Ecotourism Belize

What Is It? Ecotourism or Green Tourism is aimed at allowing people to visit naturally beautiful environments whilst protecting them for the future at the same time. Many developing world governments have realised that unless they protect their fragile environments they are not going to have anything left for the tourists to come and see. Ecotourism also aims to benefit the local people directly. One country to try this new form of tourism is Belize, on the Caribbean coast of Central America.

Sustainability Belize is a very good example of where ecotourism is being tried. The main aim is to achieve sustainability, which means that the environment is not in any way damaged by the tourists. Belize has an abundance of natural and cultural phenomena that attract tourists, including forests, wetlands, coral reefs, savannahs and ancient Mayan ruins. An increasing number of tourists are coming to the country as they learn about all the things to see, and as the government realises the financial benefits of tourism.

Initiatives However the government has also realised the importance of protecting the environments and has tried a number of initiatives. They created many National Parks and reserves, banning farming in many of them. In 1993 the Belize Ecotourism Association was established, it is concerned with protecting the natural environment and works closely with the Ministry of Tourism and the Environment.

Aims To Ensure Sustainability There is strict planning and control of tourist developments, including where they will be located, what they will look like, what transport routes are needed and any other regional planning that might be required. There is an increasing involvement in all stages of the tourism development by the local people. The aim is that they will assume almost complete control of the developments.

Aims To Ensure Sustainability The tourism that is introduced is aimed at being appropriate and not exploitative. In other words it is something that suits the local area and helps to enhance that area. The government aims to strike a balance between development and tourism that would be mutually beneficial to all involved, and the environment.

A Success? People are generally attracted to ecotourism by its remoteness, the small numbers of people and less sophisticated facilities. If these features disappear then the appeal of ecotourism is lost to many people, as the area just becomes another mass resort. If this happens then the fundamental objectives behind ecotourism also will have been forgotten.

A Success? All that is being attempted in Belize is building towards the goal of continuing to benefit from tourism, whilst protecting and nurturing the natural environment.