Americans’ quest to escape the rigors of this new century for a while has not translated into growth in eco-tourism, however. Eco-tourism is a prime component of the LOHAS market’s Ecological Lifestyles sector, and while the category as a whole is growing, ecotourism’s growth has decelerated in recent years. In 2002, the World Tourism Organization reported that the U.S. international eco-tourism market is about 4 percent of the overall market and is growing at a similar annual rate as the overall market. But, like the overall tourism market, the $60 billion ecotourism niche has been challenged in the post-9-11 landscape. A 2004 report by the International Ecotourism Society labeled consumer demand for responsible tourism as “strong, growing, but largely passive.”
However, as the tide for all tourism slowly has begun to turn, so it has for eco-tourism. Despite continuing international turmoil, “The 2004 outlook is the best in three years,” says Tim Warren, president of Adventure Business Consultants in Forestville, Calif. “The ecotourism segment should be growing at the same improved rate as mainstream travel.”
The changes in consumer lifestyles that we are seeing are not simply a passing trend because they are carried
through by a reality: climate change, pollution, scarcity of raw materials, economic disorder. The responsible consumer is a growing trend.
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