The Future of Ecotourism Darsie Mason Axia College I chose Hawaii for the area that needs improvements on the culture of the vacation. Hawaii is one of the last states to be added to the United States. Hawaii is entirely made up of islands. Hawaii is located in the Pacific Ocean. The islands were formed form the volcanoes located in the ocean. The capital is Honolulu and it is located on the island of O’ahu. The population is just a little bit over one million people. (Wikipedia, 2009)
I chose Hawaii because it is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the world. Hawaii brings huge amounts of people to islands because of its amazing beaches, wildlife, and beautiful forests. All of the people that come to Hawaii are seeing the amazing sites but the endangered plants and wildlife are suffering because of it. In the past 40 years tourism to the area as jumped dramatically which is good for the people on the islands because with it brings jobs and money.
The amount of people on the islands on a daily basis has also jumped which has caused issues for the land with all the resources that must be used to support all those people. People of the islands are seeing how this is affecting their homeland and are trying to find ways to find the land but still bring tourism in to the islands. Many places are trying to offer more eco-friendly vacations but still worth the money to go to Hawaii, this is being referred to as ecotourism. (Wikipedia, 2009)
The thing in Hawaii that needs improving because of the jump in tourism is the native fauna, which is becoming extinct in the forest of Maui. The tourist are coming to Maui to view the lush forest but are walking all over the native faunas and destroying them without knowing what they have done. If the area can get more ecotourism to the area then people will be informed about the plant and not to step on it. As Hawaii starts to introduce ecotourism to the area, then Hawaii has started to offer incentives to tourism that will participate in it.
Some incentives for participating in ecotourism are the opportunity to see wildlife in the natural habitats, which could be done by camping in the area in a tent without using modern conveniences like electricity and even being given discounts for local tourist attractions. The incentives are only available if a licensed ecotourism group guides the group. Groups will not be given any incentives unless they can prove that they are or were part of an ecotourism group, and who also is interested seeing the scenery but also preserving the environment. (HEA,2009)
The accredited ecotourism organization in Hawaii that was established to help improve is the HEA or the Hawaii Ecotourism Association. Their mission statement is “Hawaii Ecotourism Association’s mission is to protect Hawaii’s unique environment and culture through the promotion of responsible travel and educational programs aimed at the public and visitor industry relating to ecotourism issues. ” They are a nonprofit organization whose member are people from all types of jobs like hotel operators, travel agents, travel journalist, government agencies, other non- profit organizations, and educational institutions.
The HEA is attempting to expend the travel industry in Hawaii by encouraging ecotourism to help protect Hawaii’s landscape and cultures. Some of their goals include promoting and educating people on ecotourism issues and provide information and resources for people among many other goals. The two main challenges for Hawaii is getting people to understand why ecotourism is needed and the other is it have laws against going against ecotourism and going after people and charging them with crimes.
The only way that the HEA can get ecotourism a crime would be to get the government to understand that ecotourism is needed and that laws are needed to enforce it. If the laws do get passed and are implemented with enforcement than it will allow many generations to live on the island and many to visit without not being able to see all the Hawaii has to offer to people. Hawaii is a beautiful place to live and visit and without government, interaction is would be for much longer. Tourism in Hawaii is needed because it offers jobs and revue to people but also gives others a lace to visit that is different from what they are used to. References: Wikipedia, (August 19, 2009). Hawaii. Retrieved August 19, 2009, from Hawaii Web site: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki [A word-slash-word combination is inappropriate in an academic paper. Write it out word-slash-word. ] /Hawaii Hawaii Ecotourism Association, (2009). Hawaii Ecotourism Association. Retrieved August 19, 2009, from About HEA Web site: http://www. hawaiiecotourism. org/Default [A word-slash-word combination is inappropriate in an academic paper. Write it out word-slash-word. ] . aspx? pageId=117824
