| dc.description.abstract |
Ecotourism, also called variously
as nature tourism, alternative
tourism, responsible tourism,
and many others, is currently
promoted in Kenya, like in other pans of
the world, as a realistic way of protecting
nature and integrating conservation with
local development. The goal is to develop
and promote new forms of tourism which
will bring the greatest possible benefit to all
the participants travellers, the host jxipula tions and the tourist business, without
causing intolérable ecological and social
change (Boo, 1990; Whelan, 1991). In the
ecotourism approach, visitors are urged to
adopt eco^code forms of behaviour in order
to acquire a strong commitment to nature
and be concerned with the welfare and
integrity of the host communiaes (Western, 1993). Earnings from ecotourism is
to be used to help create and maintain the
resources that attract ecotourists and provide direct benefit to the local oommunities where the resources are located. Use of
local resources, called erotechniqes, and local
expertise is encouraged to reduce the effects on the environment. Tourists activities are to be small-scale, locally owned
with consequently low import leakages and
a higher proportion of profits retained
locally as opposed to the traditional tourism of large-scale, multinational ownership with high leakages (Cater 1993) |
en_US |