Проект "Eco-Tourism. The Future of Holidays"
проект (10 класс) на тему

ГОСУДАРСТВЕННОЕ БЮДЖЕТНОЕ ОБЩЕОБРАЗОВАТЕЛЬНОЕ УЧРЕЖДЕНИЕ ШКОЛА № 883

Межрайонный конкурс проектных и исследовательских работ обучающихся образовательных учреждений Северо-Западного округа города Москвы «Ступень к совершенству».

                Номинация                 «Познавай и совершенствуйся»

 Секция                         «Юные дипломаты открывают мир»

Тема: “Eco -Tourism. The  Future  of  Holidays”

Выполнили:

Аношина Ульяна, Дёмина Алина,

Дронина Анжелика,

Зембатова Карина

11 класс

Руководитель: учитель английского языка   Стерхова И. В.

Table of contents

INTRODUCTION

Twenty years ago not many people travelled overseas for their holidays. The majority of people stayed to have holidays in their country. Today the situation is different and the world seems much smaller.

It is possible to book a holiday to a seaside resort on the other side of the world. Staying at home, you can book it through the Internet or by phone. The plane takes you straight there and within some  hours  of  leaving your country, you can be on a tropical beach, breathing a super clean air and swimming in crystal warm water of tropical sea.

We can travel by car, by train or plane, if we have got a long distance tour. Some young people prefer walking or hitch-hike travelling, when you travel, paying nearly nothing. You get new friends, lots of fun and have no idea where you will be tomorrow. It has great advantages for the tourists, who want to get the most out of exploring the world and give more back to the people and places visited. If you like mountains, you could climb any mountains around the globe and there is only one restriction. It is money. If you like travelling, you have got to have some money, because it is not a cheap hobby indeed. The economy of some countries is mainly based on tourism industry. Modern tourism has become a highly developed industry, because any human being is curious and inquisitive, we like leisure, we enjoy visit other places. That is why tourism prospers.

It seems we all know what tourism is. But “tourism” may be defined  differently. For most of us tourism is a travel for leisure or recreational purposes.

However, tourists disturb the environment and need services and accommodation, food, transport and waste disposal, which can destroy the qualities of an area that attracted tourists in the first place. Activities such as driving and water sports can cause problems, especially when too many people decide to do the same thing in the same place.  May we have any other options to enjoy holidays? Eco-tourism is considered to be the most perspective and attractive in the future.

What is eco-tourism? Why does it have great advantages for the tourists, who want to get the most out of  exploring the world and give more back to the people and places visited. We’ve become intrigued by this issue.

The object of our research is the historic   background and  main features of eco-tourism in XXI century. The subject is the benefits of eco-tourism in Russia.

The goals of our project:

1. To explore what eco-tourism is, to tell the aspects of eco-tourism, its advantages and peculiarity.
2. To present some distinguishing   Russian   ecotour    attractions.

According  to  data  from  the World  Tourist  Organization,  eco-tourism makes up between  10  and  20  percent  of  the  global  tourism  market  and  is  the industry’s  fastest  growing  sector.   Eco-tourism   takes   place   all   over   the world. From   international    opportunities    to   options   just   minutes from your front door,   the  opportunity  to be  an    ecotourist  is  everywhere.  Once  you  have determined if  eco-tourism is right  for  you and  figured  out  the  type  of  impact  you  want to  make,  you  can  begin  to scope  out  destinations.

CHAPTER I

Historic background

The   term   ecotourism,   the  jungle  or  responsible tourism are used with sustainable  development  since after the 1980s when there  was  substantial increase in all the sectors of tourism. Now  tourism  has  become a biggest industry and  every year millions of the people visit France (as largest tourist country), the USA,  Singapore,  China,  Switzerland and  other  similar  countries.   This   was named   as   institutional   changes   and   educational   sophistication to visit for social  identity  of  an  individual.  This   was   to   preserve   the   Amazon rainforest or posterity reef of Caribbean.   But   a   stretch   from   conventional to ecotourism was   a   broad   scale   local   and social   tourism.  So it   was   required to give a broad definition to the eco-tourism as different concept.

Environmental   organizations   insisting that eco-tourism is more related to the natural-bases and managed properly,   an   environmental   understanding and education   along   with  supporting  conservation.  The   issues   with   definition of word eco-tourism have created many problems for environmentalists and academics as well as tourists.  The major   problem might be due to green washing,  because  it  is  natural  based  and  conservation  of  habitats  with  no intervention  of  human  beings  there.  Eco-tourism,   according to some writes, was   started  first   in  Africa  during  1950s when  hunting was legalized. So recreational   places   of   hunting   were   kept   as  protected  areas and they were made much beautiful through proper care and no human beings intervention there.

Hector  Ceballos- Lascurain   popularized  (and he would say coined)   the term 'eco-tourism' in July 1983, when he was performing the dual role of Director General  of  Standards  and  Technology  of  SEDUE  (the Mexican  Ministry  of  Urban Development and Ecology) and founding president of PRONATURA  (an influential  Mexican  conservationist NGO). PRONATURA was lobbying for the conservation of the wetlands in   northern Yucatán as breeding and feeding habitats of   the  American  Flamingo.

Others claim the term was in use earlier: Claus-Dieter  (Nick) Hetzer,  an academic and adventurer from Forum  International in Berkeley, CA, coined the term in 1965 and  ran  the  first  ecotours in the Yucatán during the early 1970s.

In the present time many people around the world are interested in eco-tourism. Many tourists increase  each year. So these are very important to develop eco-tourism .

Amateur,  hiking  and  sports  tourism similar to “adventure tourism” in  the West was more widespread in the Soviet Union than in any other country.  In  1989,  more than 20 million people took such trips, most  of them young people.         After 1990, there was  a sharp  drop  in demand  for trips  inside Russia, corresponding to the sharp rise in foreign travel.  More recently,   the   government has been trying to promote ecotourism in Russia.  The issue   was   raised during Prime Minister Putin’s visit to Kamchatka in 2010.   On   Aug.   29, 2011,    during the prime minister’s meeting with the  Minister  for  Natural  Resources and the Environment,  it  was decided  to allocate 1.5 billion rubles ($50 million) for developing 12 priority  protected  natural  territories  and to  increase  funding for the program by an annual 800 million rubles ($26.5 million) until 2020.

CHAPTER II

The eco-tourism issue nowadays

1. Students’  attitudes towards spending holidays

Held in the 7-th and the 10-th forms a survey was to find out:

 “Where would you prefer to spend your holidays? Why?”

Thus, the majority of 60 pollees  are  in favor of going to places like Spain, Turkey, Thailand and other famous resorts. Their arguments are: relaxation, feeling of luxury, seeing new places, meeting new friends.

38% of the pollees think that visiting ancient cities is the best activity. Reasons for visiting: curiosity, interest in history and architecture.

12% of the pollees are in favor of   protecting the world’s disappearing ecosystems. They want to enjoy fishing, hiking, they appreciate presence in nature.

The survey also finds out: the low level of popularity of eco-tourism is the lack of information.

Let’s ask our students!

(Video)

• Can you tell me what eco-tourism is?
• Yes… It’s … when you enjoy your holidays on the bank of the river, … go hiking, fishing…,  something like this.
• Have you ever heard of eco-tourism?
• Oh, I have no idea.
• Can you say a few words about eco-tourism?
• Well, for me, eco-tourism is some kind of tourism when you travel very far from cities or the civilization.

2. Characteristics of  eco-tourism: its principles and  terminology

Ecotourism   is   a  late  20th-century neologism compounded  from  eco- and tourism.   According   to the Oxford English Dictionary,    ecotour   was first recorded in 1973 and eco-tourism, "probably after  ecotour", in 1982. 

Today many different types and definitions of eco-tourism exist, however  The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) give the following definition which has been widely accepted:

"Eco- tourism  - responsible  travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people."

This means that travelers must think and act responsibly in all aspects of their holiday experience in order to minimize their impacts on the environment and local community.

In addition,   ecotour  companies must hold principles and practices that seek to either preserve the environment   and wildlife whilst protecting and empowering the local people.

Travel around the world has been increasing with more spending power of the people and many other factors which are contributing for the communication of people and easy to move across with world fastest transport vehicles available today. The eco-tourism has been criticized as endeavor by economists after the 1980s, to bring such untouched destinations for next generations which were totally untouched from the current generations and without their intervention. There are many programs of universities which are using the same description about eco-tourism and creating of such natural environment where there should be no pollution and good for living of human beings.

According to definition and principles of ecotourism in 1990, Martha Honey has expanded the description of  TIES and added the following seven characteristics (principles) of eco-tourism:

• Involves travel to natural destinations

These destinations are often remote areas, whether inhabited or uninhabited, and are usually under some kind of environmental protection at the national, international, communal or private level.

• Minimizes Impact

Tourism causes damage. Ecotourism strives to minimize  the  adverse   affects  of hotels, trails, and other infrastructure by using either recycled materials or plentifully available local building materials, renewable sources of energy, recycling and safe disposal of waste and garbage, and environmentally and culturally sensitive architectural design. Minimization of impact also requires that the numbers and mode of behavior of tourists be regulated to ensure limited damage to the ecosystem.

• Builds environmental awareness

Eco-tourism means education, for both tourists and residents of nearby communities. Well before departure tour operators should supply travelers with reading material about the country, environment and local people, as well as a code of conduct for both the traveler and the industry itself. This information helps prepare the tourist as the Ecotourism Societies guidelines state, "to learn about the places and peoples visited" and "to minimize their negative impacts while visiting sensitive environments and cultures".

Essential to good eco-tourism are well-trained, multilingual naturalist guides with skills in natural and cultural history, environmental interpretation, ethical principles and effective communication. Eco-tourism projects should also help educate members of the surrounding community, schoolchildren and the broader public in the host country. To do so they must offer greatly reduced entrance and lodge fees for nationals and free educational trips for local students and those living near the tourist attraction.

• Provides direct financial benefits for conservation

Eco-tourism helps raise funds for environmental protection, research and education through a variety of mechanisms, including park entrance fees,  tour  company, hotel, airline and airport taxes and voluntary contributions. 

• Provides financial benefits and empowerment for local people

National Parks and other conservation areas will only survive if there are "happy people" around their perimeters. The local community must be involved with and receive income and other tangible benefits (potable water, roads, health clinics, etc.) from the conservation area and its tourist facilities. Campsites, lodges, guide services, restaurants and other concessions should be run by or in partnership with communities surrounding a park or other tourist destination.

More importantly,  if  eco-tourism is to be viewed as a tool for rural development, it must also help shift economic and political control to the local community, village, cooperative, or entrepreneur. This is the most difficult and time-consuming principle in the economic equation and the one that foreign operators and "partners" most often let fall through the cracks or that they follow only partially or formally.

• Respects local culture

Ecotourism is not only ‘greener’ but also less culturally  intrusive  and  exploitative than conventional tourism.  Whereas   prostitution, black markets and drugs often are by-products of mass tourism, ecotourism strives to be culturally respectful and have  a  minimal    affect   on  both  the natural  environment and the human population of  a  host country.  This is not easy, especially since eco-tourism often involves travel to remote areas where small and isolated communities have had little experience interacting with foreigners. And like conventional tourism, eco-tourism involves an unequal relationship of power between the visitor and the host and a modification of the relationship through exchange of money. Part of being a responsible  ecotourist  is learning beforehand about the local customs, respecting dress codes and other social norms and not intruding on the community unless  either  invited  or  as  part  of    a    well- organized   tour.

• Supports human rights and democratic movements

Although  tourism  is often  glibly  hailed  as a tool for building international understanding and world peace, this does not happen automatically; frequently in fact tourism bolsters the economies of repressive and undemocratic states. Mass tourism pays scant attention to the political system of the host country or struggles within it, unless civil unrest spills over into attacks on tourists. Eco-tourism demands a more holistic approach to travel, one in which participants strive to respect, learn about and benefit both the local environment and local communities.

Although not part of the Eco-tourism Society’s definition, giving economic benefits and showing cultural sensitivities to local communities cannot be separated from understanding their political circumstances. In many developing countries, rural populations living around national parks and other eco-tourism attractions are locked in contests with the national government and multinational corporations for control of the assets and their benefits. Eco-tourists therefore need to be sensitive to the host country's political environment and social climate and need to consider the merits of international boycotts called for by those supporting democratic reforms, majority rule, and human rights. For example the campaign by the African National Congress (ANC) to isolate South Africa through a boycott of investment, trade, sports and tourism helped bring down apartheid.

Determining whether to boycott or visit a country is not always easy. Among the questions to ask are: Does the economic growth fueled by tourism really improve the chances of human rights being respected? Will boycotting a country harm already impoverished workers more than it will corporate or government titans? Or are the short term economic penalties more than offset by the ultimate benefits of change? If one visits a repressive country, it is possible to make the trip rewarding both personally and politically by consciously learning about the country beforehand, meeting with dissidents and average folks, as well as government officials while there, and speaking about the political climate, not just the weather after returning home.

Most operations which can truly be called eco-tourism are striving to meet as many of these criteria as possible. This is a tall order to fill for anyone operating eco-tours and it is highly doubtful that any one project or operator can claim to meet all these criteria perfectly. However, it does give a base of ideas to work from when looking into whether or not something is or isn't eco-tourism. Properly understood, the emphasis in eco-tourism is on a set of principles and how to put them into practice; on what eco-tourism stands for and how these standards are being implemented.

 Generally, it has been found that eco-tourism focuses  on sustainability of environment and socially responsible travel. These travels or eco-tourism are made to the locations where cultural heritage, fauna and flora are the major attractions available. It also focuses on personal growth also. Eco-tourism is intended to offer impact of people on the environment and appreciation of our natural places and habitats. 

You may have come across some of the following terms that closely related to eco-tourism :

Agro-tourism: 
This concept is a direct expansion of ecotourism, which encourages visitors to experience agricultural life at first hand. This type of tourism is gathering strong support from small communities as rural people have  realised the benefits of sustainable development brought about by similar forms of "green tourism". Visitors have the opportunity to work in the fields alongside real farmers and wade knee-deep in the sea with fishermen hauling in their nets.

Community based Tourism: 
The aims are to enable participation from the local community in the development and operations of tourism with their consent and support. Another important feature is that a reasonable share of  the revenues are enjoyed by the community. This type of tourism also maintains and respects the local culture, heritage and traditions. Often, community-based tourism actually reinforces and sometimes rescues these. Community-based tourism also implies respect and concern for the natural heritage, particularly where the environment is one of the attractions.

Nature Tourism: 
This interlinks with ecotourism however it concentrates more on enjoying and respecting the wildlife and the environment without the educational element present in ecotourism.

Pro-poor Tourism: 
This type of tourism is set up in developing countries as a means to improve the local economy for local people. It enhances the linkages between tourism businesses and  poor  people, so that poverty is reduced and poor people are able to participate more effectively in tourism development. The aims of pro-poor ranges from increasing local employment to involving local people in the decision making process. Any type of company can be involved such as a small lodge or a tour operator. The most important factor is not the type of company or the type of tourism, but that poor people receive an increase in the net benefits from tourism.

So how does eco-tourism benefit the environment, local community and economy?

Environmental  issues

By  encouraging travelers to behave in an environmentally responsible way. Ecotour operators offer relevant information and advice on how travelers can minimize their impact on the ecosystem as well as how they can contribute to the protection of fragile ecosystems.

By   offering travelers the opportunity to participate in conservation or preservation projects. An important element of this type of project is education. The goal is that through participation, eco travelers will return home with increased awareness and concern for environmental issues and therefore continue to behave in an environmentally conscious way.

Social  issues

By    involving   the local community in aspects of planning, decision-making and management of eco-tourism. This encourages the empowerment of individuals.

By   educating   travelers   through leaflets, interpretation and advice from tour operators or guides about the culture, customs and etiquette of   locals. This prevents conflict or offence between local and traveler interactions that may be caused through misunderstanding or ignorance.

  Economic  issues

By  employing  local people  whenever possible and paying fair wages. This prevents exploitation and benefits the local economy by preventing leakages of the revenue acquired through tourism.

Many  ecotour  operators are involved in working on initiatives and projects with the local community such as training and education  programmes.

CHAPTER III
Advantages and peculiarities of eco-tourism in Russia

Now these “back to nature” ideas are catching on in Russia, and some Russian vacationers are exchanging the dust of museums for the dust of the roads less traveled.

Ecotourism   becomes   more   and   more   popular  in  Russia.    It’s   no wonder.      The cultural and environmental heritage of the country is so very rich and various, that Russia can be called one of the most promising countries for the development of the ecotourism.  The   ecological   tours give a possibility to discover the country, which could seem familiar.   The   monuments of nature are available in almost each region of Russia, from Kaliningrad to the Far East.

The   Kaliningrad   Region, the westernmost   region  of  Russia is famous with the Curonian Spit.  To   be fair, one part of this object belongs to Russia and another one – to Lithuania.  Curonian Spit is the smallest national park in Russia and one of the oldest nature reserves in the country.  It is a sandy peninsula,   98 km   length   and  35 m – 3, 8 km width.  It   isolates   the freshwater   Curonian lagoon from the Baltic Sea.   The   Curonian   Spit   is   the   longest   sand   tombolo in the world.

Central   Forest   Nature Biosphere Reserve is situated in the   Tver   Region, which is situated next to Moscow and St. Petersburg.  The   reserve is famous with the unique spruce forest; it is half a thousand years old.

The forests like this didn’t preserve in Europe.  Very   attractive   objects  of  the reserve  are  the raised  bogs.   Their   flora is extremely beautiful, especially the mosses of 15 species, turning the bogs into Persian carpet.   The   wild rosemary with intoxicating notes in its smell in May, dwarf birch and big variety of berries are usual for their ecosystem.  In   the   centre of one of the bogs a special cabin is built for observing the birds in the spring.   Among   the birds are capercailzies, white grouses and pied geese.  Moreover,  there is the Experimental nursery of European mink is situated in the resort, organized for saving Middle Russian subspecies of the European mink as threatened species, and reintroduction within its natural habitat.

The   Far East offers a big variety of attractions to the tourists. The   Far   Eastern State Marine Preserve includes the territory of the seaside and 11 islands.

You   can   find yourself in the taiga, in subtropics, steppe and mountains without leaving the park.  The   whales   can be  seen  not  far from the seaside in this park. The   sea  fauna includes exotic species like silver  pomfret,  swordfish, tiger shark, hammerhead shark and famous fatal toxic puffer fish.  Among  the  big  sea animals are white-bellied porpoise and seals.  Besides the walking excursions, the preserve offers the diving ones,  and you can see the sea species.  The  Ecological Education Centre of the resort provides the hostel for the guests.

Choosing  the  ecological tourism in Russia, you support the protection of environment.  The   ecological situation in each country and in Russia  as well is very important for the whole world: for example, the forests of  Karelia are called “the lungs of Europe”.  Moreover,   it   is  healthy   and   informative. The tour operators,   offering   ecotours in Russia are interested in corresponding with the standards and conception of the eco-tourism.  The   services differ from the long adventure travels to the short excursions.

What   could be   more   tempting   than a vacation in the largest country in the world! Only   in Russia,   on   its immense open spaces the exotic of all geographic areas – from  the  subtropical  Black Sea to the  severe  beauty of   Lake Baikal.

 What  could  be more  interesting  than to get  acquainted with eco- tourism of   this  beautiful  country, which  throughout  the world have all been associated  with wealth,  power and  majesty, and the phenomenon  of the mysterious  Russian soul, the winner  country in world wars, the one which  has  endured all hardships with honor  and  pride.

What  could  be  more  exciting  than to  see the entire Russian exoticism - the highest  mountains,  the  longest  and  affluent  rivers,  the green  forests, the places,  which  have  preserved  their  unique  customs   and   traditions. 
What  could  surpass  the  feeling  of warmth and  hospitality  of  the  nations, inhabiting  the  vast  territory  of   Russia.

It   is  practically  impossible to  describe  all the  great things about vacation in Russia. This beautiful country offers its guests active   eco-tourism in such picturesque places as Lake Baikal, the Altai and many others. Russia is rich in great number of other unique places too. Vacations in  Russia offers beautiful nature, a lot of reserves, sanctuaries and natural parks.

Among   the   most   interesting   and popular,  loved  by  many  eco-tourists,          you can highlight the Altai Mountains.  There  still  live real shamans. Locals can tell a lot of mysterious and wonderful legends.

I’d like to tell you one of them.

A long time ago on the banks of a mountain lake lived a hunter. Once he found a large gold nugget. He took the gold and began to boast that now he was the richest man in the whole district.

 But then Trouble came into the hut.  Then the   hunter  tried to change it for the food.   Many   homes  bypassed,  but no  one  gave  him a  chunk of   bread for the nugget. Returned home he found out no wife, no children were   alive - they died of starvation. In desperation he threw the gold into the lake and said: "The spirits of   the    mountains, bring the gold to you as a sacrifice. I ask your blessing to my people. And in memory of that, I  call  this  mountain   Altyn-Tu - Gold Mountain and lake  that  Altyn Kol – Golden  Lake.”

This region is full of wonders and mysteries.  We  suggest   that you should visit this fascinating place. Here is a chance not to be missed.

Are   you   tired of   lying on the beach all day and baking in the sun? Are you eager to   save   our   planet   and   meet  like-minded people? If so, the one of our eco-tourism   packages is the perfect solution for your upcoming holidays. There is a wide   variety of activities to choose from. Why   not be a part of group that regularly patrols   the   grounds  of   a  Karelia nature  reserve?   Karelia  represents one of magnificent  places which as well as possible is suitable for eco-tourism. 
The   local  nature is surprisingly various and beautiful. There are both rocks, and the woods, both lakes, and falls, and beautiful islands … There are   traces of the most ancient volcanoes remained.

 If  you  are a fan of new  flavoring feelings, you surely have to visit Karelian Room restaurant.  Karelia –  the region of the rivers and lakes, therefore a basis of the Karelian cuisine is fish, mainly fresh-water, and meat of wild animals (moose meat, venison, bear's flesh).

As   for   fish,    Karelians   treat very deferentially: for example, in ancient times the Karelian never dared to   kick a  basket   with  fish  in  the  boat.

 Karelian   dish   is the   fresh fish soup which is usually prepared from fish of several types. Also, it is necessary to mention   Lokhikeytto – the   fish soup  with  cream or milk – stunning taste! 

Wherever you are, you can be certain of accommodation with unforgettable views. Whatever you choice, we will ensure that your time spent helping the environment will be a spectacular holiday experience.

Although   state   funding  for projects in  forests and parks is still in the initial stages, plans  were made to finance a development project for nature preserves at a recent  meeting  between  Vladimir  Putin and    Yury     Trutnev,  the minister for natural resources and the  environment. Twelve areas were selected as priority zones, and  infrastructure  development there is scheduled to take place between 2013 and 2020. Putin   and   Trutnev   also proposed   to double the number of annual visits to nature preserves from 6.5 million to 12 million by 2013.

Masha   Gerisimova   and a dozen of   her  coworkers  ended up in a nature reserve in Tankhoe  in  the Kabansk   Region of the  Republic of  Buryatia.  The area is intended to be part of    the   Great  Baikal  Trail. This is a single system of eco-trails around Lake Baikal  that cover the special protected areas of the Baikal Region. In recent years, the unregulated  use  of  natural  resources  has  led to a sharp deterioration  in  the  ecosystems in and around the lake.

But  while   environmentalists  are arguing with  the government  about  who should  be   looking  after  wild  nature   and  how, others are busy constructing paths, cleaning rivers and  saving   endangered species.  In August,  Russian  volunteers independently    organized   a clean-up of several inlets in the Barents  Sea.

“There are only two ways of solving this human problem,”  30-year-old volunteer Dmitry   Dementiev   told RIA   Novosti.  “Either we seal off this beauty from our fellow countrymen,  introduce a military-style  access system and limit the freedom people have to move around their own country, or  alternatively every one of us could try working together to keep  our environment clean.” 

Russia’s    natural   landscape   has   huge   potential   as  an  eco-tourism destination.

Then,   once   the   tourists  have  actually     arrive,    there must  be  infrastructure in place to support them. Even  if  the  tourists  want  to  camp  out  under  the stars, there needs  to   be   some    kind    of communication available,  medical  services and  places to  buy food.   And   if    Russia really wants to tap into the trend, it will need  hotels as  well. Modern     ecotourists     to   spend  their   holidays   in reasonable   comfort,   but without  causing  harm   to   the  natural   surroundings.

AFTERWORD

Without a doubt, during the past years, the eco- movement has captured everything in our lives; from the food we eat to the energy we use. Soon enough we started to hear more and more about how to travel responsibly .We already know to re-use our water bottles while we travel, eat the local produce and leave as little traces of our presence in nature as possible.

So, what  eco- tourism is? Now we know better.

“Eco-tourism involves visiting natural areas with the objectives of learning, studying or participating in activities that do not bring negative effects to the environment; whilst protecting and empowering the local community socially and economically." 

Eco-tourism is the opposite of mass tourism. People travel to remote areas and visit faraway places without destroying or ruining the environment. Eco-tourism is intended for small groups of tourists who want to learn more about nature in a certain area and help people who live there. Eco- tourists travel to places where plant and animal life is the main attraction. They want to know more about how people live side by side in a natural habitat.  

Eco-tourism makes people aware of how beautiful the land and countryside is. Local tour guides show visitors how important our environment is. They know how the region has developed over time. Tourists stay in small local houses, as opposed to gigantic hotel complexes in mass tourism regions.

Other aims of eco-tourism are:

• helping conserve nature in a faraway place
• educating tourists about the place they are travelling to
• respecting the culture of people who live there
• the conservation of animal and plant species that are in danger of becoming extinct
• minimizing the impact of tourism in the area
• helping  people  who live there
• leaving  a  small  carbon  footprint

Last but not least.

Today our country is believed to have become the most interesting and magnetic for eco-tourists.

Russian    economic   slowdown  is  considered to  be   the  most  significant  factor that   will  impact  its tourism development  during  the  forecast  period.  Outflow of  international    financial  investments   was  noted   in   Russia   at  the  end  of 2014  and    beginning  of  2015.   For example,  the  majority  of  chained international  hotels    that    had   previously   announced   their  ambitious  expansion   plans in  Russia,   now    can hardly  meet  these  plans.   Moreover,  the  value   of   local  currency  against    the   euro   declined  significantly  since the  last  year,  from  RUB45  to  RUB60,   depending  on  the month.     This   has  already    started  to   affect    both    business   and    consumers    negatively.

Nevertheless,   eco-tourism   sees   active   development.   According   to   the  federal  target    programme   entitled    Domestic   and    Inbound   Tourism  Development  2011 – 2018 Russia is  focusing  hard   on   domestic  and eco- tourism   development.   The  main  goal   of  this   programme   is  to increase the number  of domestic trips by 150%.    Moreover,  based   on  the  latest  economic  slowdown   and  local  currency   fluctuations,   it   has   become   more  affordable to go  to  domestic   destinations   instead    of  taking  outbound trips.

Additionally,  Russia  every year  improves  infrastructure  and  the  quality of the tourism  service  in  the  country.

Despite   all   the   economic   issues   that   Russians   face,    in   the  long  term         eco-tourism    is    still    expected    to    perform      positively.

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