Ecotourism as mass tourism: contradiction or reality?

The original view of ecotourism as specialized adventures experienced by a small group of hardy travelers is expanding to include so-called “soft” ecotourists, who are far more numerous and seek more services than the “hard” ecotourists. Many contemporary travelers are interested in the natural environment, but also in the comforts and easy travel afforded by the mass-tourism infrastructure. The author argues that the two are not necessarily in opposition. In fact, the revenues available from large groups of soft ecotourists may be the key to providing the financing to protect natural areas, as well as bolstering political support for maintaining natural preserves. One model for the heavy use of natural areas is to concentrate most of the activity in a small section of the attraction where site-hardening and site-softening strategies are used to manage large visitor numbers. Finally, as more tourists embrace ecotourism principles, mass-tourism operators will see the value in operating in an environmentally friendly way.