커뮤니티 기반 생태관광의 연구:멕시코 유카탄을 사례로

Abstract

This study firstly reviews the definition and significance of ecotourism.

It also investigates the significance of the community based ecotourism by

considering the emergence of the community-centered development strategy.

It further looks into the role, significance, and problem of tourism players in the

process of implementation of community based ecotourism based on the

experience of ecotourism in the northern peninsular of Yucatán in Mexico.

The concept of ecotourism was suggested from the development process of

Yucatán peninsular in Mexico in 1980s. It is argued that the ecotourism can

satisfy the two goals of the creation of social and economic revenues for the

community and the natural environment preservation. The ecotourism is

focused on natural regions and customers satisfaction. It also centers on

education, environment preservation, and cultural respect. The significance of

ecotourism includes responsible tourism for the tourists and regional residents

participation to tourism in the perspective of economy, environment and

society.

The wild creature management led by government was failed and new and

innovative preservation policy was required. The policy was called as

community based natural resource management or community preservation

area. Such a policy assumes that providing the benefit for production

community is connected to the preservation. In the effect of neoliberalism, most

developing countries experienced retreat of government role and regional

communities realized the responsibility for restoration of local life environment.

Thus, the community based ecotourism was emerged as an alternative of

existing models.

The programs of ecotourism of northern Yucatán in Mexico include Pac-chen

village for original residents, historic sites of Mayan culture, and tropical forest

as tourism attraction. The practical implementing subjects of that program were

tourism company, guides, and participant residents for supporting tourists. The

tourists were foreigners from developed countries.