the principles, practice and important factors, besides a review of the `Weberian ideal type of bureaucracya. The operating environment is illustrated diagrammatically as well as textually although the former could be enhanced by including a supra-national level; this reviewer is reminded of the excellent coverage of public sector involvement at di!erent levels in Davidson and Maitland's (1997) chapter entitled International and national tourism policies and of Akehurst's commentary on European Community Tourism Policy (Akehurst, 1992). Five principles of PSM are described: the public interest, public service, e!ectiveness, e$ciency and accountability but, as Elliott observes, these are normative and practice may not necessarily follow all of them; these principles are referred to in the following chapters. For example, developments on Australia's Gold Coast are discussed with reference to the accountability (or lack of it) principle in chapter 6. The multiplicity of constraints operating on public sector bodies is identi"ed in chapter 3 and followed with numerous examples throughout the book. Theoretical input in this chapter takes the form of a brief review of the Weberian ideal. Whilst this book does not claim to be aimed at the under-graduate tourism studies market, the Box 3.2 guide to the practice of public sector management of tourism is certainly useful in succinctly outlining key points for students. Chapters 4 and 5 concern `management from the centrea; the "rst dealing with formulation and the latter...