What types of tourism exist in your country? What types you think are the most suitable for your country? Why? What types could be developed?

PROJECT

Using internet websites make a PowerPoint presentation about one of the type of tourism. Don’t forget to mention

ü aims pursued by this type of tourism

ü potential customers

ü possible itineraries (countries)

ü etc.

PART 5 THE MOST POPULAR FORMS OF TOURISM. ECOTOURISM

VOCABULARY

Read and memorize the following words

responsible _adj

pristine _adj

strive _v

purport _v

empowerment _n

foster _v

generation _n

untouched _adj

intervention _n

appeal _v

volunteering _n

involve _v

heritage _n

primary

goal _n

insight _n

appreciation _n

habitat _n

conventional _adj

evaluate _v

recycling _{n, adj}

energy efficiency _n

tranquil _adj

unpolluted _adj

conserve _v

well-being _n

marginal _adj

misunderstand _v

tool _n

malpractice _v

realm _n

carry out _v

in the name of

splendid landscape _n

detriment _n

sensitize _v

condemn _v

disagree _v

currently

controversial _adj

 

COMMENTS

The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) unites conservation, communities and sustainable travel while promoting responsible travel to natural areas while conserving the environment and improving the well-being of local people. TIES works by creating an international network of individuals, institutions and the tourism industry, educating tourists and tourism professionals.

The gross domestic product – The monetary value of all the finished goods and services produced within a country's borders in a specific time period, though GDP is usually calculated on an annual basis. It includes all of private and public consumption, government outlays, investments and exports less imports that occur within a defined territory.

Greenwashing (green whitewash) is the practice of companies disingenuously spinning their products and policies as environmentally friendly, such as by presenting cost cuts as reductions in use of resources. The practice of companies making their products appear to be environmentally sound by putting them in green packages, claiming they are biodegradable (when they are not), etc.

Label – a brief description given for purposes of identification; trade name of a company.

LANGUAGE FOCUS

Many prefixes such as un-, in-, im-, ir-, il-, mis- and dis- essentially mean not and create a negative.

prefix	meaning/use	example
il, im, in, ir + adjective	opposite	illegal, impossible, indirect, irregular
dis +verb	negative/opposite	dislike
mis + verb	wrongly/badly	misunderstand
un + adjective/ verb	negative/opposite	unhappy, unlock

ü Ir- is used with words that begin with r: regular – irregular

ü Il- is used with words that begin with l: legal – illegal

ü Im- is used with words that begin with m or p: possible – impossible

WORD STUDY

I. Add the correct prefix to the following words and translate them:

…polluted

…agree

…touched

…dependent

…polite

…do

…approve

…behave

…moral

…hear

…interpret

…relevant

…believe

…believable

…fire

…appointed

…take

…read

…known

…rational

…recoverable

…resistible

…liberal

…logic

II. Make up derivatives

verb	noun	adjective
	empowerment
	recycling
disagree
		(un)polluted
involve
		condemned

III. Match the words with their definitions

1. goal	a) things that have been passed from one generation to another
2. generation	b) an understanding of something
3. heritage	c) to put smth into practice
4. evaluate	d) smth than you try to do or to achieve
5. well-being	e) the state of being harmed or damaged
6. carry out	f) health or happiness
7. detriment	g) all the people born about the same time
8. insight	h) to estimate the value of smth

 

IV. Find the synonyms

a) responsible, pristine, to strive, to purport, intervention, heritage, goal, tranquil, realm, condemn

b) purpose, to mean, liable, interference, sphere, blame, to try, original, inheritance, placid

READING

Have you ever heard of Ecotourism? What is this? Do you really know its objectives and characteristics? Read the text and say what new information about ecotourism you got.

TEXT 1

Ecotourism is a form of tourism that involves travelling to tranquil and unpolluted natural areas. According to the definition and principles of ecotourism established by The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) in 1990, ecotourism is "Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people." (TIES, 1990).

It purports to educate the traveller; provide funds for ecological conservation; directly benefit the economic development and political empowerment of local communities; and foster respect for different cultures and for human rights. Ecotourism is held as important by those who participate in it so that future generations may experience aspects of the environment relatively untouched by human intervention.

Ecotourism may appeal to ecologically and socially conscious individuals. Generally it focuses on volunteering, personal growth and environmental responsibility. Ecotourism typically involves travel to destinations where flora, fauna, and cultural heritage are the primary attractions. One of the goals of ecotourism is to offer tourists insight into the impact of human beings on the environment, and to foster a greater appreciation of our natural habitats.

Responsible ecotourism includes programs that minimize the negative aspects of conventional tourism on the environment and enhance the cultural integrity of local people. Therefore, in addition to evaluating environmental and cultural factors, an integral part of ecotourism is the promotion of recycling, energy efficiency, water conservation, and creation of economic opportunities for local communities.

For many countries, ecotourism is not simply a marginal activity to finance protection of the environment, but is a major industry of the national economy. For example, in Costa Rica, Ecuador, Nepal, Kenya, Madagascar and Antarctica, ecotourism represents a significant portion of the gross domestic product and economic activity.

The concept of ecotourism is widely misunderstood and in practice is often used as a marketing tool to promote tourism that is related to nature. This is an especially frequent malpractice in the realm of Jungle tourism. Critics claim that these greenwashing practices, carried out in the name of ecotourism, often consist of placing a hotel in a splendid landscape, to the detriment of the ecosystem. According to them, ecotourism must above all sensitize people to the beauty and the fragility of nature. They condemn some operators as greenwashing their operations: using the labels of "green" and "eco-friendly”, while behaving in environmentally irresponsible ways.

Although academics disagree about who can be classified as an ecotourist and there is little statistical data, some estimate that more than five million ecotourists – the majority of the ecotourist population – come from the United States, with many others from Western Europe, Canada and Australia.

Currently, there are various moves to create national and international ecotourism accreditation programs, although the process is also controversial. National ecotourism certification programs have been put in place in countries such as Costa Rica, Australia, Kenya and Sweden.

Ecotourism:

ü Involves travel to natural destinations

ü Builds environmental awareness

ü Provides direct financial benefits for conservation

ü Provides financial benefits and empowerment for local people

ü Respects local culture

ü Supports human rights and democratic movements

The characteristics of ecotourism are:

ü Conservation of biological diversity and cultural diversity through ecosystem protection

ü Promotion of sustainable use of biodiversity, by providing jobs to local populations

ü Sharing of socio-economic benefits with local communities and indigenous peoples by having their informed consent and participation in the management of ecotourism enterprises

ü Minimization of tourism's own environmental impact

ü Affordability and lack of waste in the form of luxury

ü Local culture, flora and fauna being the main attractions

ACTIVITIES