Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Around the world, ecotourism has been hailed as a panacea: a way to fund conservation and scientific research, protect fragile ecosystems, benefit communities, promote development in poor countries, instill environmental awareness and a social conscience in the travel industry, satisfy and educate discriminating tourists, and, some claim, foster world peace. Although "green" travel is being aggressively marketed as a "win-win" solution for the Third World, the environment, the tourist, and the travel industry, the reality is far more complex, as Martha Honey reports in this extraordinarily enlightening book.

Ecotourism and Sustainable Development, originally published in 1998, was among the first books on the subject. For years it has defined the debate on ecotourism: Is it possible for developing nations to benefit economically from tourism while simultaneously helping to preserve pristine environments? This long-awaited second edition provides new answers to this vital question.

Ecotourism and Sustainable Development is the most comprehensive overview of worldwide ecotourism available today, showing how both the concept and the reality have evolved over more than twenty-five years. Here Honey revisits six nations she profiled in the first edition--the Galapagos Islands, Costa Rica, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Kenya, and South Africa--and adds a fascinating new chapter on the United States. She examines the growth of ecotourism within each country's tourism strategy, its political system, and its changing economic policies. Her useful case studies highlight the economic and cultural impacts of expanding tourism on indigenous populations as well as on ecosystems.

Honey is not a "travel writer." She is an award-winning journalist and reporter who lived in East Africa and Central America for nearly twenty years. Since writing the first edition of this book, she has led the International Ecotourism Society and founded a new center to lead the way to responsible ecotourism. Her experience and her expertise resonate throughout this beautifully written and highly informative book.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Acknowledgments
• Part I What Is Ecotourism?
• Chapter 1 In Search of the Golden Toad
• Chapter 2 The World Travel Industry: Going "Green"?
• Chapter 3 Ecotourism Today
• Part II Nation Studies
• Chapter 4 The Galapagos Islands: Test Site for Theories of Evolution and Ecotourism
• Chapter 5 Costa Rica: On the Beaten Path
• Chapter 6 Tanzania: Whose Eden Is It?
• Chapter 7 Ecotourism on a Muslim Island Zanzibar
• Chapter 8 Kenya: The Ups and Downs of Africa's Ecotourism "Mzee"
• Chapter 9 South Africa: People and Parks under Majority Rule
• Chapter 10 Ecotourism in the United States
• Conclusion: The Road Less Traveled
• Notes
• Index

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

Honey (Center on Ecotourism and Sustainable Development; Ecotourism and Certification, 2002) points out that ecotourism is one of the most dynamic elements in the modern multibillion-dollar tourism industry. She attributes this success to three factors. First, as the world increasingly turns "green," environmental protection becomes ever more important to large numbers of potential tourists. Second, the mantra of "sustainable development" speaks to the idea that tourism revenues might enable many countries to alleviate poverty without totally destroying their natural and culture heritage. Third, increasing numbers of tourists, having enjoyed the classic cultures of Europe, America, and other "rich" parts of the world, and are eager to see something different. This updated study (1st ed., CH, Sep'99, 37-0299) comprehensively addresses these interconnected elements and clearly identifies problems as well as benefits associated with ecotourism. The introductory "What Is Ecotourism?" section establishes the background and philosophical basis of the subject. The second and major part of the book focuses on national studies, featuring African and Latin American countries, and examines the impact of tourism on these areas. Abundant footnotes and a comprehensive index complete the work. Must reading for anyone in the tourism business. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers, upper-division students, and practitioners. J. R. McDonald emeritus, Eastern Michigan University

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Martha Honey is codirector of the Center on Ecotourism and Sustainable Development and editor of Ecotourism and Certification: Setting Standards in Practice (Island Press, 2002). Previously she worked as a freelance journalist in Latin America and Africa for The Washington Post , The New York Times , the Associated Press, ABC-TV, and the BBC. She has received numerous awards for her investigative journalism.