Theoretical And Empirical Study Of The Eco-tourism

This paper argues the theoretical issues of the planning and management of eco-tourism in the theories and methodologies of tourism geography, tourism economics and landscape ecology. The paper discusses eco-tourism issues on the existing problems, assessment systems and practical pattern of planning and management under the structure and function of the eco-economic system of the tourism area. The whole text includes four parts.Chapter 1 comments the theory topic of eco-tourism development from the view of epistemology, explains the research current situation of eco-tourism at home and abroad, thinks the error between eco-tourism theory and eco-tourism practice, probes into the eco-centrism and economy concern, in eco-tourism study. Session 1 discusses how the eco-tourism emerges and develops. Session 2 discusses the eco-tourism conception, assessment standard and properties. Then analyses the relations between the eco-tourism, the traditional mass tourism and the sustainable tourism. Session 3 points out that the theory is different from the practice in eco-tourism, because there are two tendencies in the study of eco-tourism, namely eco-centrism and economy concern. The concern on the ecology in the study of eco-tourism pays more attention to the environment protection of the tourism area, which results in the abandonment of economic growth. On the contrary, economy concern pays more attention to economic growth than the environment protection, which brings about ecological disruption.Chapter 2 comments the postulate and the limitations in the study of eco-tourism, builds the relationship between eco-tourism and geography, environmental economics and landscape ecology. Session 1 analyzes the contribution of the geography in the regional and synthetically view, it provides the basis for tourism planning and solves space problems in the eco-tourism development. Session 2 analyzes the eco-tourism in terms of the tourism economics. Economists usually use three tools to analyze the problems of environment: the first is the industrial structure, the second is the property theory, and the third is the 'outside' theory. Session 3 argues the postulate of landscape ecology, especially the guide of the eco-security pattern theory to the eco-tourism planning. Session 4 points out the limitation of tourism geography, environment economics, tourism economics and landscape ecology in the eco-tourism planning.Chapter 3 inquires into the theory basis of the eco-tourism planning and management, eco-tourism planning and management may think economics development theory, eco-economics theory and geography method. Session 1analyzes the definition, structure, function and basic contradiction of eco-economic system in tourism area under the natural circumstances. Session 2 based on deeply understanding on the structure and function of the eco-economic system in tourism area, makes a study of the eco-environment impact of the eco-economy system in tourism area. The tourism area depends on a large area of ecological hinterland to preserve the tourism system, the analysis of the eco-tourism ecological footprint, assesses the sustainability in a broader (global) view. The analysis of the ecological footprint, however, is much difficult to carry out, because it requires much detailed data about consumption and organisms' production, which is hard to get. We usually work out the assessment and capacity of the environment change on the basis of personal values about moderate change, which is difficult to find in the analysis, while the analysis explains well the acceptable limit of change. Therefore, if we combine the analysis, the environment impact and the limit of acceptable change (LAC), it makes sense to analyze the sustainability of eco-tourism on the basis of the analysis of ecological footprint. Session 3 based on the methods to assess the environment impact of eco-tourism, approaches the planning and management of the eco-economical system in tourism area. The planning involves the landscape ecological planning and the eco-to...