Quality Assurance and Certification in Ecotourism

Download or read book Quality Assurance and Certification in Ecotourism written by Rosemary Black and published by CABI. This book was released on 2007 with total page 558 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Genuine ecotourism can have many positve impacts, particularly the conservation of biodiversity and cultural heritage and the creation of economic opportunities for local communities. While promoting these, it aims to eleminate negative impacts such as environmental degradation, cultural commoditisation and playground effects. Unfortunately, the concept is broadly misunderstood and its true definition is widely debated. It is often used as a marketing tool, with some operators taking advantage of the ecotourism label to attract more business while behaving in environmentally irresponsible ways. This book considers the important topic of quality control and accreditation in ecotourism, describing the mechanisms that can be implemented to ensure quality in all aspects of the industry, namely protected areas, businesses, producs and tour guides.