The paradox of Ecotourism
Ecotourism has been regarded as an environmentally friendly form of relationship between foreigners and locals as the former come to enjoy the natural and cultural attractions of the latter. It has been opposed to mass tourism and uncontrolled development, with the aim to create the least possible disturbance, particularly to nature and historic buildings.
In Egypt, the Ministry of Tourism has established as guidelines for an eco-hotel license that building materials must be locally obtained, and waste from sewage and garbage systems has to be recycled. The cited example is the Adrere Amellal lodge in Siwa. Using a system of waste water disposal researched at the University of Arizona, wetlands were prepared around the lodge. Used water is purified of waste by filtration through different grades of gravel.
But is ecotourism really that lofty?
According to Rosaleen Duffy, author of “A Trip Too Far: Ecotourism, Politics and Exploitation”, ecotourism is nothing more than a “self-indulgent by-product of neo-liberalist consumer culture at its most hypocritical”. Within the context of global neoliberalism, ecotourism might well be a new form of colonial power, exercised by elitists who profit from sensitive eco-systems by catering to the rich and powerful.
Duffy presents the first critical analysis of ecotourism; does it deliver real environmental benefits or is it just a marketing opportunity for “green greed”? By the extensive use of case study and interview material, she shows how ecotourism can work to support conservation and local economies given the right political context and regulation.
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