INTRODUCTION

Tourism is one of the world’s largest industries. The World Travel and Tourism Council

(WTTC) estimates that tourism generates some 12% of the world total GNP. With studies

predicting continued growth, tourism is an increasingly important factor in the planning and

management at UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Tourism offers well-known advantages. Visitor fees, concessions and donations provide funds

for restoration and protection efforts. Visitors may be recruited as friends of a site and can help

generate international support. Tour operators and hotel chains can play a role in the

management of a site by making financial contributions, aiding monitoring efforts, or instructing

their clients in responsible tourism. Tourism can also promote cultural values by supporting local

handicrafts or by offering alternative economic activities.

On the downside, tourism spawns well-known problems. Managing rapid tourism growth is a

time-consuming process demanding clear policies, ongoing dialogue with stakeholders, and

constant monitoring. Tourism activities require environmental impact assessments (EIAs) and

procedures for minimising impacts. At sites with limited budgets and staff, growing tourism can

stretch scarce resources and take managers away from protection efforts.

While tourism can contribute to protection and restoration efforts, the right balance between

economic gain and undesirable impacts can be elusive. Managers know that a tourist attraction

must be periodically renewed to remain competitive. In the case of World Heritage sites, they are

also aware that they are under an international obligation to maintain or restore the site’s original

values. This responsibility poses difficult questions regarding the degree of change that should be

permitted to accommodate tourism growth. Another problem is ensuring that a portion of tourism

revenue remains in the community as a means of fostering local protection, conservation and

restoration efforts.

To meet these and other challenges,

The manual addresses the needs identified by site managers and training centres. It provides a set

of management methodologies and practices intended to help managers to solve tourism

problems.

Eco-tourism is one of the most frequently cited categories of the “new” tourism. It is defined by the

International Ecotourism Society as, “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment

and sustains the well being of local people.” A number of activities have been labelled eco-tourism,

including bird- and whale-watching, helping scientists conduct conservation research, snorkelling off

coral reefs, game viewing and nature photography. Eco-tourism is linked to and overlaps with heritage

tourism and cultural tourism. Surveys show that eco-tourists tend to be young and highly educated, with

professional and managerial occupations. Eco-tourism trips tend to be longer, with fewer people in the

typical tour group. Researchers report that eco-tourists are more likely to use small independent hotels,

as opposed to mass tourists, who tend to stay at chain hotels. As would be expected, the eco-tourist is

interested in a more natural environment, preferring less crowded destinations that are off the beaten

track and that offer challenging experiences. At the site level, the demands of eco-tourists and

mainstream tourists may overlap and be difficult to differentiate. Some eco-tourists, for example, may

demand condominiums, not campgrounds, for lodging. People on a bird-watching cruise to Patagonia

could be considered eco-tourists but may have demands similar to those of tourists on an expensive

Caribbean islands cruise. In practice, eco-tourism connotes a travel ethic, promoting conservation

behaviours and certain economic policies. Examples are, an emphasis on low-impact techniques for

viewing wildlife and a preference for hiring local guides

Reducing the number of people who enter an area

Closing an area can be an effective way to protect or restore environmental quality.

Reducing numbers by limiting the size of parties can also help control ecological and social impacts

measures to concentrate and control visitors are needed to reduce ecological impacts.

Increasing visitor fees and other charges can reduce visitor numbers.

Increasing a site’s resistance to visitor impacts by installing or modifying infrastructure is generally

referred to as site-hardening.

Interpretation and education programmes can mitigate environmental and social impacts.

Locals are more likely to participate in conservation when it is associated with an improvement in their

standard of living.

3 Community tourism programmes may be more effective if introduced gradually and in conjunction

with other economic development programmes

Labour costs should be realistically evaluated when analysing community potential.

Raising site revenue to produce local benefits.