Development of a New Market Trend, Called Eco-Tourism, don't blunt your travel enthusiasm!

A traveler without observation is a bird without wings! We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children

The drifter, the explorer, the mass and the individual travelers all have the tendency to consume a new tourist product better known as eco tourism. All the tourist destination countries are giving serious consideration to this market. The term eco tourism has become synonymous with “green tourism” soft tourism responsible and sustainable tourism, all of which were popularized with the publication of the brundt land report, our common future (1987) by the united nations commission on environment and development which drew public attention to, and heightened concern for the use and limitation of natural cultural global resources to meet human needs. The report gives rise to debate, regarding the manner in which quality of life can be improved without threatening eco system and cultures.

Actually international tourism has caused much damage to the ecosystem of the host countries. Repeated visits to aesthetic places pollute the scenic views. Resorts suffering by the pressure of tourist arrival have reckoned lot of damage, particularly the picnic and the camping sites. Mass tourist is responsible to cause congestion having within its wake both physical and psychological effects. Under sea water is prone to damage because the bathers tend to break coral for souvenir purpose. On the other hand boat anchoring also is accountable for sea pollution.

Souvenir hunting affects the ecological balance of a region. Cacti collection by tourists in Arizona affects the ecology of the desert. In Kenya game park the wild life are terribly affected by repeated visits and this has a bearing on the reproduction system as such animals find difficulties to mate because of lack of privacy.

Slaughtered goats are offered to crocodiles and leopards which in fact modifies the hunting behavior of animals. Such practice creates dependency on human feeding. In order to curtail its excesses a new tourism has emerged in the name of sustainable tourism or tourism for tomorrow.

Sustainable tourism requires rational management, involving both public and private sectors. Eco tourism is described by the environmentalist Hector cebellos Luscurain as “ Travelling to relatively undisturbed or uncontaminated natural areas with the specific objectives of studying and enjoying the scenery as well as any existing cultural manifestation found in these areas”.

The tour operators use to manufacture tours in the name of eco tourism thereby developing a new market trend. The hedonistic travelers show keen interest to this social fad. Green tourism is largely seen as the panacea to most of the negative impact of mass tourism.

The contribution of the host community in the development of eco tourism is inordinately valuable. Because of priorities granted to tourists, sometimes fead to hostility from the part of the local community. As Martyn puts it out “The tourists consume best things, luxury products of all kinds, and even the best looking girls. In order to develop eco tourism some destinations are having recourse to altruistic tourists who care for the welfare or the local communities, they spare the areas visited from damage and they buy locally produced items in order to avoid leakage”.

In other words eco tourism is also defined as “ghetto tourism” or “enclave tourism”. It is said that mass tourist living in one area is less dangerous than independent travelers dispersed in the country. In the light of the above, can we say that eco tourism exists in Mauritius? It is obvious that we want to move from our traditional market to the new market which knows a push demand. Buying eco tourism by a tourist has become similar to the purchase of a Mercedes by car lovers. As the tourist is becoming more meaningful experience with greater emphasis on “greener” tourism products. Our destination planning should focus more on long term environmental consequences rather than on short term economic benefits.

Mauritius is devoid of mass tourism. Both main stream and eco tourism are offered to our visitors. We still encourage low volume high spend tourist. The authority’s involvement in keeping our green and sea belt free from pollution should be of prime concern. But the risk factor is there because the spending power of these tourists sometimes lead many organizations to upmarket the term eco tourism by overlooking its ethical purpose. It is to note that our fauna, flora, culture, seaside, mountains, hills, green belt, urban and rural areas, forests and historical buildings are still safe from tourist invasion!

In Mauritius there is some companies that promote eco-tourism and they are as follows:

(1)CATAMARAN Cruises By Christophe Desmarais

(2) Passion Ocean

(3) Croisieres Australes

(4) Catamaran Grand baie

(IATA FOUNDATION CLASS By Mr Cassam Tupsee- Trainer @ freight Academy)