What is ecotourism and where to practice it
Is a trip to an Indonesian village with an excursion ecotourism? What about a hike in the mountains? Both yes and no. In fact, ecotourism is an entire philosophy that can be adhered to even when traveling in Europe. In this article, we talk about the meaning, types, and trends of ecotourism.
The Essence of Ecotourism
The essence of ecotourism is caring for the environment and local residents. An ecotourism trip leaves no traces that adversely affect the state of nature or the lives of the indigenous population. Such tourists not only try to travel and relax ecologically but also often proactively care for the places they visit.
We will discuss below how travelers' care can be expressed.
Goals and Core Principles of Ecotourism
The main goal of ecotourism is to create an experience that equally benefits both tourists and local residents, as well as the environment in which they live. It's not just a two-day excursion to wild and undeveloped places as part of a tourist group: what matters is not where you travel, but how you do it. Therefore, you can be an ecotourist even in large European cities; the main thing is to adhere to a certain philosophy.
Here are the principles that ecotourists follow.
Increased cultural awareness. To understand why it's important to care for nature and local traditions, one needs to know how everything works, what problems residents face, and how they are accustomed to caring for their land.
Financial benefit for the local population. Choose authentic products made by local residents to support them. This fulfills the main goal of ecotourism: a positive experience for all parties.
Environmental benefit. Ecotourism hotels, traveler movements, activities — everything should leave a minimal carbon footprint. Many ecotourists forgo the benefits of civilization and technology to preserve natural resources.
Everyone can check their trip for ecological sustainability. For this purpose, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has identified several ecotourism criteria:
• you travel through untouched nature, reserves, or authentic villages and settlements where the local way of life is still preserved;
• you travel with the aim of getting to know this way of life better, becoming a part of it, or even offering your help;
• all your actions do not harm nature and the surrounding world;
• the benefit of your actions goes directly to the residents or nature, and not to some corporation.
Types of Ecotourism
Cultural. Visiting cultural and historical heritage sites, getting acquainted with local traditions.
Scientific. Archaeological research, bird, animal, and plant observation, fieldwork for scientific purposes. Visiting laboratories and research institutions.
Agritourism. Agricultural work, assistance in caring for animals, plants, and soil. Visiting farms, greenhouses, and vineyards.
Active. Mountain hiking, rafting, diving, caving.
Problems of Ecotourism
On the one hand, tourist travel is indeed becoming more environmentally friendly, and large cities are taking various measures to achieve this. Here are some of them.
• In Kenya, plastic bags are not allowed. At all. This means no souvenirs or local food in plastic — tourists will have to carry their own shopping bags. Just think: Kenyans don't have a "bag of bags" at home!
• Hotels are moving away from single-use shampoo and gel bottles in rooms and using refillable dispensers that are topped up when the product runs out. You won't be able to take them home.
• In Asia and the USA, the use of plastic tableware is being phased out. Bamboo plates and potato starch straws are replacing them. This is a biodegradable material, and it also supports bamboo production, as a lot of it grows in these regions.
Tourists themselves are also moving away from the usual "consumerist" travel format. According to a Booking.com study, people are increasingly going on trips without internet to take a break from content consumption, and they are also showing interest in trips where they can practice survival skills. For example, 37% of respondents want to learn how to get clean water, and 36% want to learn how to make fire.
On the other hand, ecotourism has its own problems, and ecotourism practices are often criticized.
1. Threat to indigenous cultures
The more tourists visit authentic places where local residents live, the more vulnerable the locals feel. Not all people, even the most conscious, treat other cultures with respect, and many retain stereotypes and rude behavior.
And if ecotourism begins to develop on a large scale, companies build hotels for arriving tourists — in such cases, local residents often have to move from their native lands, without receiving monetary compensation.
2. Damage to nature
To reach exotic places, people travel by planes and cars. This adversely affects air and soil quality.
3. Profiting from ecotourism
Many companies that organize ecotourism trips focus more on extracting money from travelers rather than on the main goal of ecotourism.
How to make your trip eco-friendly: a brief guide from Kupi.com
You don't necessarily have to go to a forest or village and dig the earth to help nature and local residents. You can try this within your regular trip. And there's nothing complicated about it:
• for getting around the city, use a bicycle, scooter, or eco-friendly transport;
• buy seasonal products or, if dining in a cafe, choose dishes made from seasonal ingredients;
• if you're shopping, visit local designers' or artisans' shops, not hypermarkets;
• be sure to walk through the city's green areas;
• sort your waste.
Popular Destinations Worldwide and in Russia
• The most popular destinations among ecotourists are remote corners of Mexico, Peru, Chile, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa. That is, regions where urbanization is not as highly developed.
• In Europe, ecotourists are mainly attracted to northern countries: Norway, Sweden, Iceland.
• Russia offers all opportunities for ecotourism: large and sparsely developed territories, authentic villages and settlements with local residents, national reserves, parks, and sanctuaries. You can choose a suitable ecotourism destination on the Naturerussia.travel website: it offers both sites to visit and complete routes with estimated travel times.
• For now, ecotourism destinations are less relevant for Russians than destinations where one can relax by the sea in Russia, but the trend towards mindfulness and environmental care is gradually developing here too. Especially after the pandemic "locked down" active travelers in cities and large megacities began to be perceived as less safe than before.
Ecotourism in Russia: places worth visiting
– To Lake Baikal — to hike in the mountains, kayak, swim in the lake, and get acquainted with Buryat traditions.
– To Primorye — to photograph Ussuri tigers and wander through the hills.
– To Kamchatka — to see active volcanoes, swim in thermal springs, conquer glaciers, and observe bears (from a distance, of course).
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