Ecotourism implies prioritising environmental and sociocultural issues at the expense of purely economic gains.

This means that cultures and values of the local communities have to be preserved and pollution, and the environment of the local community have to be conserved. In addition, economic benefits are to be shared among the greatest possible number of people at all levels and focus on infrastructural changes that would impact everyone in the long run. This would be the ideal situation for ecotourism however in many cases, green washing and ecotourism share a fine line. Green washing is disinformation disseminated by an organization so as to present an environmentally responsible public image. In many cases, countries may be doing very little that is environmentally friendly or is failing to protect the interest of the local people adequately. There is thus a need to look beyond the faade and differentiate the two. Thus I disagree with the statement. Firstly, the environmental derogation is often subtle and not obvious. An example is the introduction of foreign invasive species into the local ecosystem. Take Galapagos. Foreigners have brought in invasive insects and animals that have been eroding the natural flora and fauna of the natural environment. An example is the black rats and goats that have been introduced in the regions. These species have been rapidly reproducing and more than $5million annually have to be spent on culling the goats to prevent crowding out of the local animals. Japanese ships have brought along the invasive marine kelp that have destroyed the local marine ecosystem. As a result, Out of the 450 species on the islands, 106 are critically endangered, 90 are vulnerable while species such as the Galapagos mouse and the giant tortoise are extinct. Thus tourism have directly contributed to the natural derogation of environment and hampered conservation efforts. Secondly, culture is adversely affected . For example, the design of traditional artifacts might be simplified or changed to cater to tourist taste. In the long run, this would adversely impact on the host country tradition, whereby traditional forms of arts are forgotten and all that exists is a watered down form. Another instance is when the arrival of tourist from richer societies bring along their own cultural norms and behaviour some of which might cause offence to the local communities. An example is the practice of sunbathing which is a common activity. Tourist often sunbath topless or in their bikinis on beaches. This behaviour often results in large disagreements and conflict with the locals who possess different mindsets and values. Thus we can see that due to the different cultures between the tourists and the natives, clashes in culture might occur and result in offence taken by the local communities. Also culture might be diluted thus, culture of the local communities are often compromised. However on the other hand, there are successful examples of ecotourism. Take Bhutan, the government was able to successfully incorporate tourism into the economy, bringing economic benefits to a great number of people in the local community and spreading out the benefits obtained. An example is the policy of imposing US$200 per person per day tariff. This tariff is subsequently used as a government income for education, health. Thus citizens are able to directly benefit from tourism as income from tourism are channelled towards improving citizens facilities such as building new roads, subsidising health treatment for its citizens, providing free education and everyone is able to reap benefits from tourism activity. Thus economic benefits are able to be shared among a great amount of people and contribute to infrastructural changes that benefit everyone in the long run. Thus ecotourism if managed correctly would prove beneficial to the host country.

Thus in conclusion, ecotourism brings about its own problems particularly in the field of environmental and cultural concerns, despite efforts taken to safeguard and prevent them. Extinction of animals, watering down of culture and clashes among different culture happens despite efforts taken to prevent them. However, there is a need to balance idealism with economic realities. Despite all the damages and tradeoffs that come with tourism, it provides a vital and much needed source of income for the local community, that would improve health care standards, education standards in the country. Tourism in a sense is an essential activity. However care must be taken to ensure that the cultural and environmental costs do not outweigh the economic benefits which it brings