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A. Machnik
issues and treated only from this perspective. Moreover, as in the case of sustainable
tourism, not everyone understands the idea of ecotourism, because there are also
many definitions for it that do not always precisely convey its essence. However, it
can be considered a form of a nature-based tourism (very special one), but it should
not be simply confused with this term (Machnik 2013; Stronza et al. 2019).
The aim of this chapter is to present the history and core principles of the
ecotourism idea and its relationships with sustainable tourism and other forms
of tourism, as well as the main challenges facing contemporary ecotourism. The
secondary idea is to show the importance of supporting and promoting ecotourism
in the future development of tourism.
2 History of the Concept and definitions—in Brief
The first official definition of ecotourism from 1987 is commonly accredited to
Ceballos-Lascuráin (Fennel 2003), who defined it as: ‘travelling to relatively undisturbed or uncontaminated natural areas with the specific objective of studying,
admiring, and enjoying the scenery and its wild plants and animals, as well as any
existing cultural manifestations (both past and present) found in these areas’. But
the introduction to this subject was actually already made in 1965, by Hetzer (cited
from Blamey 2001), who pointed to four main pillars or principles of responsible
tourism:
• minimising environmental impacts
• respecting host cultures
• maximising the benefits to local people
• maximising tourist satisfaction.
Wallace and Pierce defined ecotourism in 1996 with almost the same but more
elaborated points:
• a type of use that minimises negative impacts to the environment and to local
people
• the awareness and understanding of an area’s natural and cultural systems and the
subsequent involvement of visitors in issues affecting those systems
• the conservation and management of legally protected and other natural areas
• the early and long-term participation of local people in the decision-making
process that determines the kind and amount of tourism that should occur
• directing economic and other benefits to local people that complement rather than
overwhelm or replace traditional practices (farming, fishing, social systems, etc.)
• the provision of special opportunities for local people and nature tourism
employees to utilise and visit natural areas and learn more about the wonders
that other visitors come to see (Wallace and Pierce 1996).
A. Machnik
issues and treated only from this perspective. Moreover, as in the case of sustainable
tourism, not everyone understands the idea of ecotourism, because there are also
many definitions for it that do not always precisely convey its essence. However, it
can be considered a form of a nature-based tourism (very special one), but it should
not be simply confused with this term (Machnik 2013; Stronza et al. 2019).
The aim of this chapter is to present the history and core principles of the
ecotourism idea and its relationships with sustainable tourism and other forms
of tourism, as well as the main challenges facing contemporary ecotourism. The
secondary idea is to show the importance of supporting and promoting ecotourism
in the future development of tourism.
2 History of the Concept and definitions—in Brief
The first official definition of ecotourism from 1987 is commonly accredited to
Ceballos-Lascuráin (Fennel 2003), who defined it as: ‘travelling to relatively undisturbed or uncontaminated natural areas with the specific objective of studying,
admiring, and enjoying the scenery and its wild plants and animals, as well as any
existing cultural manifestations (both past and present) found in these areas’. But
the introduction to this subject was actually already made in 1965, by Hetzer (cited
from Blamey 2001), who pointed to four main pillars or principles of responsible
tourism:
• minimising environmental impacts
• respecting host cultures
• maximising the benefits to local people
• maximising tourist satisfaction.
Wallace and Pierce defined ecotourism in 1996 with almost the same but more
elaborated points:
• a type of use that minimises negative impacts to the environment and to local
people
• the awareness and understanding of an area’s natural and cultural systems and the
subsequent involvement of visitors in issues affecting those systems
• the conservation and management of legally protected and other natural areas
• the early and long-term participation of local people in the decision-making
process that determines the kind and amount of tourism that should occur
• directing economic and other benefits to local people that complement rather than
overwhelm or replace traditional practices (farming, fishing, social systems, etc.)
• the provision of special opportunities for local people and nature tourism
employees to utilise and visit natural areas and learn more about the wonders
that other visitors come to see (Wallace and Pierce 1996).