In this month's Slate.com Well-Traveled section Elisabeth Eaves explores what ecotourism means in Honduras.She points out the ironies of the tourism industry's eco-promise versus the not-so-eco realities.
And she even selflessly points out that tourists - including herself - are also to blame for ruining the environment:
"On our last day on the coast, I floated facedown in the Caribbean, toting up my sins. I had flown in an airplane, taken taxis instead of buses, requested air conditioning, run the air conditioning even after I realized I couldn't shut one of my windows, and bought small plastic bottles of water. That was all before sundown on my first day. Subsequently, I had participated in the feeding of wild animals, been driven around in gasoline-powered cars and boats, eaten conch (I didn't know it was threatened), and—this one hadn't even occurred to me until I read it in a guidebook—worn sunscreen and DEET-laden bug repellent while swimming above the delicate corals. But I had no idea how to weigh all that against whatever minuscule economic benefit I might have been bringing to Honduras."At least she admits to her eco-sins while most travel writers do not, but if one is writing a story about ecotourism at least one should try to be a little more eco-friendly than she was. To Ecotravel News her story seems like just a ruse to write an article while enjoying a tropical vacation as opposed to really caring about the environment and doing something to make a difference.
Read the full story: Eco-touring in Honduras
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