ABSTRACT
A new group of tourism clients have emerged who are demanding different
activities, experiences and approaches to tourism from the industry: ‘these
are the ecotourists – people who require environmentally compatible recre-
ational opportunities.where nature rather than humanity predominates’ (Kerr 1991: 248). They are ‘shrugging off the shackles of traditional tourism’
in search of knowledge and experience. Their interest is not in ‘lounging by
hotel pools or hectic sightseeing schedules’ (Collins 1993: 7). They are,
however, ‘interested in visiting wilderness, national parks, and tropical
forests, and in viewing birds, mammals, trees and wildflowers’, they want to
‘experience new lifestyles and meet people with similar interests to them-
selves’ and they want to see their traveling dollars contributing toward
conservation and benefiting the local economy (Eagles, 1992).
