Introduction
Ecotourism is basically an organized activity related to marine life; different policies and laws govern this activity. The crux of ecotourism is to promote marine life and appreciate tourism worldwide to know about marine life. Habitation of marine life and their protection is questioned when activities like tourism are held to promote ecotourism. However, there is a need for proper government legislation, and policymakers must consider the facts and threats while making ecotourism policies and laws. The fact is that almost 71% of the earth is covered by water. Thus, marine life and ecotourism are the most concerning questions.
Political barriers are every country’s main challenges in forming rules and policies to execute their task. A visionary political will can promote the task to greater success. The success of the Western ecotourism sector is due to its policies and proper legislation. That is why most of the studies and research on ecotourism were done in Western countries. Until now, such a remarkable contribution has been made by developing countries like the Middle East. This shows their ignorance toward the issue of marine life. However, we cannot neglect the importance of government intervention and policymakers. The main role played by the government is to legislate proper laws to execute tasks related to ecotourism. Western countries are far beyond in their consideration of ecotourism. Most of the research conducted on visitors to zoos and aquariums is conducted in the USA (Davey,2006; Deirking, Burtnyk, Buchner, and Falk,2002; Schram, 2011).
Despite the fact that the Middle East is the best spot for ecotourism, there has not been much research and work that can promote ecotourism and provide a safe side. Golf countries and countries along the coastal line of the Indian Ocean are far behind Western countries in protecting ecotourism and marine life. Their failure may lie in their policy-making procedure and lack of concentration on marine life. The report shows that almost US$2.4 of revenue is generated annually through ecotourism activities (Dawn News). The Middle East can be a good spot for eco-tourists, but since it has a considerable coastal line, nice sunny spots, and open beaches, The matter can be encountered through political approaches. The formulation of policies will be the defining factor of ecotourism luck. So far, we have discussed a general idea about ecotourism and its sporting allies, like the Western world dominates in this field, whether research or revenue generation.
USA and Ecotourism
The United States of America is investing a considerable amount of budget in ecotourism. As per capita income increases and people move toward a better quality of life, their demand for tourism and related activities increases. They spend a relatively large amount of their budget on ecotourism. As their leisure activities increase their will to roam worldwide is more. A study shows that almost 900 million tourists from the United States of America are annually registered for tourist activities. These activities include visiting sea areas, forests, recreation sites, historic places, and other spots. The reason behind this huge flux in the field of tourism from the USA is their economic well-being. They own more income; hence, their leisure activities increase.
All tourism-related activities are undertaken by private and public institutions. Funds are generated by different organizations to execute the tasks. Institutions are set to protect the tourism sector, including protecting marine life, providing comfort to tourists, and making proper policies to guard against ecotourism. These institutions are mostly privately owned and locally managed. However, the government of the United States has numerous water and land management agencies with the aim to protect and promote ecotourism and land management. These organizations are (NPS), (FWS), (BLM), and (NFMS). A number of other ecotourism places are managed and protected by government and local agencies (Study Submitted to the World Ecotourism Summit by U.S. Department of State May 2002).
Arrangement of Policies and Management
Management and planning of any task are challenging, but the proper guidance and monitoring of experts can lead the task toward a successful ending. So far, the United States of America has a proper setup at the local and government levels. The task of planning and management is carried out by locally settled organizations, and sometimes the government intervenes in mega projects through its policies and funds. Political will is a determining factor in task execution and planning procedures. The planning and management of ecotourism mainly consist of fundraising, revenue generation, data collection, data processing, providing guidelines to tourists, taking care of tourism, and much more. In these undertaking activities, community involvement ensures minimizing the conflict between protection and tourism development interests. The proposed tourism operation was analyzed by federal and government agencies to evaluate the socio-economic benefit of the tasks. After ensuring that the following task benefits the stakeholders, implementation is confirmed. Land management training centers in the country provide specialized courses for their employees to communicate with the community. The most successful ecotourism operation depends upon the overall infrastructural development, program management, and maintaining the level of tourism. Level management can protect the resource from being overused and degraded. While infrastructural enhancement can add value to the operation. The organization of programs for tourists may raise awareness of them, increasing the flux of tourists. In this way, revenue generation increases.
This procedure is pivoted to the political role of the country. An open and friendly foreign policy encourages ecotourism while strictness in policies may impede ecotourism. Some Middle Eastern countries face many challenges in promoting ecotourism because of the orientation of their policies. Sometimes terror threats and religious sanctions stand in the way of ecotourism. Whatever the challenges are the solution lies in the erection of strong policies-bearing institutions.
Ordinance
Ecotourism activities in the United States of America are regulated at various levels, from the local level to the government level, and all organizations are subject to their own status, conditions, possibilities, and challenges. The land is Ecotourism activities in the U.S.A. are regulated by the government of the United States, while at the local level, tourist activities are arranged by the public on their own accord; in such cases, different NGOs and private organizations involved. The regulatory authorities aim to stipulate a code of conduct, carry out environmental protection measures, guide provisions, and license motor boats. Penalties are also conducted when improper or mismanagement occurs while executing tasks or touring the sides. These regulatory bodies have full authority over natural resources. They can legislate laws and form policies that can benefit the users. Besides these responsibilities, regulatory authorities watch out for any environmental impacts caused by ecotourism operations. The ordinance can minimize environmental influences like noise, public terrific, and the collection of raw materials for plants and animals. Otherwise, disturbance in the ecosystem may occur. Birds can get distracted from their nests, and tourist activities may disturb other habitats. The two pioneer agencies of the ordinance with broad zoning authority over land management and ecotourism uses are in New York and New Jersey. These ordinance-bearing institutions have a pivotal role in guarding ecotourism-related activities. Besides polices making they focused on the operation of policies, their pros and cons, and their effects on other factors. A strong organization reflects its functionality by executing its tasks under the prescribed laws. It is crystal clear that a political role is mandatory in the formulation of such institutions and policies.
Controlling and Future Outlooks
Maintaining efficiency and utilizing natural resources are the main objectives of the United States government. Any activity that is prolonged for an extended time is known as efficiently undertaken. In this very concept, future consumption is retained. This procedure involves a proper check and balance of ecotourism’s activities and operations. Keeping the future perspective in mind, the ordinance and regulatory authorities acquired certain policies and tasks that preserve natural resources and provide a better ecotourism opportunity for tourists worldwide. The activities of ecotourism are monitored by benefit-cost analysis on an annual basis. By knowing the flux of tourists, they can formulate policies on maintaining revenue and protecting natural resources. A proper profit analysis goes to stakeholders, and revenue generated by the agencies can be used to formulate actions and tasks that can maintain efficiency and balance.
The US federal agencies have been assessing external recreational activities on a regular basis. One such agency, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, analyzed external recreational wants/needs and environmental requirements for civilians. A survey in the past estimated 209M visitors to national forests of the country and 14.3M visitors to wilderness areas within the country.
The ecotourism industry in the United States of America indicates that a growing number of tourists visit recreational places and tourist attractions, which in turn causes a severe threat to the ecosystem. This problem can be managed and retaliated through proper education of tourism sides’ usage and taking care of the places where tourists visit. Boating and unnecessary roaming around the spots disturb marine life. This can disturb their mating schedule, and excessive garbage thrown to the pounds may cause the death of fish.
