The Meaning of Eco-tourism & the Community’s Understanding

1. The Meaning of Eco-tourism &the Community’s Understanding John Ap & Dora Pang The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

2. Introduction Eco-tourism • Helps educate the community to protect & conserve the environment through travel • Create & maintain a sustainable environment for residents, tourists, & the next generation • Community should be aware of it & have positive attitudes towards it, otherwise depletion of the environment through mass tourism continues

3. Issues • Numerous definitions & no agreed definition • Concept of “sustainability” has problems • Ignorance & abuse of the concept exists • any nature-based or nature-related tourism constitutes eco-tourism • marketing to the mass market • Ap & Mak (1999) suggested even people in the tourism industry do not understand what sustainable/ eco-tourism really means

4. Definition of Eco-tourism Martha Honey (1999) defined it as: • Travel to fragile, pristine & usually protected areas • Helps educate travelers • Provides funds for conservation • Directly benefits economic development • Political empowerment of local communities • Fosters respect for different cultures • Fosters respect for human rights

5. To examine Hong Kong residents’ perceptions towards eco-tourism travel & their level of interest in it as a form of pleasure travel Study Purpose

6. Findings • Awareness of eco-tourism (n=241) • Heard of eco-tourism: 35% • Aware of eco-tourism & have taken part in ecotourism activities: 19% • Knowledge of eco-tourism (n=241) • Learning about the environment: 47% • Building environmental awareness: 32%

7. Awareness of Eco-tourism Objectives (n=72) Objective Percentage 1) Learning about the environment 64 2) Building environmental awareness 43 3) Minimizing negative impacts on the destinations visited 21 4) Traveling to nature-based destinations 7 5) Providing direct financial benefits for conservation 1 6) Political empowerment of local communities 0 7) Fostering respect for different cultures 0 8) Fostering respect for human rights 0

8. Interest in Eco-tourism (n=241) • Interested in knowing more? Neutral 48% Interested 37% • Will take overseas trip in near future + interested in taking part in eco-tourism? Neutral 35% Interested/ V.Interested 57%

9. Reasons for participating in eco-tourism? • Chance to get close to nature • Chance to understand the natural environment • Why not interested? • Lack of time • Boring • Lack of information

10. Barriers in taking an eco-tourism trip: • Lack of information about destinations • Tour costs • Safety • No companions interested in going with me • Lack of time

11. Discussion & Conclusion • Low level of awareness & knowledge of eco-tourism • Little or no recognition of the: financial; cultural; empowerment; & human rights aspects • Most showed indifference towards it • Respondents engaged in the tourism field possessed limited knowledge & it was no better than the general public’s knowledge  further education is obviously needed • There is market potential for eco-tourism