Eco Tourism Need of Hrs as Earth is our Home
ECO TOURISM NEED OF HOURS AS EARTH IS OUR HOME
AMRIK SINGH THAKUR
MANAGEING HOST –
HIMACHAL ADVENTURE LEISURE & HOLIDAYS, RESEARCH,
SCHOOLAR MTA IVS Himachal Pradesh University Summer Hill – SHIMLA – 171005
Introduction
Tourism is an ever growing industry around the world with many countries now dependent on the tourism industry within their country to continue to grow and develop. As a report put out by the World Economic Forum states, there was an increase in the number of international tourism receipts from US$2.1 billion to US$622.7 billion between 1950 and
2004. By 2006, the tourism sector accounted for 10.3 percent of world GDP.
Furthermore, in 2006 there were 234 million jobs in the industry, making up 8.2 percent of total employment worldwide. (World Tourism Analysis 2007) The World Tourism
Organization (UNWTO) has estimated that the industry has grown from 25 million international travelers in 1950 to over 800 million today. They expect that number to jump to 1.2 billion travelers by 2020. The question now for the industry is how to minimize the impact of all these travelers. Since the 1980s one solution has been offered: ecotourism.
With its promises to not only preserve the environment but also offer opportunities that are unique both culturally but also within nature, it has become an avenue for much of the industry to look towards for the future of tourism.
Ecotourism is: "Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people." (TIES, 1990).
Ecotourism evolved over the years:- Ecotourism first grew out of the global environmental movement in the late 1970s. While the development and growth of ecotourism took various paths in different parts of the world, by the early 1990,, ecotourism, along with nature-based, cultural, heritage and adventure tourism, had become among the fastest growing sectors of the tourism industry worldwide. More recently, ecotourism has helped
AMRIK SINGH THAKUR
MANAGEING HOST –
HIMACHAL ADVENTURE LEISURE & HOLIDAYS, RESEARCH,
SCHOOLAR MTA IVS Himachal Pradesh University Summer Hill – SHIMLA – 171005
Introduction
Tourism is an ever growing industry around the world with many countries now dependent on the tourism industry within their country to continue to grow and develop. As a report put out by the World Economic Forum states, there was an increase in the number of international tourism receipts from US$2.1 billion to US$622.7 billion between 1950 and
2004. By 2006, the tourism sector accounted for 10.3 percent of world GDP.
Furthermore, in 2006 there were 234 million jobs in the industry, making up 8.2 percent of total employment worldwide. (World Tourism Analysis 2007) The World Tourism
Organization (UNWTO) has estimated that the industry has grown from 25 million international travelers in 1950 to over 800 million today. They expect that number to jump to 1.2 billion travelers by 2020. The question now for the industry is how to minimize the impact of all these travelers. Since the 1980s one solution has been offered: ecotourism.
With its promises to not only preserve the environment but also offer opportunities that are unique both culturally but also within nature, it has become an avenue for much of the industry to look towards for the future of tourism.
Ecotourism is: "Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people." (TIES, 1990).
Ecotourism evolved over the years:- Ecotourism first grew out of the global environmental movement in the late 1970s. While the development and growth of ecotourism took various paths in different parts of the world, by the early 1990,, ecotourism, along with nature-based, cultural, heritage and adventure tourism, had become among the fastest growing sectors of the tourism industry worldwide. More recently, ecotourism has helped