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Is ECOTOURISM Feasible in the Tboli Community?
Introduction
The Tboli live on the southern part of the island of Mindanao. ...
The Tboli, an ethnic highland tribe with roots from the South live around Lake Sebu, a 365-hectare lake in the mountains surrounded by rolling hills. ...
THE T’BOLI TRIBE
Location
The Tboli live in the Cotabato Cordillera (mountain range) in South Catabato Province. ...
ECOTOURISM
Origin of the term Ecotourism
Ecotourism started in the Philippines as the international community became more aware of the environmental decay that has been happening to the world. The idea of ecotourism is in fact an old one, which manifested itself during the late 1960s and early 1970s, when researchers became concerned over inappropriate use of natural resources. ... He termed ecotourism as "tourism that consists in traveling to relatively undisturbed or uncontaminated natural areas with the specific objective of studying, admiring, and enjoying the scenery and its wild plants and animals, as well as any existing cultural manifestation (both past and present) found in the areas. ... It emphasizes that the person who practices ecotourism has the opportunity of immersing himself/herself in nature in a manner generally not available in the urban environment (Libosada 5).
Definition
Also known as soft tourism, organic tourism, appropriate tourism, intelligent tourism and responsible tourism, ecotourism a purposeful travel to natural areas to understand the cultural and natural history of the environment, taking care not to disrupt the ecosystem, while producing economic opportunities to local residents. An important ingredient of ecotourism (eco- is from the Greek word oikos which means home) is the educational experience offered to the participants or travelers (Cruz 143).
A joint DENR-DOT memorandum Circular entitled Guide Laws for Ecotourism Development in the Philippines and signed in June of 1998 changed a 1994 definition to include factors that are deemed part of the concept of ecotourism. It reads: A low-impact, environmentally-sound and community-participatory tourism activity in a given natural environment that enhances the conservation of biophysical understanding and education and yields socio-economic benefits to the concerned community (Libosada 8).
Factors to be considered in Ecotourism
There is an intricate relationship between tourists and the environments and cultures in which they interact. ... According to Libosada, the following factors should be considered in ecotourism implementation:
A. ... Physical environment - This is a major component of ecotourism. ... Power plants are also built in mountains where ecotourism is either very actively pursued or has a good potential for growth.
Ecotourism will not be meaningful if important factors are not taken into account. ... Destinations also play an important part in the growth of ecotourism. ... The survival of the remaining life in these areas largely depends on the management of the resources with ecotourism as the lead industry. ... One good thing about ecotourism is that some activities can be done even during bad weather condition or lean tourist seasons. ... The current and most significant output by said government agencies is the joint memorandum circular on ecotourism development guidelines in the Phils. ... Indigenous tribes - With ecotourism tours, the most sought-after group of people are the indigenous tribes found only in far away places or unique habitats. ... Local community benefits - Tourism benefits should ultimately accrue to the local community, especially where said benefits can spell the difference between exploitation and improvement of standard of life. ... OPERATIONS - No matter how many conservationists view it, ecotourism should still be treated like a business enterprise requiring quality, as well as dependable and innovative ideas on facilities and services operations. ... Research - to find out a particular area is qualified for a type of sustainable ecotourism program. ... In most cases, ecotourism receipts are not enough to maintain a national park. ... MARKETING/PROMOTIONS - This is a very important aspect of ecotourism development, because much of the success of the program or destination will depend on the effectiveness of its promotion. ... Caution must also be exercised when developing areas for ecotourism, because not all ecotourists are environmentally sensitive. Unfortunately, ecotourism also attracts less responsible people. ...
ECOTOURISM In The Philippines
Prospect of Ecotourism in the Philippines
Ecotourism has a great promise in and for the Philippines. ... The following are the opportunities and recommendations for ecotourism in the Philippines that should be considered:
A. ... There are numerous landforms offering rewarding opportunities for ecotourism programs and these landforms can be seen either by walking or from the comforts of cars and buses. ... Growth of the ecotourism market
International tourism trends show that ecotourism is one of the fastest growing markets in the industry. ... The domestic ecotourism market has also been steadily growing because of the improved economic conditions in the country and the increasing value of nature-based recreation. ... A chance to develop ecotourism by the Filipinos
Some developing countries where ecotourism is fairly developed experience the downside of the industry when the supplier country actually benefits more from the ecotourism receipts and leaving little to the destinations. ... Since there have been very few ecotourism programs designed and currently sold by foreign countries to international market, the locals have the chance to develop programs designed in such a way that the benefits will accrue to the Philippines and local communities. ... Increased awareness
Because of the promise of ecotourism, more local governments are adopting it as the major tourism thrust in their areas. It this continues, ecotourism and its potentials will be fully developed in many destinations in the country. The interest in ecotourism of the local and national non-government organizations is also an opportunity that can be fully utilized to provide the local communities a chance to organize themselves into an able and service-oriented ecotourism outfits. ... With its theme "Ecotourism: Growing with Nature. ... World Expo 2002, with ecotoursim as the theme, poses a great opportunity and challenge for the Philippines to harness the full potential of ecotourism in the country. ... However exciting the event would be for the Filipinos, there are also things that we should be wary of because the event may open the floodgate for the people to abuse, misuse and misrepresent the true context of ecotourism. ... Corporate and profit interests may generously use the term ecotourism just to ride with the bandwagon of the event. Everything that has the color green, whether it is a finely manicured grass cover or a green brochure, might suddenly be claimed as ecotourism. Filtering and promotion of the proper context of ecotourism must be adopted in order to prevent this scenario from coming true.
Approximate Word count = 5289
Approximate Pages = 21.2
(250 words per page double spaced)
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