Bursting The Bubble Summary

Summary of Bursting the bubble: the socio-cultural context of ecotourism In the article, Bursting the bubble: the socio-cultural context of ecotourism, James G. Carrier and Donald V.L. Macleod addresses the topic on a rapid growing industry named Ecotourism, which presents itself as significantly different from conventional mass tourism since it is especially environmentally and socio-culturally responsible, and even beneficial to the local people and their surroundings (Carrier, 316). However, after meticulously considering the examples of two destinations in the Caribbean, Bayahibe and Montego Bay, and analyzing what the tourist industry has affected the local people and their relationships with their surroundings, the authors concluded

The authors pose the question to the audience, that the infrastructure of Montego Bay experienced challenges while the environmentally sensitive costal areas are no doubt affected by the heavy burden brought by the population changes and visitors’ activities. Consequently, the livings of local people, especially that of fishers, are affected substantially since the new-comers from other cities join in as “opportunistic” fishers while the deterioration of water increases the difficulties for them to fish, and their relationships with surroundings no doubt change since there are many costal areas that the hotels reserve only for their guests to enter and these guests are also organized to pass their villages and influenced their lives. Besides, the exploitation of tourism also adversely affect the costal environment and that of national part, while the authors quote from Duffy that ‘the majority of ecotourists ... did not reflect on and confront the results of their own actions’ (2002: 30) (Carrier, 322). The authors also give the example of a few reflection of the people that visit here, that they found the park was long time under no fine maintenance. Although the developers have a few approaches for environmental protection, it is still proved not to benefit, and even interfere the interests of the local people and make them resist these