Az Eszterházy Károly Tanárképző Főiskola Tudományos Közleményei. 2007. Sectio Scientarium Economicarum et Socialium. (Acta Academiae Agriensis : Nova series ; Tom. 34)

Chambliss Karen-Slotkin Michael H.-Vámosi Alexander R.: A 'javító' fenntarthatóság a'steady-state' fenntarthatóság és a strukturált ökoturizmus

A 'javító' fenntarthatóság.. 21 of structured ecotourism, and provide a case assessment by utilizing as a template the leading birding and wildlife festival held in the state of Florida. In essence, section three of this paper serves as an informal proof of the festival as structured ecotourism proposition. Second, having asserted and informally proven the aforementioned proposition, we offer a few suggestions on how the academic literature can be extended with the structured ecotourist segment in mind. Thus, section four offers a research prospectus on structured ecotourism, which concludes this work. 2. Background Literature Conceptualizing definitions of ecotourism has occupied tourism researchers well into its second decade [Valentine (1993); Hvenegaard (1994); Blarney (1997); Acott et al. (1998); Wood (2002)]. Indeed, the maturation of this literature and its achievement of a certain critical mass is evidenced by several outstanding texts on the subject [Fennel (1999); Honey (1999); Weaver (2001)] as well as an encyclopedic entry edited by Weaver (2001). And while alternative definitions still abound, a convenient catch-all for the description of ecotourism is offered by Vamosi [Slotkin and Vamosi (2006)]: the Tourism Triple-E based on environmental, educational, and economic sustainability. In short, ecotourism involves leisure experiences that are intimately tied to the natural world; moreover, these journeys are interpretive, contemplative, and of a cognitive nature that would readily distinguish eco-travel from the hedonistic experiences associated with adventure and/or surf-n-sun travel. The final pillar, economic sustainability, invokes the credo that ecotourism should benefit host populations and be conducted in a manner that maintains income-earning opportunities for future residents. This, of course, mandates responsible tourism practices and a significant degree of local ownership and control of tourism assets. It also entails a healthy respect for indigenous cultures, which should be left unaltered.

4 Ecotourism's overriding concern, that environmental capital be preserved for future generations, is reinforced by the existence of feedback loops between these various planks. To illustrate, travel to undisturbed locales provides unparalleled pedagogical opportunities, and those learning experiences reinforce the notion of nature's strategic balance and the imperative to conserve. Similarly, eco-travel can generate sizable economic impacts for regional communities, and the association of income generation with healthy, vital ecosystems also inculcates an environmental mindset.

5 The Triple-E is effective as a general framework; as a specific delineator of tourism market segments it is inadequate, which helps explain why estimates of global 4 Of course, it is likely that complete satisfaction of the Triple-E serves as a goal to aspire to rather than a practical outcome. Weaver and Lawton (2002) argue that "intent" is a reasonable criterion. Education and economics also reinforce one another. Economic success provides needed funds to enhance and expand interpretive capabilities which serve as a draw to entice additional ecotourists.