Ecotourism in China, Misuse or Genuine Development? An Analysis Based on Map Browser Results

Li Li,Liu Liu,Ren Ren,Gao Gao,Fornacca Fornacca,Huang Huang,Zhang Zhang,Fang Fang,Cui Cui,Xiao Xiao

doi:10.3390/su11184997

Li Li, Liu Liu + Show 8 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/su11184997

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Abstract

Ecotourism is considered to be an effective means of promoting nature conservation and sustainable development in less developed regions. However, its widespread adoption may be the result of a misunderstanding due to confusion about definitions and interpretations. Using web map browsers, we assessed the distribution pattern of ecotourism sites in both number and density in the 31 provinces of mainland China, and found that it positively correlated with gross domestic products (GDP) and population size, showing spatial dynamics similar to the general tourism model. However, negative-weak or no correlation at all was found with the presence and size of nature variables such as protected areas. These results support previous suspicions that the term ecotourism and its associated concept may be misused in China and that the regions that could benefit the most from this form of tourism have yet to properly develop it. Although this pattern could reflect a huge demand for genuine ecotourism, we recommend that China, to achieve its ambitious sustainable development goals, adapt ecotourism policies in its environmental and socio-cultural context, manage them with a trans-disciplinary expert board, and regulate its market by introducing a rigorous admittance system with continuous monitoring and evaluation.

Highlights

Peripheral and less developed regions are often characterized by lower human impacts on natural habitats and higher biodiversity rates than other places in the world
The economic benefits generated from such travel should be channeled to local communities, organizations and authorities participating in the conservation of ecosystems to promote sustainable development, finance environmental protection measures and reduce poverty
Our analysis revealed that China still has a long way to go to develop genuine ecotourism as clearly distinct from conventional forms of mass tourism

Summary

Introduction

Peripheral and less developed regions are often characterized by lower human impacts on natural habitats and higher biodiversity rates than other places in the world. In the absence of clear and unified operational frameworks to guide this flourishing industry, such as those available nowadays at the international level (TIES, UNWTO, GSTC) or at the national level for some countries (e.g., Ecotourism Australia [21], Costa Rica’s Certification for Sustainable Tourism [22]), promoters and managers were basically free to interpret and implement ecotourism they wanted, or as it best suited their needs, creating a clear gap between theoretical ecotourism concepts and their practical implementation [12,18,23,24]. The confusion surrounding the definition of ecotourism seems to recur in the academic environment too, with case studies analyzing different things and referring to them as ecotourism, making comparisons difficult or not possible [41,42,43,44,45]

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