Ecotourists: Do they really care more about environmental sustainability?

Abstract

Ecotourism now represents a substantial economic contribution to many countries. However, it is still unclear as to whether there is, in fact, evidence for the existence of an ecotourist. It has been suggested most tourists, including ecotourists, care little for sustainability issues, are part of the “incurable cancerous greed endemic in society” and they are more interested in “price, value for money, and fun, fun, fun”, over and above being concerned for environmental sustainability issues (Wheeler, 2005, p. 271). In relation to the principles of green accreditation, this paper seeks to examine this issue of ecotourism and the ecotourist. Data were collected from 260 tourists and the results provide evidence for the so-called responsible tourist, who is more likely to demand evidence of sustainability credentials for all products and services.