The difference between eco-tourism and traditional mass tourism

Eco-tourism is a kind of natural tourism which is beneficial to nature protection and aims at appreciating and studying nature, wildlife and any cultural characteristics. Its biggest feature is that it can still combine commercial tourism and eco-tourism in tourist destinations, protect the environment while supporting local economic development, and undertake the obligation of maintaining local normal life. Ecotourism is different from traditional tourism. First of all, although eco-tourists and traditional tourists sometimes use the same natural area, their attitudes and interests are obviously different.

Traditional tourism has nothing to do with the ecology and characteristics of tourist areas, and its purpose is leisure and entertainment. On the other hand, eco-tourism is attracted by the natural region itself, and its natural characteristics are studied and appreciated, and wildlife and natural resources are used in a non-consumptive way. Tourism with cultural characteristics can be closely related to ecotourism, and they often complement each other. Secondly, eco-tourism is a planned activity, which relies on strict management to prevent serious environmental harm. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the impact and benefit in advance to avoid the negative environmental effects caused by poor planning of traditional tourism. A well-designed explanatory plan can also make the reserve a center to support the local dissemination of knowledge, skills and lifestyle, so as to preserve the traditional values of local residents and spread their culture to the outside world and promote cultural prosperity.

Moreover, the requirements of eco-tourism are different from those of traditional tourism, and the investment cost of its infrastructure is very low, which is only about 1/4 of that of traditional tourism.

Generally speaking, the most important thing of eco-tourism is to maintain the integrity of the original local ecosystem and social culture, and to educate tourists how to appreciate and respect nature, while commercial and economic benefits are secondary considerations. However, if a protected area has a complete management framework and high-quality managers, the cost of eco-tourism investment and infrastructure construction is less, and its economic benefits are still equivalent to those of traditional tourism, which can play a role in protection, education and economic development.