Eco-tourismby | 06-08-2012 12:10 |
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  One of my class mates recently visited 'Galapagos islands' with her family. When I heard that the first thing came to my mind was the image from the documentary that features the turtles in Galapagos islands, suffering from the increasing tourists. Then, I come across a term called, 'Eco-tourism'. It is defined as responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people. Some of its main principles are minimizing impact on the nature, building environmental and cultural awareness and respect, providing positive experiences for both visitors and hosts, and providing direct financial benefits for conservation and local people. The irony is that many amazing places on earth are the most threatened environmentally. To conserve the nature's wonder, the tour agency, airline company, local government and tourists effort are all required. Some countries like Vietnam, El Salvador, Montenegro and LeBanon are working with international Eco-tourism organization to train local people and sustain development. In 2005, Bar Harbor, Main, hosted Eco-tourism conference, and it led U.S. government to adopt series of policies to promote environmentally responsible tourism. Before its too late, I hope Korean government will look into the current status of national conservation sites, and calls on policies over eco-tourism. |
