thesis for ecotourism

Eco-Tourism and its Architecture: A Methodological Framework for Assessing Progress towards Sustainable Development

This thesis proposes a composite framework for the evaluation of the environmental impact of tourism development on host destinations. In this study, the environmental impact of tourism is considered as a social-ecological phenomenon that can be categorized into the two aspects of natural and social-cultural impacts. Ecotourism is introduced as a type of sustainable tourism in that its policies and principles for development are based on conservation of environmental heritage (including natural and cultural heritage) via engagement of local people and communities in the tourism development process. The proposed composite framework arises from the integration of an ecological and a cultural framework for the sustainable development of tourism. This framework places the conservation of natural resources as the main ecological outcome for eco-tourism. The proposed framework uses the ecological footprint (EF) of the main tourism activities and services (including transportation, food and accommodation services) as the ecological indicator for evaluation of ecotourism development to ensure it is ecologically compatible. Ecological footprint (EF) is a way of measuring environmental impact. It assumes that everything needed for living, including all energy, goods and services can be obtained from land, and that any wastes produced can be absorbed by land (Wackernagel and Rees, 1996:9). Because land productivity varies considerably around the world the average global productivity is the normal measure, and this is called global hectares (gha). The ecological footprint of a product or activity produced/ consumed and conducted by a defined group of people can be measured through the following equation:  EF (gha) = Lifecycle energy use of a given group of people (product and activity pro-duced or conducted) Gigajoules (GJ) / carrying capacity of the Earth (GJ/gha).  The above equation determines the area required to produce resources and to absorb pollutants like carbon dioxide generated in the lifecycle energy use of the product or activity through using fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas). Through using an ecological perspective, this thesis views culture as a system that links a group of people or a community to their surroundings through their use of local mate-rials and energies, and the production and consumption of products from these. The proposed framework determines the main cultural outcomes for ecotourism development such as conservation of heritage and making the host people aware of their cultural values. In addition, it introduces related activities such as social events, conservation of heritage and producing and consuming local products as contributive activities for achieving the outcomes stated above. Furthermore it investigates and refines a number of indicators that can be used as tools for evaluation of the cultural footprint of the development of ecotourism. Within these, local gross domestic product (GDP) as a social-economic indicator arising from tourism activities is also considered. This thesis concludes by presenting a case study of ‘The Otago Central Rail Trail’ (OCRT) as an example of ecotourism. The OCRT was introduced in the New Zealand Tourism Strategy (NZTS) for 2015 as a successful model for community-based development of sustainable tourism. The investigation reviews the impacts of the OCRT on natural and cultural heritage by using the framework developed in the thesis and its related ecological and cultural indicators. Through using the proposed holistic framework and the model for sustainable development of ecotourism, this thesis finds that, influenced by the development of the OCRT, many cultural heritage items including 60 bridges, 3 tunnels, and 78 buildings (used as OCRT accommodation services) have been refurbished. The restoration of this heritage can be considered as a policy that contributes to awareness of OCRT residents of their cultural heritage and identity. Likewise, as a part of the educational process related to ecotourism, this also makes an opportunity for OCRT visitors to learn about the cultural values of their host people. As shown in Table 5.84, in 2011, the total EF of 11,788 OCRT visitors including the EFs of the four categories of transportation, food, accommodation and activities is 1,617 gha (0.138 gha /visitor). In comparison with the EF of 0.03 gha/ visitor for sustainable tourism (see Table 5.86), the overshoot portion of the EF of the OCRT is equivalent to (0.138 – 0.03) 0.108 gha/ visitor. Likewise the total overshoot EF of 11,788 OCRT visitors is (11,788 visitors × 0.108 gha) 1,273 gha (see Table 5.86). This overshoot EF of the OCRT indicates that although the project has already been considered as a successful sustainable tourism project, still needs to reduce its total EF by 1,273 gha to be environmentally sustainable. As determined in Chapter 5 (see Table 5.88), the overshoot portion of the OCRT is calculated as 127,310.4 GJ/year. Since the costs to generate 1 GJ of overshoot energy use through using renewable energy sources (in this case wind + solar) is NZ$ 19.8, consequently the total cost to generate the overshoot energy use of the OCRT through using the latter systems (wind + solar) is equivalent to (127,310.4 GJ × NZ$ 19.8) NZ$ 2,720,746. Table 5.90 shows that in 2011, the total GDP of the OCRT is NZ$ 6,245,289 This means the total cost that must be spent to generate the overshoot portion of the OCRT energy use in a sustainable way (NZ$ 2,720,746) is 43.6% of its total GDP (NZ$ 6,245,289). Consequently the sustainable portion of the GDP (GDPs) of the OCRT is (NZ$ 6,245,289 – NZ$ 2, 720,746) NZ$ 3,524,543. The results of this thesis demonstrate that using local products (e.g. home prepared foods) as a sustainable cultural behavior not only contributes to the ability of the host destinations located along the OCRT (such as Naseby and Cromwell, used as further case studies) to present their cultural products, but also contributes to reduce the environmental impacts and increase the economic outcomes of the OCRT. For example, producing 17% (13,346.4 kg) of the total of 65165.05 kg consumed food as home prepared food reduces by 5.5% the ecological footprint related to the food consumed by OCRT visitors. As determined in Chapters 5 and 6, in three case studies, producing home prepared food contributes in a sustainable way to the increasing of the economic outcomes by about NZ$3.5 / kg of food produced. This thesis indicates that in all three case studies, using refurbished buildings as accommodation services, which is considered as an activity that contributes to preserving the cultural identity of the host destinations also contributes to reducing of environmental impacts and increasing the economic outcomes related to OCRT. For example in OCRT using 12.9% of bed space as refurbished buildings reduces by14.5% (7.3gha) the total 50.5 gha ecological footprint of accommodation services compared with when all accommodation buildings are assumed as new buildings. Chapters 5 and 6 determine that in OCRT using 21,378 m2 of refurbished buildings as accommodation services (12.9% of total bed spaces) increases by 5% the sustainable portion of GDP related to accommodation services. In Naseby also using refurbished buildings as accommodation services has the same sustainable ecological, cultural and economic outcomes as for the OCRT as a whole. The framework indicates the use of open air areas as being a cultural-ecological indicator for evaluation of architecture as being sustainable. Through using the framework, it is determined that using open air areas including balconies and verandas as part of OCRT accommodation buildings exerts environmentally friendly influences on the host destination. For instance in OCRT using 387 square meters of veranda and balcony as part of the 80,356m2 accommodation buildings decreases by 1.5% the total ecological footprint (50.5gha) of buildings used as accommodation services in OCRT. The thesis results demonstrate that an architecture that will contribute to sustainable development through ecotourism has a cultural footprint area in which the architecture contributes to the host societies knowing and preserving their cultural identity, capitals and heritages. Simultaneously, it contributes to reducing the environmental impacts and increasing the economic outcomes of the host societies through ecotourism. This thesis determines that since all ecological, cultural and economic characteristics of sustainable architecture are linked together, a strategy to develop sustainable architecture is successful when it considers the linkage between all of these profiles and influences that they exert on each other.

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Pomona Senior Theses

Social sustainability: the role of ecotourism in regenerating cultural and environmental histories in rio de janeiro.

Nia McAllister , Pomona College Follow

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Environmental Analysis

Zayn Kassam

Francisco Dóñez

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Ecotourism is a rapidly growing global export industry that aims to uphold the ethics of responsible tourism by engaging with local communities and encouraging environmentally conscious travel. With existing critiques of the greenwashing of ecotourism and the tendency for tourism agencies to exploit host communities, I advocate for participatory community-based models of ecotourism. This thesis explores both the material and conceptual benefits of community-based ecotourism through the critical examination of community-based ecotourism projects in Rio de Janeiro Brazil. Focusing on the implementation of ecotourism in of some of Rio de Janeiro’s peripheral communities, areas that are impacted by social and spatial marginalization, this thesis argues that the cultural and environmental history of a location are inseparable. When ecotourism is participatory and community-based, it can be a method for sharing cultural and environmental knowledge. Exploring the parallels between environmental justice toxic tourism and community-based ecotourism, this thesis examines the extent to which ecotourism can be used as a tool for social justice, serving to valorize the land histories and lived experiences of communities. Beyond generating money for host communities, the case studies of participatory ecotourism demonstrate the potential for ecotourism to serve as a platform for advocating for land rights in historically marginalized communities.

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McAllister, Nia, "Social Sustainability: The Role of Ecotourism in Regenerating Cultural and Environmental Histories in Rio de Janeiro" (2017). Pomona Senior Theses . 173. https://scholarship.claremont.edu/pomona_theses/173

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Ecotourism development strategies and the importance of local community engagement

• Published: 19 April 2022
• Volume 25 , pages 6849–6877, ( 2023 )

Cite this article

• Farangiz Khaledi Koure 1 ,
• Marzieh Hajjarian   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-7532-3830 1 ,
• Omid Hossein Zadeh 1 ,
• Ahmad Alijanpour 1 &
• Razieh Mosadeghi 2  

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Ecotourism plays a critical strategic role in regional development. In many remote communities, ecotourism is the main contributing factor in their economic growth. The role of ecotourism development in the sustainability of the local economy is widely known. However, the local communities’ role in the development of the industry has been neglected. The presented study, therefore, examines the importance of community engagement as the missing link in the successful development of the ecotourism industry. This research uses strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats methodology and analytic network process technique to determine the importance of the strategies directly related to the local community in comparison to other ecotourism development strategies. Arasbaran Biosphere Reserve, in northwest Iran, was used as a case study. A decision-making model containing 20 clusters, 69 sub-factors, and seven alternatives were developed in SuperDecisions software. The results showed in overall, the strategies directly related to the local community are more effective than all the other strategies. There were significant differences between the local community’s point of view and local authorities on the importance of community engagement. The results also indicated lack of trust and willingness of local authorities had been the main contributions in unsuccessful community engagement programs in the region.

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Abbreviations

Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats

Analytic network process

United nations educational, scientific and cultural organization

Analytic hierarchy process

Fuzzy analytic network process

Community-based ecotourism

Non-governmental organizations

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Urmia University under Grant [31/RD/ 859].

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Khaledi Koure, F., Hajjarian, M., Hossein Zadeh, O. et al. Ecotourism development strategies and the importance of local community engagement. Environ Dev Sustain 25 , 6849–6877 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-022-02338-y

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Ecotourism and sustainable development: a scientometric review of global research trends

1 Department of Management Science and Engineering, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030 China

2 Faculty of Economic and Management, Mudanjiang Normal University, Mudanjiang, 157011 China

Changlin Ao

3 College of Engineering, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030 China

Associated Data

The data that support the findings of this study are available from Web of Science.

With the increasing attention and awareness of the ecological environment, ecotourism is becoming ever more popular, but it still brings problems and challenges to the sustainable development of the environment. To solve such challenges, it is necessary to review literature in the field of ecotourism and determine the key research issues and future research directions. This paper uses scientometrics implemented by CiteSpace to conduct an in-depth systematic review of research and development in the field of ecotourism. Two bibliographic datasets were obtained from the Web of Science, including a core dataset and an expanded dataset, containing articles published between 2003 and 2021. Our research shows that ecotourism has been developing rapidly in recent years. The research field of ecotourism spans many disciplines and is a comprehensive interdisciplinary subject. According to the research results, the evolution of ecotourism can be roughly divided into three phases: human disturbance, ecosystem services and sustainable development. It could be concluded that it has entered the third stage of Shneider’s four-stage theory of scientific discipline. The research not only identifies the main clusters and their advance in ecotourism research based on high impact citations and research frontier formed by citations, but also presents readers with new insights through intuitive visual images.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10668-022-02190-0.

Introduction

Ecotourism, which has appeared in academic literature since the late 1980s, is a special form of nature-based tourism that maintains the well-being of the local community while protecting the environment and provides tourists with a satisfying nature experience and enjoyment (Ceballos-Lascuráin, 1996 ; Higgins, 1996 ; Orams, 1995 ). With years of research and development, ecotourism has risen to be a subject of investigation in the field of tourism research (Weaver & Lawton, 2007 ). In 2002, the United Nations declared it the International Year of Ecotourism (IYE), and the professional Journal of Ecotourism was established in the same year.

With the progress and maturity of ecotourism as an academic research field, countless scholars have put forward standards and definitions for ecotourism (Sirakaya et al., 1999 ; Wight, 1993 ). The main objectives of ecotourism emphasize long-term sustainable development (Whitelaw et al., 2014 ), including the conservation of natural resources, the generation of economic income, education, local participation and the promotion of social benefits such as local economic development and infrastructure (Ardoin et al., 2015 ; Coria & Calfucura, 2012 ; Krüger, 2005 ; Oladeji et al., 2021 ; Ross & Wall, 1999 ; Valdivieso et al., 2015 ). It can also boost rural economies and alleviate poverty in developing countries (Snyman, 2017 ; Zhong & Liu, 2017 ).

With unrestricted increasing attention to the ecological environment and the improvement of environmental awareness, ecotourism is becoming ever more prevalent, and the demand for tourism is increasing year by year (CREST, 2019 ). This increase, however, leads to a number of environmental, social and economic challenges in the development of ecotourism. For example, due to the low public awareness of ecotourism, the increase in tourists has brought a series of negative impacts on the local ecological environment, culture and economy, including disrespect for local culture and environmental protection, as well as more infrastructure construction and economic burden to meet the needs of tourists (Ahmad et al., 2018 ; Chiu et al., 2014 ; Shasha et al., 2020 ; Xu et al., 2020 ). Such challenges and contradictions are urgent problems to be tackled by the sustainable development of ecotourism. Especially against the backdrop of the current pandemic, tourism has experienced a severe blow, but climate change and other environmental issues have not been improved (CREST, 2020 ). In this context, facing these challenges and difficulties, it is essential to re-examine the future development path of ecotourism, to explore how government agencies can formulate appropriate management policies while preserving the environment and natural resources to support sustainable tourism development. Accordingly, it is necessary to consult literature in the field of ecotourism to understand the research progress and fundamental research issues, to identify challenges, suitable methods and future research direction of ecotourism.

Some previous reviews of ecotourism offer a preview of research trends in this rapidly developing area. Weaver and Lawton ( 2007 ) provide a comprehensive assessment of the current state and future progress of contemporary ecotourism research, starting with the supply and demand dichotomy of ecotourism, as well as fundamental areas such as quality control, industry, external environment and institutions. Ardoin et al. ( 2015 ) conducted a literature review, analyzing the influence of nature tourism on ecological knowledge, attitudes, behavior and potential research into the future. Niñerola et al. ( 2019 ) used the bibliometric method and VOSviewer to study the papers on sustainable development of tourism in Scopus from 1987 to 2018, including literature landscape and development trends. Shasha et al. ( 2020 ) used bibliometrics and social network analysis to review the research progress of ecotourism from 2001 to 2018 based on the Web of Science database using BibExcel and Gephi and explored the current hot spots and methods of ecotourism research. These reviews have provided useful information for ecotourism research at that time, but cannot reflect the latest research trends and emerging development of ecotourism either of timeliness, data integrity, research themes or methods.

This study aims to reveal the theme pattern, landmark articles and emerging trends in ecotourism knowledge landscape research from macro- to micro-perspectives. Unlike previous literature surveys, from timeliness, our dataset contains articles published between 2003 and 2021, and it will reveal more of the trends that have emerged over the last 3 years. Updating the rapidly developing literature is important as recent discoveries from different areas can fundamentally change collective knowledge (Chen et al., 2012 , 2014a ). To ensure data integrity, two bibliographic datasets were generated from Web of Science, including a core dataset using the topic search and an expanded dataset using the citation expansion method, which is more robust than defining rapidly growing fields using only keyword lists (Chen et al., 2014b ). And from the research theme and method, our review focuses on the area of ecotourism and is instructed by a scientometric method conducted by CiteSpace, an analysis system for visualizing newly developing trends and key changes in scientific literature (Chen et al., 2012 ). Emerging trends are detected based on metrics calculated by CiteSpace, without human intervention or working knowledge of the subject matter (Chen et al., 2012 ). Choosing this approach can cover a more extensive and diverse range of related topics and ensure repeatability of analysis with updated data (Chen et al., 2014b ).

In addition, Shneider’s four-stage theory will be used to interpret the results in this review. According to Shneider’s four-stage theory of scientific discipline (Shneider, 2009 ), the development of a scientific discipline is divided into four stages. Stage I is the conceptualization stage, in which the objects and phenomena of a new discipline or research are established. Stage II is characterized by the development of research techniques and methods that allow researchers to investigate potential phenomena. As a result of methodological advances, there is a further understanding of objects and phenomena in the field of new subjects at this stage. Once the techniques and methods for specific purposes are available, the research enters Stage III, where the investigation is based primarily on the application of the new research method. This stage is productive, in which the research results have considerably enhanced the researchers’ understanding of the research issues and disclosed some unknown phenomena, leading to interdisciplinary convergence or the emergence of new research directions or specialties. The last stage is Stage IV, whose particularity is to transform tacit knowledge into conditional knowledge and generalized knowledge, so as to maintain and transfer the scientific knowledge generated in the first three stages.

The structure of this paper is construed as follows. The second part describes the research methods employed, the scientometric approach and CiteSpace, as well as the data collection. In the third part, the bibliographic landscape of the core dataset is expounded from the macroscopic to the microscopic angle. The fourth part explores the developments and emerging trends in the field of ecotourism based on the expanded dataset and discusses the evolution phase of ecotourism. The final part is the conclusion of this study. Future research of ecotourism is prospected, and the limitations of this study are discussed.

Methods and data collection

Scientometric analyses and citespace.

Scientometrics is a branch of informatics that involves quantitative analysis of scientific literature in order to capture emerging trends and knowledge structures in a particular area of study (Chen et al., 2012 ). Science mapping tools generate interactive visual representations of complex structures by feeding a set of scientific literature through scientometrics and visual analysis tools to highlight potentially important patterns and trends for statistical analysis and visualization exploration (Chen, 2017 ). At present, scientometrics is widely used in many fields of research, and there are also many kinds of scientific mapping software widely used by researchers and analysts, such as VosViewer, SCI2, HistCite, SciMAT, Gephi, Pajek and CiteSpace (Chen, 2011 , 2017 ; Chen et al., 2012 ).

Among these tools, CiteSpace is known for its powerful literature co-citation analysis, and its algorithms and features are constantly being refined as it continues to evolve. CiteSpace is a citation visual analysis software developed under the background of scientometrics and data visualization to analyze the basics that are included in scientific analysis (Chen, 2017 ; Chen et al., 2012 ). It is specialized designed to satisfy the need for systematic review in rapidly changing complicated areas, particularly with the ability to identify and explain emerging trends and transition patterns (Chen et al., 2014a ). It supports multiple types of bibliometric research, such as collaborative network analysis, co-word analysis, author co-citation analysis, document co-citation analysis, and temporal and spatial visualization (Chen, 2017 ). Currently, CiteSpace has been extensively used in more than 60 fields, including computer science, information science, management and medicine (Abad-Segura et al., 2019 ; Chen, 2017 ).

In this paper, we utilize CiteSpace (5.8.R1) to analyze acquired bibliographies of ecotourism to study emerging trends and developments in this field. From macro to micro, from intuitive to complex, from whole to part and from general to special, the writing ideas are adopted. Figure  1 presented the specific research framework of this study.

The research framework of this study

Data collection

Typical sources of scientific literature are Web of Science, Scopus and Google Scholar. Considering the quantity and quality of data, the Web of Science database was expected to provide the original data in this research. In order to comprehend the research status and development trends of ecotourism, this study systematically reviewed the ecotourism literature collected on the Web of Science Core Collection. The Web of Science Core Collection facilitates access to the world’s leading scholarly journals, books and proceedings of conferences in the sciences, social sciences, art, and humanities, as well as access to their entire citation network. It mainly includes Science Citation Index Expanded from 2003 to current and Social Sciences Citation Index from 2004 to present. Therefore, the data obtained in this study are from 2003 and were consulted on June 3, 2021.

In the process of data retrieval, it is frequently confronted with the choice between recall rate and precision rate. To address the problem of low recall rate in keyword or topic retrieval, Chen et al. ( 2014a , b ) expanded the retrieval results through ‘citation expansion’ and ‘comprehensive topic search’ strategies. However, when the recall rate is high, the accuracy rate will decrease correspondingly. In practical standpoint, instead of refining and cleaning up the original search results, a simpler and more efficient way is to cluster or skip these unrelated branches. Priority should be placed on ensuring recall rate, and data integrity is more important than data for accuracy. Therefore, two ecotourism documentation datasets, the core dataset and the expanded dataset, were obtained from the Web of Science by using comprehensive topic search and citation expansion method. The latter approach has been proved more robust than using keyword lists only to define fast-growing areas (Chen et al., 2014b ). A key bibliographic landscape is generated based on the core dataset, followed by more thorough research of the expanded dataset.

The core dataset

The core dataset was derived through comprehensive subject retrieval in Web of Science Core Collection. The literature type was selected as an article or review, and the language was English. The period spans 2003 to 2021. The topic search query is composed of three phrases of ecotourism: ‘ ecotour* ’ OR ‘ eco-tour* ’ OR ‘ ecological NEAR/5 tour* ’. The wildcard * is used to capture related variants of words, for example, ecotour, ecotourism, ecotourist and ecotourists. The related records that are requested include finding these terms in the title, abstract or keywords. The query yielded 2991 original unique records.

The expanded dataset

The expanded dataset includes the core dataset and additional records obtained by reference link association founded on the core dataset. The principle of citation expansion is that if an article cites at least one article in the core dataset, we can infer that it is related to the topic (Garfield, 1955 ). The expanded dataset is comprised of 27,172 unique records, including the core dataset and the articles that cited them. Both datasets were used for the following scientometrics analysis.

Bibliographic landscape based on the core dataset

The core dataset consists of a total of 2991 literature from 2003 to 2021. This study utilized the core dataset to conduct an overall understanding of the bibliographic landscape in the field of ecotourism.

Landscape views of core dataset

The distribution of the yearly publication of bibliographic records in the core and expanded datasets is presented in Fig.  2 . It can be observed that the overall number of ecotourism-related publications is on the rise, indicating that the scholarly community is increasingly interested in ecotourism. After 2018, the growth rate increased substantially. And in 2020, the number of publications in the expanded dataset is close to 5000, almost double that of 2017 and 5 times that of 2011. This displays the rapid development of research in the field of ecotourism in recent years, particularly after 2018, more and more researchers began to pay attention to this field, which also echoes the trend of global tourism development and environmental protection. With the increase in personal income, tourism has grown very rapidly, and with it, tourism revenue and tourist numbers, especially in developing states. For instance, the number of domestic tourists in China increased from 2.641 billion in 2011 to 6.06 billion in 2019, and tourism revenue increased from 1930.5 billion RMB in 2011 to 5725.1 billion RMB in 2019 (MCT, 2021 ). However, due to the lack of effective management and frequent human activities, the rapid development of tourism has led to various ecological and environmental problems, which require corresponding solutions (Shasha et al., 2020 ). This has played an active role in promoting the development of ecotourism and triggered a lot of related research. In addition, since 2005, the expanded dataset has contained numerous times as many references as the core dataset, demonstrating the importance of using citation expansion for literature retrieval in scientometric review studies.The data were consulted on June 3, 2021

The distribution of bibliographic records in core and expanded dataset. Note The data were consulted on June 3, 2021

The dual-map overlay of scientific map literature as Fig.  3 shows, against the background of global scientific map from more than 10,000 journals covered by Web of Science, represents the distribution and connections on research bases and application fields across the entire dataset of the research topics (Chen & Leydesdorff, 2014 ). Colored lines are citation links, and numbered headings are cluster labels. On the left side is the journal distribution which cites literature, regarding the field application of ecotourism, mainly covers multiple disciplines such as 3. Ecology, Earth, Marine, 6. Psychology, Education, Health, 7. Veterinary, Animal Science and 10. Economics, Economic and Political. On the right side is the distribution of journals of cited literature, representing the research basis of ecotourism. As can be observed from the figure, ecotourism research is based on at least five disciplines on the right, including 2. Environmental, Toxicology, Nutrition, 7. Psychology, Education, Social, 8. Molecular, Biology, Genetics, 10. Plant, Ecology, Zoology and 12. Economics, Economic, Political. It can be viewed that the research field of ecotourism spans multiple disciplines and is a comprehensive and complex subject. The dual-map overlay provides a global visualization of literature growth of the discipline level.

A dual-map overlay of ecotourism literature

The total number of papers issued by a country or an institution reflects its academic focus and overall strength, while centrality indicates the degree of academic cooperation with others and the influence of published papers. The top 15 countries and institutions for the number of ecotourism papers published from 2003 to 2021 are provided in Table ​ Table1. 1 . Similar to the study of Shasha et al. ( 2020 ), the ranking of the top six countries by the number of publications remains unchanged. As can be seen from the table, the USA ranks first in the world, far ahead in both the number of publications and the centrality. China ranks second in global ecotourism publications, followed by Australia, England, South Africa and Canada. While the latest data show that Taiwan (China), Turkey and South Korea appear on the list. Overall, the top 15 countries with the most publications cover five continents, containing a number of developed and developing, which shows that ecotourism research is receiving global attention. In terms of international academic cooperation and impact of ecotourism, Australia and England share second place, Italy and France share fourth place, followed by South Africa and Spain. China’s centrality is relatively low compared to the number of publications, ranking eighth. Academic cooperation between countries is of great significance. Usually, countries with high academic publishing level cooperate closely due to similar research interests. International academic cooperation has enhanced each other’s research capacity and promoted the development of ecotourism research. Therefore, although some countries have entered this list with the publication number, they should attach importance to increase academic cooperation with other countries and improving the international influence of published papers.

The top 15 most productive countries and institutions on ecotourism

The Chinese Academy of Sciences and its university are the most prolific when it draws to institutions’ performance. It is the most important and influential research institute in China, especially in the field of sustainable development science. Australia has four universities on the list, with Griffith University and James Cook University in second and third place. USA also includes four universities, with the University of Florida in fourth place. South Africa, a developing country, gets three universities, with the University of Cape Town and the University of Johannesburg fifth and sixth, respectively. In comparison with previous studies (Shasha et al., 2020 ), Iran and Mexico each have one university in the ranking, replacing two universities in Greece, which means that the importance and influence of developing countries in the field of ecotourism is gradually rising. Based on the above results, it can be summarized that the USA, China, Australia and South Africa are relatively active countries in the field of ecotourism, and their development is also in a relatively leading position.

Most active topics

The foam tree map and the pie chart of the focal topics of ecotourism based on the core dataset generated by Carrot2 through the title of each article is illustrated in Fig.  4 . Developing and developed, case study, protected areas, sustainable tourism, tourism development and developing ecotourism are leading topics in the field of ecotourism research, as well as specific articles under the main topics. The lightweight view generated by Carrot2 provides a reference for the research, and then, co-word analysis is employed to more specifically reflect the topics in the research field.

Foam tree map and pie chart of major topics on ecotourism

The topics covered by ecotourism could be exposed by the keywords of the articles in the core dataset. Figure  5 displays the keywords analysis results generated based on the core dataset. From the visualization results in the figure, it can infer that ecotourism, conservation, tourism, management, protected area, impact, biodiversity, sustainability, national park and community are the ten most concerned topics. Distinct colors set out at the time of co-citation keywords first appear, and yellow is generated earlier than red. In addition, Fig.  5 can also reflect the development and emerging topics in the research field, such as China, Mexico, South Africa and other hot countries for ecotourism research; ecosystem service, economic value, climate change, wildlife tourism, rural tourism, forest, marine protected area and other specific research directions; valuation, contingent valuation, choice experiment and other research methods; willingness to pay, preference, benefit, perception, attitude, satisfaction, experience, behavior, motivation, risk, recreation and other specific research issues.

A landscape view of keywords based on the core dataset

Emerging trends and developments based on the expanded dataset

The expanded dataset, consisting of 27,172 records, is approximately nine times larger than the core dataset. This research applies the expanded dataset to profoundly explore the emerging trends and developments of ecotourism.

Keywords with citation bursts

Detection of citation bursts can indicate both the scientific community’s interest in published articles and burst keywords as an indicator of emerging tendencies. Figure  6 displays the top 30 keywords with the strongest citation bursts in the expanded dataset. Since 2003, a large number of keywords have exploded. Among them, the strongest bursts include ecotourism, bird, disturbance, reserve, Africa, challenge, sustainable development and strategy. Keywords with citation burst after 2017 are experience, challenge, sustainable development, willingness to pay, perspective, strategy, quality and satisfaction, which have continued to this day. The results indicate dynamic development and emerging trends in research hotspots in the field of ecotourism.

Top 30 keywords with the strongest citation bursts

References with citation bursts

Figure  7 sets out the top 30 references in the expanded dataset with citation bursts. The articles with the fastest growing citations can also contribute to describe the dynamics of a field. References with high values in strength column are important milestones of ecotourism research. The two articles with strong citation bursts prior to 2010 focused on the human impact on the environment and animals. West et al. ( 2006 ) discussed the relationship between parks and human beings and the social impact of protected areas, and Köndgen et al. ( 2008 ) studied the decline of endangered great apes caused by a human pandemic virus. The paper with the strongest citation burst in the entire expanded dataset was released by Fairhead et al. ( 2012 ), which looked at ‘green grabbing,’ the appropriation of land and resources for environmental purposes. Milcu et al. ( 2013 ) conducted a semi-quantitative review of publications dealing with cultural ecosystem services with the second strongest citation burst, which concluded that the improvement of the evaluation method of cultural ecosystem service value, the research on the value of cultural ecosystem service under the background of ecosystem service and the clarification of policy significance were the new themes of cultural ecosystem service research. In addition, many articles with citation burst discussed the evaluation method of ecosystem services value (Costanza et al., 2014 ; Groot et al., 2010 ), the evaluation of cultural ecosystem service value (Plieninger et al., 2013 ) and its role in ecosystem service evaluation (Chan et al., 2012 ; Chan, Guerry, et al., 2012 ; Chan, Satterfield, et al., 2012 ; Chan, Satterfield, et al., 2012 ; Daniel et al., 2012 ). The most fresh literature with strong citation burst is the article of D’Amato et al. ( 2017 ) published in the Journal of Cleaner Production, which compared and analyzed sustainable development avenues such as green, circular and bio economy. In addition, it is worthwhile noting the use of R in ecotourism, with the persuasive citation burst continuing from 2012 to the present, as indicated by the orange arrow in Fig.  7 .

Top 30 references with the strongest citation bursts

Landscape view of co-citation analysis

The landscape view of co-citation analysis of Fig.  8 is generated based on the expanded dataset. Using g -index ( k  = 25) selection criteria in the latest edition of CiteSpace, an annual citation network was constructed. The final merged network contained 3294 links, 2122 nodes and 262 co-citation clusters. The three largest linked components cover 1748 connected nodes, representing 82% of the entire network. The modularization degree of the synthetic network is 0.8485, which means that co-citation clustering can clearly define each sub-field of ecotourism. Another weighted mean silhouette value of the clustering validity evaluation is 0.9377, indicating that the clustering degree of the network is also very superior. The harmonic mean value amounts to 0.8909.

A landscape view of the co-citation network based on the expanded dataset

In the co-citation network view, the location of clusters and the correlation between clusters can show the intellectual structure in the field of ecotourism, so that readers can obtain an overall understanding of this field. The network falls into 25 co-citation clusters. The tags for each cluster are generated founded on the title, keywords and abstract of the cited article. Color-coded areas represent the time of first appeared co-citation links, with gray indicating earlier and red later. The nodes in the figure with red tree rings are references to citation bursts.

Timeline view

In order to further understand the time horizon and study process of developing evolution on clusters, after the generation of co-citation cluster map, the Y -axis is cluster number and the year of citation publication is X -axis, so as to obtain the timeline view of the co-citation network, shown as Fig.  9 . Clusters are organized vertically from largest to smallest. The color curve represents co-citation link coupled with corresponding color year, with gray representing earlier and red representing newer. Larger nodes and nodes with red tree rings indicate high citation or citation burst. The three most cited references of the year demonstrate below each node, in vertical order from least to most.

A timeline visualization of the largest clusters

The timeline view provides a reasonably instinctual and insightful reference to understand the evolutionary path of every subdomain. Figure  9 shows 19 clusters ranging from #0 to #18, with #0 being the largest cluster. As can be seen from the figure, the sustainability and activeness of each cluster are contrasting. For example, the largest cluster has been active since 2006, while the gray and purple clusters are no longer active.

Major clusters

Taking clustering as a unit and analyzing at the level of clustering, specifically selecting large or new type clustering, is the foothold of co-citation analysis, which can help to understand the principal and latest research fields related to ecotourism. Table ​ Table2 2 displays a summary of the foremost 19 clusters, the first nine of which are all over 100 in size. The silhouette score of all clusters is greater than 0.8, indicating that the homogeneity of each cluster is high. The mean year is the average of the publication dates of references in the cluster. By combining the results in Table ​ Table2, 2 , Figs.  8 and ​ and9, 9 , it can be observed that the five largest clusters are #0 cultural ecosystem services, #1 large carnivore, #2 human disturbance, #3 whale shark and #4 ecosystem service. A recent topic is cluster #16 COVID-19 pandemic. #11 Ecological footprint and #14 social media are two relatively youthful fields.

Summary of major clusters

* LLR refers to Log-Likelihood Ratio

The research status of a research field can be demonstrated by its knowledge base and research frontier. The knowledge base consists of a series of scholarly writing cited by the corresponding article, i.e., cited references, while the research frontier is the writing inspired by the knowledge base, i.e., citing articles. Distinct research frontiers may come from the same knowledge base. Consequently, each cluster is analyzed based on cited references and citing articles. The cited references and citing articles of the five largest clusters are shown in Online Appendix A. Fig a) lists the 15 top cited references with the highest Σ (sigma) value in the cluster, where Σ value indicates that the citation is optimal in terms of the comprehensive performance of structural centrality and citation bursts. Fig b) shows the major citing articles of cluster. The citation behavior of these articles determines the grouping of cited literature and thus forms the cluster. The coverage is the proportion of member citations cited by citing articles.

Phase evolution research

Through the above analysis of the core dataset and the expanded dataset of ecotourism, we can see the development and evolution of the research field of ecotourism. The research process of ecotourism has gone through several stages, and each stage has its strategic research issues. Research starts with thinking about the relationship between humans and nature, moves to study it as a whole ecosystem, and then explores sustainable development. Hence, the evolution of ecotourism can be roughly parted into three phases.

Phase I: Human disturbance research stage (2003–2010)

This phase of research concentrates on the influence of human activities such as ecotourism on the environment and animals. Representative keywords of this period include ecotourism, human disturbance, response, coral reef, bird, disturbance, recreation, reserve, park, South Africa and people. Representative articles are those published by West et al. ( 2006 ) and Köndgen et al. ( 2008 ) of human impact on the environment and animals. The representative clustering is #2 human disturbance, which is the third largest one, consisting of 130 cited references from 1998 to 2012 with the average year of 2004. This cluster has citation bursts between 2002 and 2010 and has been inactive since then. As showed in Fig S3 a) and b), the research base and frontier are mainly around the impact of human disturbances such as ecotourism on biology and the environment (McClung et al., 2004 ). And as showed in Fig.  8 and Fig.  9 , clusters closely related to #2 belong to this phase and are also no longer active, such as #5 off-road vehicle, #6 protected area, #10 poverty reduction and #12 sustainable lifestyle.

Phase II: Ecosystem services research stage (2011–2015)

In this stage, the content of ecotourism research is diversified and exploded. The research is not confined to the relationship between humans and nature, but begins to investigate it as an entire ecosystem. In addition, some specific or extended areas began to receive attention. Typical keywords are abundance, resource, Africa, risk, predation, consequence and science. The most illustrative papers in this stage are Fairhead et al. ( 2012 )’s discussion on green grabbing and Milcu et al. ( 2013 )’s review on cultural ecosystem services. Other representative papers in this period focused on the evaluation methods of ecosystem service value and the role of cultural ecosystem service in the evaluation of ecosystem service value. Most of the larger clusters in the survey erupted at this stage, including #0 cultural ecosystem services, #1 large carnivore, #3 whale shark, #4 ecosystem services. Some related clusters also belong to this stage, such as #7 neoliberal conservation, #8 responsible behavior, #9 tourism development, #13 mangrove forest, #15 volunteer tourism, #17 circular economy and #18 telecoupling framework.

Cluster #0 cultural ecosystem services are the largest cluster in ecotourism research field, containing 157 cited references from 2006 to 2019, with the mean year being 2012. It commenced to have the citation burst in 2009, with high cited continuing until 2019. Cultural ecosystem services are an essential component of ecosystem services, including spiritual, entertainment and cultural benefits. Thus, in Fig.  8 , the overlap with #4 ecosystem services can obviously be seen. In Cluster #0, many highly cited references have discussed the trade-offs between natural and cultural ecosystem services in ecosystem services (Nelson et al., 2009 ; Raudsepp-Hearne et al., 2010 ) and the important role of cultural ecosystem services in the evaluation of ecosystem services value (Burkhard et al., 2012 ; Chan, Guerry, et al., 2012 ; Chan, Satterfield, et al., 2012 ; Fisher et al., 2009 ; Groot et al., 2010 ). As non-market value, how to evaluate and quantify cultural ecosystem services is also an important issue (Hernández-Morcillo et al., 2012 ; Milcu et al., 2013 ; Plieninger et al., 2013 ). Besides, the exploration of the relationship among biodiversity, human beings and ecosystem services is also the focus of this cluster research (Bennett et al., 2015 ; Cardinale et al., 2012 ; Díaz et al., 2015 ; Mace et al., 2012 ). The citing articles of #0 indicate the continued exploration of the connotation of cultural ecosystem services and their value evaluation methods (Dickinson & Hobbs, 2017 ). It is noteworthy that some articles have introduced spatial geographic models (Havinga et al., 2020 ; Hirons et al., 2016 ) and social media methods (Calcagni et al., 2019 ) as novel methods to examine cultural ecosystem services. In addition, the link and overlap between #0 cultural ecosystem service and #17 circular economy cannot be overlooked.

Ecosystem services relate to all the benefits that humans receive from ecosystems, including supply services, regulatory services, cultural services and support services. Research on cultural ecosystem services is based on the research of ecosystem services. It can be viewed in Fig.  9 that the research and citation burst in #4 was all slightly earlier than #0. Cluster #4 includes 118 references from 2005 to 2019, with an average year of 2011. In its research and development, how to integrate ecosystem services into the market and the payment scheme to protect the natural environment is a significant research topic (Gómez-Baggethun et al., 2010 ). In Cluster #4, the most influential literature provides an overview of the payment of ecosystem services (PES) from theory to practice by Engel et al. ( 2008 ). Many highly cited references have discussed PES (Kosoy & Corbera, 2010 ; Muradian et al., 2010 ), including the effectiveness of evaluation (Naeem et al., 2015 ), social equity matters (Pascual et al., 2014 ), the suitability and challenge (Muradian et al., 2013 ), and how to contribute to saving nature (Redford & Adams, 2009 ). The cluster also includes studies on impact assessment of protected areas (Oldekop et al., 2016 ), protected areas and poverty (Brockington & Wilkie, 2015 ; Ferraro & Hanauer, 2014 ), public perceptions (Bennett, 2016 ; Bennett & Dearden, 2014 ) and forest ecosystem services (Hansen et al., 2013 ). The foremost citing articles confirm the dominant theme of ecosystem services, especially the in-depth study and discussion of PES (Muniz & Cruz, 2015 ). In addition, #4 is highly correlated with #7 neoliberal protection, and Fairhead et al. ( 2012 ), a representative article of this stage, belongs to this cluster.

As the second largest cluster, Cluster #1 contains 131 references from 2008 to 2019, with the median year of 2014. As Fig S2 a) shows, the highly cited literature has mainly studied the status and protection of large carnivores (Mace, 2014 ; Ripple et al., 2014 ), including the situation of reduction (Craigie et al., 2010 ), downgrade (Estes et al., 2011 ) and even extinction (Dirzo et al., 2014 ; Pimm et al., 2014 ), and the reasons for such results, such as tourist visits (Balmford et al., 2015 ; Geffroy et al., 2015 ) and the increase in population at the edge of the protected areas (Wittemyer et al., 2008 ). The conservation effects of protected areas on wildlife biodiversity (Watson et al., 2014 ) and the implications of tourist preference heterogeneity for conservation and management (Minin et al., 2013 ) have also received attention. It is worth noting that the high citation rate of a paper using R to estimate the linear mixed-effects model (Bates et al., 2015 ) and the use of R in this cluster. The relationship between biodiversity and ecotourism is highlighted by the representative citing articles in research frontier of this cluster (Chung et al., 2018 ).

Cluster #3 refers to marine predator, and as shown in Fig.  8 , which has a strong correlation with #1. A total of 125 references were cited from 2002 to 2018, with an average year of 2011. References with high citation in #3 mainly studied the extinction and protection of marine life such as sharks (Dulvy et al., 2014 ), as well as the economic value and ecological impact of shark ecotourism (Clua et al., 2010 ; Gallagher & Hammerschlag, 2011 ; Gallagher et al., 2015 ). The paper published by Gallagher et al. ( 2015 ) is both the highly cited reference and main citing article, mainly focusing on the impact of shark ecotourism. It is also noteworthy that #6 protected area, #13 mangrove forest and #29 Mediterranean areas are highly correlated with these two clusters (Fig.  8 ).

Moreover, some clusters are not highly correlated with other clusters, but cannot be neglected at this stage of research. Cluster #8 responsible behavior includes 107 citations with the average year 2013, and mainly studied environmentally responsible behaviors in ecotourism (Chiu et al., 2014 ). Cluster #9 tourism development contains 97 cited references with mean year of 2015, focusing on the impact of such factors as residents’ perception on tourism development (Sharpley, 2014 ). Cluster #15 volunteer tourism consists of 52 citations, with an average year of 2011, which mainly considers the role of volunteer tourism in tourism development and sustainable tourism (Wearing & McGehee, 2013 ). Cluster #18 telecoupling framework has 26 cited references with the mean year being 2015, and the application of the new integrated framework of telecoupling 1 in ecotourism can be seen (Liu et al., 2015 ).

At this stage, it can be seen that the research field of ecotourism begins to develop in the direction of diversification, including the value evaluation and related research of ecosystem services and cultural ecosystem services, as well as the exploration of wild animals and plants, marine animals and plants and biodiversity. Neoliberal conservation, tourists’ responsible behavior, tourism development, volunteer tourism and circular economy are all explored. Some new research methods have also brought fresh air to this field, such as the introduction of spatial geographic models and social media methods, the discussion of economic value evaluation methods, the widespread use of R and the exploration of telecoupling framework. Therefore, from this stage, research in the field of ecotourism has entered the second stage of scientific discipline development (Shneider, 2009 ), featured by the use and evolution of research tools that can be used to investigate potential phenomena.

Phase III: Sustainable development research stage (2016 to present)

This stage of research continues to explore a series of topics of the preceding phase and further extends the research field on this basis. The keywords at this stage are politics, marine protected area and valuation. Some other keywords are still very active today, such as experience, challenge, sustainable development, willingness to pay, perspective, strategy, quality and satisfaction. The representative article is about sustainable development published by D'Amato et al. ( 2017 ), as shown in Fig.  8 belonging to #17 circular economy. The emerging clusters in this period are #11 ecological footprint, #14 social media and #16 COVID-19 pandemic. Cluster #11 contains 70 cited references from 2013 to 2020 with the mean year 2017. This clustering study mainly used the ecological footprint as an environmental indicator and socioeconomic indicators such as tourism to investigate the hypothesis of environmental Kuznets curve (Ozturk et al., 2016 ; Ulucak & Bilgili, 2018 ). Cluster #14 includes 52 cited references, with an average year of 2016. It can be seen that the introduction of social media data has added new color to research in the field of ecotourism, such as using social media data to quantify landscape value (Zanten et al., 2016 ) and to understand tourists’ preferences for the experience of protected areas (Hausmann et al., 2018 ), as well as from a spatial perspective using social media geo-tagged photos as indicators for evaluating cultural ecosystem services (Richards & Friess, 2015 ). As the latest and most concerned topic, cluster #16 contains 48 cited references, with mean year of 2018. This cluster mainly cites research on over-tourism (Seraphin et al., 2018 ) and sustainable tourism (Higgins-Desbiolles, 2018 ) and explores the impact of pandemics such as COVID-19 on global tourism (Gössling et al., 2021 ).

These emerging clusters at this phase bring fresh thinking to the research of ecotourism. First of all, the analysis of ecological footprint provides a tool for measuring the degree of sustainability and helps to monitor the effectiveness of sustainable programs (Kharrazi et al., 2014 ). Research and exploration of ecological footprint in ecotourism expresses the idea of sustainable development and puts forward reasonable planning and suggestions by comparing the demand of ecological footprint with the carrying capacity of natural ecosystem. Secondly, the use of social media data brings a new perspective of data acquisition to ecotourism research. Such large-scale data acquisition can make up for the limitations of sample size and data sampling bias faced by survey data users and provide a new way to understand and explore tourist behavior and market (Li et al., 2018 ). Finally, the sudden impact of COVID-19 in 2020 and its long-term sustainability has dealt a huge blow to the tourism industry. COVID-19 has highlighted the great need and value of tourism, while fundamentally changing the way destinations, business and visitors plan, manage and experience tourism (CREST, 2020 ). However, the stagnation of tourism caused by the pandemic is not enough to meet the challenges posed by the environment and the climate crisis. Therefore, how to sustain the development of tourism in this context to meet the challenges of the environment and climate change remains an important issue in the coming period of time. These emerging clusters are pushing the boundaries of ecotourism research and the exploration of sustainable development in terms of research methods, data collection and emerging topics.

Despite the fact that the research topics in this stage are richer and more diversified, the core goal of research is still committed to the sustainable development of ecotourism. The introduction of new technologies and the productive results have led to a much-improved understanding of research issues. All this commemorates the entrance of research into the third stage of the development of scientific disciplines (Shneider, 2009 ). In addition to continuing the current research topics, the future development of the field of ecotourism will continue to focus on the goal of sustainable development and will be more diversified and interdisciplinary.

This paper uses scientometrics to make a comprehensive visual domain analysis of ecotourism. The aim is to take advantage of this method to conduct an in-depth systematic review of research and development in the field of ecotourism. We have enriched the process of systematic reviews of knowledge domains with features from the latest CiteSpace software. Compared with previous studies, this study not only updated the database, but also extended the dataset with citation expansion, so as to more comprehensively identify the rapidly developing research field. The research not only identifies the main clusters and their advance in ecotourism research based on high impact citations and research frontiers formed by citations, but also presents readers with new insights through intuitive visual images. Through this study, readers can swiftly understand the progress of ecotourism, and on the basis of this study, they can use this method to conduct in-depth analysis of the field they are interested in.

Our research shows that ecotourism has developed rapidly in recent years, with the number of published articles increasing year by year, and this trend has become more pronounced after 2018. The research field of ecotourism spans many disciplines and is a comprehensive interdisciplinary subject. Ecotourism also attracts the attention of numerous developed and developing countries and institutions. The USA, China, Australia and South Africa are in a relatively leading position in the research and development of ecotourism. Foam tree map and pie chart of major topics, and the landscape view of keywords provide the hotspot issues of the research field. The development trend of ecotourism is preliminarily understood by detecting the citation bursts of the keywords and published articles. Co-citation analysis generates the main clusters of ecotourism research, and the timeline visualization of these clusters provides a clearer view for understanding the development dynamics of the research field. Building on all the above results, the research and development of ecotourism can be roughly divided into three stages: human disturbance, ecosystem services and sustainable development. Through the study of keywords, representative literature and main clusters in each stage, the development characteristics and context of each stage are clarified. From the current research results, we can catch sight that the application of methods and software in ecotourism research and the development of cross-field. Supported by the Shneider’s four-stage theory of scientific discipline (Shneider, 2009 ), it can be thought that ecotourism is in the third stage. Research tools and methods have become more potent and convenient, and research perspectives have become more diverse.

Based on the overall situation, research hotspots and development tendency of ecotourism research, it can be seen that the sustainable development of ecotourism is the core issue of current ecotourism research and also an important goal for future development. In the context of the current pandemic, the tourism industry is in crisis, but crisis often breeds innovation, and we must take time to reconsider the way forward. As we look forward to the future of tourism, we must adopt the rigor and dedication required to adapt to the pandemic, adhering to the principles of sustainable development while emphasizing economic reliability, environmental suitability and cultural acceptance. Post-COVID, the competitive landscape of travel and tourism will change profoundly, with preventive and effective risk management, adaptation and resilience, and decarbonization laying the foundation for future competitiveness and relevance (CREST, 2020 ).

In addition, as can be seen from the research and development of ecotourism, the exploration of sustainable development increasingly needs to absorb research methods from diverse fields to guide the formulation of policy. First of all, how to evaluate and quantify ecotourism reasonably and scientifically is an essential problem to be solved in the development of ecotourism. Some scholars choose contingent valuation method (CVM) and choice experiment (CE) in environmental economics to evaluate the economic value of ecotourism, especially non-market value. In addition, the introduction of spatial econometrics and the use of geographic information system (GIS) provide spatial scale analysis methods and results presentation for the sustainable development of ecotourism. The use of social media data implies the application of big data technology in the field of ecotourism, where machine learning methods such as artificial neural networks (ANN) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA) are increasingly being applied (Talebi et al., 2021 ). The measurement of ecological footprint and the use of telecoupling framework provide a reliable way to measure sustainable development and the interaction between multiple systems. These approaches all have expanded the methodological boundaries of ecotourism research. It is worth noting that R, as an open source and powerful software, is favored by scholars in the field of ecotourism. This programming language for statistical computation is now widely used in statistical analysis, data mining, data processing and mapping of ecotourism research.

The scientometrics method used in this study is mainly guided by the citation model in the literature retrieval dataset. The range of data retrieval exercises restraint by the source of retrieval and the query method utilized. While current methods can meet the requirements, iterative query optimization can also serve to advance in the quality of the data. To achieve higher data accuracy, the concept tree function in the new version of CiteSpace can also serve to clarify the research content of each clustering (Chen, 2017 ). In addition, the structural variation analysis in the new edition is also an interesting study, which can show the citation footprints of typical high-yielding authors and judge the influence of the author on the variability of network structure through the analysis of the citation footprints (Chen, 2017 ).

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Acknowledgements

This study is funded by Education Department of Heilongjiang Province (1451MSYYB013) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.71874026 and No.71171044).

Authors’ contributions

In this study, LX proposed the research topic, designed the research methodology and framework, and made the data analysis. She was the major contributor in writing the manuscript. CA contributed to the design of the whole paper, including the research topic and methodology, and also participated in the writing and revision of the manuscript. BL and ZC were involved in data collection and analysis. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Availability of data and material

Declarations.

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interest or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Not applicable.

Liu, J., Hull, V., Batistella, M., DeFries, R., Dietz, T., Fu, F.,... Zhu, C. (2013). Framing Sustainability in a Telecoupled World. Ecology and Society , 18 (2), 26. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-05873-180226

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Contributor Information

Lishan Xu, Email: nc.ude.unjdm@0104102 .

Changlin Ao, Email: nc.ude.uaen@nilgnahcoa .

Baoqi Liu, Email: moc.qq@457115825 .

Zhenyu Cai, Email: moc.qq@697833194 .

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Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Ecotourism Ecotourism Economic development'

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Eriksson, Frida, and Matilda Lidström. "Sustainable development in ecotourism : Tour operators managing the economic, social and environmental concerns of sustainable development in Costa Rica." Thesis, Umeå universitet, Företagsekonomi, 2013. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-79524.

Bedi, Carissa Eileen. "Ecotourism in Bocas del Toro, Panama: The Perceived Effects of Macro-Scale Laws and Programs on the Socio-Economic and Environmental Development of Micro-Scale Ecotourism Operations." OpenSIUC, 2011. https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/theses/637.

Howitt, Josephine B. "From Agriculture to Ecotourism: Socio-economic Change, Community Development and Environmental Sustainability in a Costa Rican Village." Thèse, Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/23225.

Lange, Janine Carol. "Ecotourism as a catalyst for promoting local economic development: an evaluation of the developmental impacts of Bulungula Lodge in Nqileni, Eastern Cape." University of the Western Cape, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/5368.

Albrecht, Julia Nina, and n/a. "The implementation of tourism strategies : a critical analysis of two New Zealand case studies." University of Otago. Department of Tourism, 2009. http://adt.otago.ac.nz./public/adt-NZDU20090310.161051.

Li, Jia. "Impact of tourism development on the Wolong Nature Reserve, China : perceptions of tourists and local residents." HKBU Institutional Repository, 2009. http://repository.hkbu.edu.hk/etd_ra/1006.

Mnyani, Siphokazi. "Optimising benefits for rural communities in and around Protected Areas through ecotourism Public Private Partnerships (PPPs): the case of De Hoop Nature Reserve." University of the Western Cape, 2019. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/7416.

Pikirai, Kelvin Tinashe. "Eco-tourism and sustainable rural livelihoods in Hogsback, Eastern Cape, South Africa." Thesis, University of Fort Hare, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10353/5510.

Soto, Samuel João. "Nature-based tourism : a community ecological and socio-economic development planning approach : a case study of Goba Area, Maputo - Mozambique." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2001. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/52350.

Cameron, Nathan R. "Warren revitalization project : the use of eco-tourism and cultural landscapes to promote a sense of community and economic improvements in Warren County." Virtual Press, 2008. http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/1397792.

Oliveira, Junior Arnaldo Freitas de. "Valoração econômica da função ambiental de suporte relacionada às atividades de turismo, Brotas, SP." Universidade Federal de São Carlos, 2003. https://repositorio.ufscar.br/handle/ufscar/1761.

Hull, John Sterling. "Analyzing the potential for tourism to promote sustainable economic development on the Lower North Shore of Quebec." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1998. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk1/tape11/PQDD_0026/NQ50188.pdf.

Jugmohan, Sean. "Pre-conditions, challenges and opportunities for community-based tourism in Mpondoland in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa." Thesis, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11838/2112.

Leksakundilok, Anucha. "Community Participation in Ecotourism Development in Thailand." University of Sydney. Geosciences, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/668.

Buchsbaum, Bernardo Duha. "Ecotourism and Sustainable Development in Costa Rica." Virginia Tech, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/9912.

劉嘉琪 and Ka-ki Lau. "Ecotourism in China: an evaluation of its socio-economic and environmental significance." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2003. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B26826410.

Wong, Wai-yee Eleanor. "Ecotourism development in Hong Kong : opportunities and constraints /." Hong Kong : University of Hong Kong, 2001. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk:8888/cgi-bin/hkuto%5Ftoc%5Fpdf?B23425799.

Abou-Jaoude, Jaoudat Edward. "Sustainable development of ecotourism with emphasis on Lebanon." Thesis, University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10443/729.

Wong, Wai-yee Eleanor, and 黃慧議. "Ecotourism development in Hong Kong: opportunities and constraints." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2001. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31260652.

Bhatta, Kishan Datta. "Ecotourism planning and sustainable community development in Nepal." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10722/206759.

Pakarinen, Nea. "Transition Practices: Education for Sustainable Development in Ecotourism." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för geovetenskaper, 2015. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-260689.

Williams, Diana. "Sustainable tourism development in Cuba." Thesis, University of East London, 1999. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.327708.

Kingwill, Jonathan. "Can process facilitation re-route ecotourism development? : case studies in facilitating ecotourism planning in South Africa and Madagascar." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2000. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/4770.

Nyama, Cynthia. "Investigating aspects of corporate citizenship on private game farms : the case of Mtshelezi Game Reserve in Makana Municipality, Eastern Cape Province /." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2008. http://eprints.ru.ac.za/1288.

Kido, Antonio. "Protected areas, ecotourism, and gateway communities economic analysis of the monarch butterfly sanctuary, Michoacan, Mexico /." Access citation, abstract and download form; downloadable file 4.19 Mb, 2004. http://wwwlib.umi.com/dissertations/fullcit/3131679.

Stone, Michael J. "Ecotourism and Community Development: Case Studies From Hainan, China." Thesis, University of Waterloo, 2002. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/994.

Stone, M. "Ecotourism & community development case studies from Hainan, China /." Waterloo, Ont. : University of Waterloo, [School of Planning], 2002. http://etd.uwaterloo.ca/etd/mjstone2002.pdf.

Toon, Theodore Kevin. "Ecotourism--tourism development and the environment in the Caribbean." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1993. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/70235.

Gould, Elizabeth A. "Ecotourism| Conserving biocultural diversity and contributing to sustainable development." Thesis, University of the Pacific, 2016. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10194970.

This thesis looks at how ecotourists can become aware of biocultural diversity (the intersection of biological and cultural diversity) and help contribute to sustainable development, which considers the needs of both present and future generations. The thesis will address the ecotourism industry and how people who travel with companies that cater to ecotourists can contribute to biocultural diversity and sustainable development. It will utilize a sustainable development framework and a critical theory approach for considering biological and cultural perspectives including human rights and social justice, the contribution of traditional knowledge, community involvement, and the effects of human impact and globalization. The primary audience of my research is people who travel the globe in search of the earth’s natural wonders. I highlight issues related to minimizing environmental impact, respecting local cultures, building environmental awareness, and providing direct financial benefits for conservation. My central research question is: How can travelers help to preserve the environment, be sensitive to local cultures, and contribute to a sustainable future? I ask: By understanding the distinct correlation between biological and cultural diversity, how can we utilize both traditional (and local) knowledge combined with scientific knowledge to help sustain and preserve our natural ecosystems?

I conclude with findings that point to the need for shared community authority, management, and decision making; mutual benefits; recognition of the rights, values, norms, power structures, and dynamics of local populations; respect for belief systems as well as traditional and local ecological knowledge; and the importance of contextual adaptation.

Lethbridge, Amy. "Embera Drua: The Impact of Tourism on Indigenous Village Life in Panama." Antioch University / OhioLINK, 2016. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=antioch1475762365668354.

Ueleni, Talaivosa. "Ecotourism development in the South Pacific Islands : a sustainable alternative for mass tourism in Fiji Islands /." Electronic version of summary Electronic version of examination, 2004. http://www.wul.waseda.ac.jp/gakui/gaiyo/3947.pdf.

Holmes, Amanda Dawn. "Resident perspectives of Ecotourism as a tool for community-based development case study of Arroyo Surdido, Samaná, Dominican Republic /." [Gainesville, Fla.] : University of Florida, 2003. http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/UFE0000703.

Snyman, Susan. "High-end ecotourism and rural communities in southern Africa : a socio-economic analysis." Doctoral thesis, University of Cape Town, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/5689.

Sheldon, Ian R. "Ecotourism development in northern Thailand, an exploration of perceptions and potentials." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1999. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk1/tape10/PQDD_0024/MQ40110.pdf.

Cheung, Ting-on, and 張定安. "Understanding ecotourist perception of ecotourism services and development in Hong Kong." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2010. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B45554985.

Amador, Edgar Allan. "Globalization, ecotourism, and development in the Monte Verde Zone, Costa Rica." [Tampa, Fla.] : University of South Florida, 2004. http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/SFE0000570.

Chow, Chi-wai Karen, and 周芷蕙. "The potential for eco-tourism development in Hong Kong." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2004. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31255838.

Miller, Deborah A. "Long term impacts of ecotourism on a Mayan rural community in Belize." Virtual Press, 2000. http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/1164842.

Sorupia, Eden. "Transport networks and ecotourism destinations : the aim for sustainability /." Connect to thesis, 2007. http://eprints.unimelb.edu.au/archive/00004015.

Yogi, Hari Nath. "Eco-tourism and Sustainability : Opportunities and Challengesin the Case of Nepal." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för geovetenskaper, 2010. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-150790.

Banerjee, Abhijit. "An evaluation of the potential and limitations of ecotourism as a vehicle for biodiversity conservation and sustainable development in the protected areas of India." Access to citation, abstract and download form provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company; downloadable PDF file, 230 p, 2007. http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1354138311&sid=5&Fmt=2&clientId=8331&RQT=309&VName=PQD.

Daly, Clare Amelie Keating. "Willingness to pay for marine-based tourism within the Ponto do Ouro Partial Marine Reserve, Mozambique." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013304.

Bender, Maureen Young. "Development of criteria and indicators for evaluating forest-based ecotourism destinations a Delphi study /." Morgantown, W. Va. : [West Virginia University Libraries], 2008. https://eidr.wvu.edu/etd/documentdata.eTD?documentid=5865.

Rahman, Md Azizur. "Application of GIS in ecotourism development : a case study in Sundarbans, Bangladesh." Thesis, Mid Sweden University, Department of Social Sciences, 2010. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:miun:diva-11754.

GIS can be used in tourism as a decision supporting tool for sustainable tourism planning, impact assessment, visitor flow management, and tourism site selection. Therefore, the potential for GIS applications in tourism is significant. The purpose of the study was fixed to explore the potential of using GIS for planning resources pertinent to ecotourism development. The study investigated a case study in Sundarbans which is the largest mangrove forest region of the world, located in the southern part of Bangladesh and the Indian region of west Bengal. However, the current study considered only the Bangladesh part of Sundarbans for study and prepared ecotourism planning for this region. The Sundarbans plays an important role for the national economy of Bangladesh because of its natural resources and tourism activities. Moreover, this forest has been facing some problems due to unplanned development and tourism activities. The ultimate result of unplanned development is land use change, increasing deforestation, biodiversity losses and decreasing upstream flows. Therefore, the study considered this mangrove for ecotourism planning and development and GIS used as decision supporting tools. Moreover, this study tried to find some answers from the research questions. Tourism is a phenomenon, which often highlights that lack of planning and management in terms of environmental concern. For ecotourism planning this thesis quantifies land use change in the Sundarbans over 33 years (1977-2010) using Landsat TM, ETM & MSS satellite imagery and prepared vector maps based on LGED map for ecotourism mapping in Sundarbans, GIS assist in this process. The study found that, the land use of Sundarbans changed over the study period and the density of forest declined at the same time. However, the change occurred because of various human activities and climate change effects. Tourism has a little bit of contribution in the periphery area for this change but tourism has not yet been considered responsible for these effects largely as it is at a very early stage. This research proposed for community development and involvement for local people as a part of hospitality services in ecotourism industries in this region because they can assist tourists according to their experience as guides in the forest. Moreover, they can be employed in the service industries operating or accompanying jungle boat trips and wilderness trails and assisting in transport operation. For ecosystem protection in Sundarbans this study proposed a 300 meters buffer zone around the sanctuaries. Finally, this study proposed an outline for ecotourism planning in the Bangladesh part of Sundarbans where GIS assist in the planning process.

Fehr, Helena M. "Distance education program development, the University of Havana's experience with ecotourism education." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1998. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk2/ftp03/MQ37526.pdf.

Chiang, Hsin-Hui. "An Approach to Natural Resources Conservation and Regional Development: Ecotourism in Taiwan." Thesis, The University of Arizona, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/190196.

Aaberg, Mandy. "Development or disintegration: a social impact focus of ecotourism in Costa Rica /." Click here to view full text, 2007.

Chuamuangphan, Nipon. "Ecotourism planning and management and sustainable development in Chiang Rai Province, Thailand." Thesis, Sheffield Hallam University, 2009. http://shura.shu.ac.uk/19466/.

Chow, Ka-wong Sharon, and 周嘉旺. "Ecotourism: a sustainable option for country parks in Hong Kong?" Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2003. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31255474.

Sienknecht, Jos, Daniel Villafranca, Jennifer Martel, and Sarah Lamb. "Promoting Sustainability through the Integration of Citizen Science and Ecotourism." Thesis, Blekinge Tekniska Högskola, Institutionen för strategisk hållbar utveckling, 2018. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:bth-16447.

Ecotourism: Argument/Persuasion

• Argument/Persuasion
• Evaluate Sources This link opens in a new window

Explore Different Viewpoints through SPC Databases

Note:  researchers may be prompted to login using their SPC credentials. 

• Ecotourism Topic on Opposing Viewpoints Database

Sample Articles

• Jones. (2015). Marshmallows for Alligators: Defining Ecotourism in Southwest Florida. Culture, Agriculture, Food and the Environment, 37(2), 116–123. This paper considers how the ecosystem service or natural resource capital model can help reconcile what ecotourism offers to both the traveling consumer and to those tasked with measuring and protecting our natural resources.
• Introducing Ecotourism.... from UF-IFAS INTRODUCING ECOTOURISM TO FLORIDA'S COUNTIES AND LANDOWNERS: AN ECOTOURISM/NATURE BASED TOURISM FACT SHEET
• The Economic Benefits of Ecotourism What is ecotourism? Webster's Dictionary indicates that the first known use of the term dates to 1982, only 30 years ago. Webster's defines it as "The practice of touring natural habitats in a manner meant to minimize ecological impact." Nationally, ecotourism encompasses a wide range of outdoor recreation activities with far reaching economic benefits. Outdoor recreation contributes $730 billion annually to the nation's economy and supports nearly 6.5 million jobs across the United States.1 In Florida, "ecotourism" includes a diverse mix of activities, including cycling, camping, fishing, hunting, paddling, hiking, birding, visiting scenic byways, and other wildlife viewing. This web page explores why ecotourism is big business that creates jobs for Florida's citizens.

Databases for News

Note: researchers may be prompted to login using their SPC credentials. 

Persuasive/Argumentative Essay

For this essay, we will look at one issue together and go through the process of learning more about it and taking an informed stance. The subject we will look at is ecotourism, which has a direct impact on us as residents of a state heavily dependent on tourism.

We all have different opinions and issues about what we hear or see in the news and even in our everyday lives. These opinions are what we think  based on our experience. Now what if we listen to others' opinions and arguments and find facts that support what we think? With a persuasive or argumentative essay you can:

• Analyze a problem or controversy
• Develop your own informed opinion
• State facts and evidence to support your opinion or views

Decide what the purpose of your essay is:

• To Convince others to share your opinion
• To convince your reader to do something
• To seek support for a cause or solution
• To inform others through a cohesive argument

Proceed by:

• Selecting a topic (controversy, current affair, or issue)
• Finding out background information
• explore different viewpoints
• find information that supports your viewpoint
• find additional information

Cite your sources and cite within your argument to avoid plagiarism.

Ecotourism Videos

What is Ecotourism?

Coral Restoration Ecotourism in the Florida Keys

Selected Websites

Geotourism: Places, tips and articles from National Geographic

Links to articles from the New York Times web site travel section.

"This web site is for businesses in the agricultural area and covers traditional and "nontraditional" areas of business and profit for agriculturally based businesses. Covers the areas of: Nature-based Tourism; Equine Agri Tourism; Nature-based Tourism; and Wine Tours. The Agritourism overview includes statistics from several states and links to various other resources.: (LOC Research guide)

Journal of Ecotourism   ( Open Access only ) The  Journal of Ecotourism  is the world's only international journal that "focuses specifically on ecotourism and nature-based tourism, and it is considered to be the leading source for knowledge on these topics." 

Portal to organizations that develop awareness and educate on issues related to sustainable tourism

EcoTourism Florida is a fun resource, but too commercial; don't use it for our essay, but use it to explore the subject!

Discover Compelling Topics

Where do you go to follow the issues and listen/read the news? Explore the places below...

• FL Public Broadcasting-WFSU
• OnPoint Controversy and issues news show
• PBS-Frontline News show
• PBS-Nova News show
• Pew Research Center Lots of graphics and charts
• WBUR Public radio website
• Wikipedia Use for subject headings and references. Any encyclopedic information on Wikipedia needs to be verified by other authoritative sources.

Databases for Articles

Here are some select comprehensive general databases to find articles, ebooks, and other resources. Note: some of the databases below include tourism, environmental studies, and other topics related to ecotourism.   

Cite Your Sources

• SPC's Citation Help This guide will provide you with the basics of APA, MLA, and CSE citations including sample papers.
• OWL MLA Guide A comprehensive online guide to MLA citation
• Purdue Citation Generator (by Citation Machine) A great citation tool
• Thesis Builder A nifty little tool to help you form a thesis statement
• bubbl.usa A great free brainstorming tool
• Next: Evaluate Sources >>
• Last Updated: Sep 1, 2023 11:24 AM
• URL: https://spcollege.libguides.com/ecotourism

89 Ecotourism Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best ecotourism topic ideas & essay examples, 🥇 most interesting ecotourism topics to write about, 💡 good research topics about ecotourism, ❓ ecotourism questions.

• Trends in Ecotourism Ecotourism is defined as “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people”.
• The Role of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) in Tourism Marketing The connection between tourism and indigenous is that the tourism industry must include traditional ecological knowledge because it will help to enhance their tourism products and increase benefits to the local community. The links will […]
• Popularity of Eco-Tourism According to What Is Eco-tourism, this term implies “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment, sustains the well-being of the local people, and involves interpretation and education”.
• Ecotourism Industry Organization The environment is the combination of all living and non-living components on the earth and on the universe as a whole.
• Ecotourism and Voluntourism Strategies and Recommendations The stakeholders such as WARF, ecotourists, voluntourists and the local communities are concerned with the environmental conservation and generation of revenue from the preservation activities which involve conservation of the natural habitat and the wild […]
• Ecotourism in Mauritius: How to Have an Eco-Friendly Holiday In addition to this, the Mauritius business community has reinvested part of the proceeds from the sector into the Mauritius economy thereby fostering the country’s economy.
• Exploring Environmental Issues: Marine Ecotourism For marine ecotourism to succeed, it must thrive in a manner that accommodates the needs of both the current and future generations and safeguards the natural environment.
• The Eco-Tourism and Ways That Have Shaped Eco-Tourist Experience After the realization of this “staged authenticity,” the modern tourist is keener to search and experience the real tourist products, the real-life lived, the real natives, and their real practices.
• Ecotourism vs Cultural Voyeurism: Protection of Local Communities and Cultures Moreover, cultural voyeurism can be attributed to the practices of international companies that do not attach much importance to the lives of indigenous people. Nevertheless, it is important to mention that the inflow of tourists […]
• Ecotourism in Tropical Biome: Preserving New Zealand Description of Proposal: “Preserving New Zealand” is an adventurous and inspiring tour designed to introduce the participants to the unusual flora and fauna of Fiordland the largest National Park of New Zealand.
• Types of Tourism and Ecotourism in Peru Therefore, travelers gain an understanding of the natural, cultural, and ethnographic features of the terrain; thus, contributing to the preservation of the continuity of ecosystems and creating the economic setting for the development and maintenance […]
• Eco-Tourism Activities in New Zealand The project entailed adventurous tours organised with a motive of introducing the participants to the variety of flora and fauna found in the Fiordland of New Zealand.
• Tourism: Eco, Sports, Culture, Space When tourism is mentioned, many people have the notion that one has to go to a foreign country for a couple of weeks to relax and enjoy the scenery.
• Eco-Tourism and Eco-Cities The main reason cited for the support of sustainable development is the impact it has on the environment and the communities nearby.
• Fairmont the Palm Hotel Eco-Tourism Adoption The uniqueness of the above analysis contributes to the existing body of knowledge regarding the cost of implementing eco-tourism, plus the environmental impact of the growth of the tourism industry on the environment.
• Eco and Cultural Tourism: Extraordinary Experience and Untouched Natural Environment Water which is the source of all forms of life must be used sustainably and thus to be considered an eco friendly resort, water pollution should be unheard of within the resort and water recycling […]
• Ecotourism Resort at the Amazon: Amazon Eco-Tourist Resort The objectives of the Amazon Resort will include: Maintaining the natural ecology of the Amazon Providing visitors with service worth their fee Mission The mission of the Amazon Eco Resort will be to offer eco […]
• Economic Tourism in Australia When the number of foreign tourists is high the government can increase the exchange of currency so as to gain from the tourists at lower taxes on some products mostly used by the inhabitants what […]
• Alleviating Poverty Through Ecotourism: Monarch Butterfly Reserve of Mexico
• Aspects Regarding the Romanian Certification in Ecotourism Destinations
• Tourism and China’s Development: Policies, Regional Economic Growth and Ecotourism
• The Relationships Between Buddhism and Ecotourism
• Capturing Tourists’ Preferences for the Management of Community-Based Ecotourism
• Challenges For Romanian Ecotourism Destinations
• Community-Based Ecotourism: Its Socio-Economic Impacts at Boabeng-Fiema Monkey Sanctuary, Ghana
• Conservation, Ecotourism, Poverty, and Income Inequality
• Community-Based Ecotourism: Livelihood Adaptation Strategy for Kampong Speu Province, Cambodia
• Developing Ecotourism for the Survival of Sea Turtles
• Community-Based Ecotourism Management: Case of a Cooperative in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico
• Economic, Educational, and Conservation Benefits of Sea Turtle-Based Ecotourism
• Ecotourism and Archaeotourism: Controversy vs Objectivity
• Economic, Environmental, and Sustainability Indicators of Ecotourism in Mexico
• Ecotourism and Economic Growth in the Galapagos: An Island Economy-Wide Analysis
• Effective Environmental Impact Management Through Ecotourism
• Ecotourism and Economic Incentives: An Empirical Approach
• The Relationship Between Sustainability and ‘Ecotourism’
• Ecotourism and Its Impact on the United Arab Emirates
• Households’ Assets Dynamics and Ecotourism Choices in the Western Highlands of Cameroon
• Ecotourism and the Development of Indigenous Communities: Good, Bad, and Ugly
• Implementation of Strategies Based on the Ecotourism Products
• Ecotourism and the Economy: Case Study of Mara & Amboseli in Kenya
• Integrated Communications Marketing Plan For Ecotourism
• Ecotourism and the Modern Development of the Larnaca
• Koh Chang Ecotourism: SWOT Analysis
• Ecotourism: Brazil vs. Costa Rica Comparative Analysis
• Larnaca’s Ecotourism and Its Development in Modern Days
• Ecotourism Demand and Differential Pricing of National Park Access in Costa Rica
• Management Control Systems Within Sustainable Ecotourism: A Study of Belitung
• Ecotourism Experiences Promoting Conservation and Changing Economic Values
• Responsible Environmental Behavior Intention of Travelers on Ecotourism Sites
• Ecotourism for Community Development: Stakeholder’s Perspective in Great Himalayan National Park
• Rural and Ecotourism Development in Scope of Bulgarian Tourism
• Ecotourism Involves Responsible Traveling Tourism
• Preferences for Ecotourism Alternatives on the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation
• Ecotourism, Tourism, and Development in Mexico
• Case for the Redistribution of Ecotourism Gains in Kenya
• The Development and Management of Ecotourism
• The Relationship Between Common Management and Ecotourism Development
• What Is the Difference Between Alternative Tourism and Ecotourism?
• Does China’s Ecotourism Reflect the Country’s Economic Growth?
• Where Is Ecotourism Most Popular?
• What Are the Challenges for Romanian Ecotourism Destinations?
• What Is the Socio-Economic Impact of Ecotourism in Ghana?
• What Are the Economic Indicators of the Sustainability of Ecotourism in Mexico?
• What Is the Difference Between Tourism and Ecotourism?
• How Does the Economy of the Galapagos Islands Depend on Ecotourism?
• What Is the Impact of Ecotourism on the United Arab Emirates?
• How Does Ecotourism Impact the African Economy and Environment?
• What Is the Definition and Concept of Ecotourism?
• How Big Is the Demand for Ecotourism?
• What Are the Benefits of Ecotourism to the Environment and Society?
• What Are the Contributions of Tourism to Economic Development?
• What Are the Trends in the Development of Ecotourism in Mexico?
• What Are the Environmental Impacts of Ecotourism?
• What Are the Ecological Consequences of Ecotourism?
• What Is the Relationship Between Sustainable Development and Ecotourism?
• Is Ecotourism a Hospitality Trend?
• How Can Ecotourism Help You Have a Positive Experience?
• What Is the Role of Ecotourism in the Implementation of Sustainable Tourism Development?
• What Is the Marketing Plan for the Integration of Ecotourism?
• Is Organic Farming a Part of Ecotourism?
• Why Is the Responsible Environmental Behavior of Travelers So Important for Ecotourism?
• What Are the Main Priorities of Rural Tourism and Ecotourism in Romania?
• What Are the Role, Goals and Consequences of Ecotourism?
• How Did Ecotourism Become Popular?
• What Are the Economic, Educational and Environmental Benefits of Ecotourism?
• Which Country Is Best Known for Ecotourism?
• What Is the Concept of Ecotourism in the Context of Nature Conservation?
• Climate Change Titles
• Environment Research Topics
• Fishing Research Topics
• Environmental Sustainability Essay Ideas
• Hunting Questions
• Expedition Ideas
• Tourism Management Questions
• Wildlife Ideas
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2023, September 26). 89 Ecotourism Essay Topic Ideas & Examples. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/ecotourism-essay-topics/

"89 Ecotourism Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." IvyPanda , 26 Sept. 2023, ivypanda.com/essays/topic/ecotourism-essay-topics/.

IvyPanda . (2023) '89 Ecotourism Essay Topic Ideas & Examples'. 26 September.

IvyPanda . 2023. "89 Ecotourism Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." September 26, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/ecotourism-essay-topics/.

1. IvyPanda . "89 Ecotourism Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." September 26, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/ecotourism-essay-topics/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "89 Ecotourism Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." September 26, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/ecotourism-essay-topics/.

B.Arch Thesis: Eco-Tourist Hub of KHONOMA Village, By Shanjo A. Kithan, ITM University-Gwalior

• August 17, 2019

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Eco-tourism is one such activities which provide a solution by creating awareness and concern for the environment among both the tourist and local people of the region.

Also, the local skills could be developed and explored. The traditional and indigenous knowledge, along with scientific development can be explored.

Eco tourism Hub by itself, which talks about the tourism aspects of the context, creating a cultural Hub point which gives a platform for the villagers as well as the essence of the vernacular for the tourist.

The brief of the concept is to design an eco-tourism hub for the region of KHONOMA (Asia’s first green village) and the proximity near the region. Keeping in mind the local traditions, culture, art and Architecture .The design brief put an emphasis on the articulation of said traditions and their interpretation in modern times without losing the essence of the vernacularity.

KHONOMA is an Angami Naga village located about 20 km west from the state Capital, Kohima, Nagaland. The terrain of the village is hilly, ranging from gentle slopes to steep and rugged hillsides. The hills are covered with lush forestland, rich in various species of flora and fauna.

HORNBILL International Festival which is being celebrated for 10 days every year near this proximity which also creates a benchmark of this village.

This thesis talks about vernacular settlement which can achieve sustainability through planning, orientation, materials and architectural practices evolved from long time due to the socioeconomic, climatic and environmental factors of the Region

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

•To create an opportunity to the local people as well as for the tourist to get the essence of the context, keeping alive the essence of the context. •To design a better vision for tomorrow by keeping the Essence of the local regional context.

•Reprioritize the usage of the site based on the needs of the site demands. •To make the space a centre of public interaction and activities that reflects the people of the region.

•To engage the people by creating a hub in the village where they can learn, educate and understand each other. •To make use of the site’s assets in terms of creating a landmark for the urban fabric of Kohima people as well.

DESIGN BRIEF + PROGRAMME

The village of Khonoma (Asia’s first green village). As being said that the context of the site is a tourist spot and as the tourism is increasing each year people from around the world are travelling to see this beautiful village and the plus point is that there are many Tourism near the village which clearly states that there is a need for Eco-Tourism Hub in this arena.

Eco tourism is one such activities which will create an activities for the region. The local People gets the opportunity to expose their skills their economy to the tourist, which can create an important part of the hub.

The site will be developed with different types of components: 1. Weekly markets for the villagers, craft shops, Exhibition shops: where the villagers can get exposed and increase their growth of the economy. The market will run only on the basis of once in a week where they can sell all their organic crops or vegetables.

2. Museum: To reflect their culture, tradition and religion also to promote their legacy.

3. Workshop activities: where the tourist can educate the villagers and spread awareness and learn from one another.

The villagers can showcase their skills and even export their talents.

4. Accommodation unit for the tourist people: A home stay feeling accommodation unit for the tourist.

5.Library: It will provide a better exposure for the young generation of the surrounding villages.

6. O.A.T: Cultural program and festival season of recreational space.

DESIGN CONCEPT /APPROACH

The main challenge of design was a Site, which is having area of 92268sq.m. and facing NORTH To EAST direction also having contour difference of 40 meter. Main approach is to analyse with the existing contour and play with the levels. The existing site having contour along the river stream and the bridge is the only approach to the site.

Considering all the challenges, the design was to make ‘imperfect’ spaces with organic dynamism like villages.

With the start of the design development every space and area of the site were divided from part to whole. where every part of the space were defined according the use of the function like the open weekly market ,food stall ,craft shop ,museum ,library, OAT, Workshop area and the Accommodation unit which were segregated from each other but it was connected according to the function and use of the space.

Every function of the spaces were connected as per the user’s inferences. The general restaurant was at the core of the main area, the open market area was segregated totally from those main activities like the library, museum, workshop area, OAT and the Museum.

Although they are two different things we sense their interrelationship and emotional bond. Something very organic yet dynamic to be expressed by the site. The environment to be very vernacular with use of the roof of MORUNG style keeping alive the essence of the Region.

The Morung (or the traditional community house) at Khonoma Village. Acting as an educational institution, A Morung is where youngsters would gain their first few lessons of cultural & traditional knowledge through folk music, dance, folk tales and oral traditions. During the time of war, they were also used as used as a guard-house.

Design used the symbolism of that area through Morung.

VERNACULAR OF THE REGION

1.Use of the materials 2.local Materials, local skills, local technique 3.Keeping alive the essence of the village. 4. Implementing new technique design in terms of architectural thoughts, spaces, functions and purpose of the area. 5. New modern technologies design without losing the essence of the region

shanjo A Kithan

• B.Arch Thesis

13 Responses

I want detail sheet on mail for reffrence

Please contact if you were able to get through.I want to refer the report for my thesis as well.

Did you got the details?

I want study report of your thesis for reference

I want to know how to contact you for more details

Hey I loved your Concept, if possible could you share your Area statement or a list of requirements? it would be of great help to my thesis tooo!!!

can i please get your thesis report for reference.

Can I get your thesis report for reference please.

can I also have your details for my thesis.thank you

Can I get your thesis report for reference please

Please share the details that would be great help for my thesis

can you please describe which all case studies you reffered for the same

I have some doubts regarding concept sheet can you please clear my doubts

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