The tourism industry has grown exponentially over the past few decades.

Initially, people only travelled domestically, but due to the increase in affluence,
changes in lifestyle and advancement in transport technology, people began to
travel internationally. Mass tourism is defined as the act of visiting a destination
with large number of people at one time, or on a particular destination which has
been over-exposed by single tourists having been there repeatedly. Mass tourism
has brought about positive economic impact such as the multiplier effect,
creation of jobs and increase in foreign investment. However, it has also brought
negative social impacts in causing the locals to lose their culture and also
negative environmental and economic impacts. Ecotourism is defined as
responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves
the well-being of local people. Ecotourism is a feasible alternative to the negative
impacts of mass tourism as it minimizes negative environmental impact
produced by mass tourism. It also raises money for conservation, and provides
financial benefits and empowerment to the local population. Yet, ecotourism is
gaining much attention and popularity as of late, drawing large groups of visitors
to go on ecotourism tours. The flood of human activities brings about negative
impacts, defeating the original purpose of ecotourism.
Firstly, ecotourism is a feasible alternative to the negative impacts of mass
tourism as it minimizes negative environmental impact produced. In mass
tourism, negative environmental impacts arise when the level of visitor use is
higher than the environments ability to cope with the use. Natural resources
such as water are depleted quickly due to the careless and excessive use by
tourists, and tourists increase environmental pollution when they litter out of
convenience. Influx of tourists also results in soil erosion and clearing of land to
build infrastructure to accommodate tourist needs. For example, trekking tourists
leave behind large amounts of non-degradable waste such as garbage, oxygen
cylinders and even camping equipment due to the lack of disposal facilities along
these trails. Ecotourism on the other hand entails the idea of travelling
responsibly without endangering the environment, which means using resources
sparingly and not indulging unnecessarily like tourists do in mass tourism.
Ecotourism opts for more environmentally friendly options such as renewable
sources of energy, use of recycled materials and proper waste disposal. This
teaches eco-tourists to adapt to a new lifestyle during the trip, and learn to be
more mindful of their actions and how it may possibly impact the environment.
Local guides also educate eco-tourists prior to the trip to share their knowledge
on the local environment, and how they should behave as environmentally
responsible tourists. An example would be in Xcaret, Mexico, where tourists are
encouraged to travel by bus or taxi, instead of car. Upon arrival, they are also
asked to hand in any suntan lotion (which pollutes seawater), and are given a
bottle of eco-friendly lotion in return.
Secondly, ecotourism is a feasible alternative to the negative impacts of
mass tourism as it provides financial benefits and empowerment to the local
population as well as raises money for conservation. One of the negative
economic impacts of mass tourism is the leakage of income generated by
tourism. In order to attract tourists, the locals have to accommodate to their

needs, and hence large numbers of international services are employed in one
packaged trip. Tourists fly on international airlines, live in hotels owned by large
multinational companies, and consume imported goods. A large portion of the
revenue generated by tourism goes to paying off these services, hence there is
minimal benefit for the local population. Unlike mass tourism, ecotourism also
seeks to support the local community and interact with them. Ecotourism tour
packages thus promote local resources by engaging the use of local services for
lodging, transportation as well as restaurants to cater to the eco-tourists. When
local services are used, this generates more job opportunities for the local
community to meet the demands of the eco-tourists visiting and also higher
wages for the locals, in turn raising the quality of living of the locals. This also
means less leakage occurs and more money goes to the local economy,
helping to boost it. With better economy, more money can also be channeled to
improve infrastructure of the area. Money generated from ecotourism can also
be used to fund conservation efforts, and tour operators can also offer tourists
the option to donate or volunteer to conserve the protected area. An example
would be the Waitomo Caves in New Zealand, where glowworms light up the
caves ceiling. Tours to the caves are managed by the New Zealand government
and the local Maori, whereby they monitor and control the number of tourists
entering the caves to minimise human impact on its internal environment. Money
generated from tours to these caves benefit the local Maori who own these
caves. They receive a portion of the income from tourism to take care of the
caves.
On the other hand, ecotourism is not a feasible alternative to the negative
impacts of mass tourism as tour operators may sacrifice original objectives of
ecotourism to protect the environment, conserve resources and support the local
community for the sake of earning maximum profits from the tourists.
Ecotourism has been gaining much more popularity and interest of the public
since it first started. Originally, ecotourism started out as small-scale activities
which have minimal impact on natural and social environments. As ecotourism
popularity rises, remote places visited by eco-tourists are now more accessible to
the public, and hence are more vulnerable to environmental damage. What used
to be a few small groups of people going to visit these places in the past has now
increased, with higher frequency and larger groups of people. To earn maximum
profits, tour operators may ignore the fact that the environment might be
damaged and over taxed from the flood of human activities and not control the
number of visitors. Harm done might be even duplicated as eco-tourists visit
remote locations which are mostly undeveloped and undisturbed, as well as
places rich in biodiversity. Infrastructure may also be built for tourists to have
easier access to the place, and endangered species may even be removed as
souvenirs for visitors.
In conclusion, I think that ecotourism is a feasible alternative to the
negative impacts of mass tourism. It minimises the negative environmental
impact brought about by mass tourism, as eco-tourism makes use of
environmentally friendly options and teaches tourists to be environmentally
responsible. Ecotourism also