Copyright © 2010 by Chester B. Cabalza. All Rights Reserved.
A. Prospects of Ecotourism and Ethnic Tourism
Tourism undeniably provides substantial contribution to the local, national as well as the global economy. The nature, type, and scope of tourism destinations have been developing and evolving into more exciting forms that conventional tourism management find it hard to implement tougher environmental requirements needed for sustainable tourism development. According to World Trade and Tourism Organization (WTTO), sustainable tourism development should meet the needs of the present and host regions while protecting and enhancing opportunities for the future.
The impact of tourism on environment and local cultures, however, need not always be negative. Environmental and cultural sensitivity can be, and should be, integrated into regular tourism programs. Such is the case of ecotourism and ethnic tourism. Because of these alternative itineraries, tourists not only visit the best resorts and shopping malls but also appreciate ecological landscapes and immersion within local communities.
In the Philippines, one successful strategy in promoting ecotourism and ethnic tourism would be the ‘jungle survival’ in Subic. The Subic Bay is a former U.S. naval base transformed into a promising economic hub with preserved primary forests and deep natural harbor. In the jungle survival package, the Agtas, an indigenous Negrito group teaches tourists basic techniques in jungle survival. The Subic Metropolitan Bay Authority (SMBA), the governing body of this booming economic zone, has seen potential commodity using indigenous knowledge by promoting ecotourism and ethnic tourism folded into one. This strategy, in a way, has helped preserve Agta’s traditional culture as well as conserving the ecosystem while selling it as hot items among tourists.
Of course, government plays a major role in determining which places for ecotourism and groups of people for ethnic tourism can be recommended for tourists. Wood (1997) believes that the material sources to reconstruct ritual traditions for tourist consumption has become one of the main factors in selecting appropriate areas for international tourism.
So far, the attraction of ethnic tourism for tourists is based on a conceptualization of the ‘Other’ [Budiwanti, (org. Maunti, 2002)], especially in Third World countries, when people of host countries may see an opportunity to exploit this western fascination of the ‘Other’. External forces like the tourists, through programs such as ecotourism and ethnic tourism seem to turn indigenous cultures as commodities, although, sometimes this has strengthened the creation of new forms of identity.
It is said that while the immediate concern will always be the number of jobs created or lost, and revenues generated or forgone, the less immediate effects, such as environmental and cultural deterioration or revitalization, and the erosion of community identity and cohesion, will require careful and costly studies in concert with broadened public discourse to allow for better appreciation of the significance of tourism among industry insiders and the community at large.
In addition, (Edmons & Leposky, 1998) with the emergence of ecotourism and ethnic tourism in Southeast Asia as ways of promoting heterogeneous cultures and rich flora and fauna, consequently, other interesting packages competing in the market, particularly holiday ownership and timesharing, are also contributory to the development of economic activities through tourism. Experts deem that holiday ownership adds value to a sustainable ecotourismic enterprise in two ways while timeshare exchange has the potential to attract timeshare visitors from all parts of the world to ecotourismic resorts.
B. Prominence of Bird Tourism
Based from the study of the Haribon Foundation, they found out that the Philippines and other countries in the Southeast Asia can be tapped for sanctuaries for “bird” tourism because of migratory birds from cold countries passing by the tropical islands of Southeast Asia.
In the report based from the Birdlife International’s Agenda, bird watching potential in the Philippines using biodiversity for ecotourism programs should be explored as another alternative package for the mushrooming tourism industry in the country and the region as well.
However, it is a fact that there are over 10,000 bird species in the world. One in eight of the world’s birds or 1,211 species faces extinction and one third of globally threatened birds are found in Asia. The birds are also used as good indicators of environmental health and biodiversity. Birds are found almost everywhere in the world but the density of globally threatened birds in the world is uneven.
On the other hand, biodiversity is becoming a rare commodity that can be used to attract nature tourists. In fact, some countries including forested Southeast Asia are particularly important for globally threatened species because 64% of globally threatened species are threatened by unsustainable forestry. Birds are found in all major habitats but forest is particularly important.
Hence, there are more than 7,500 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) in the world and over 2000 are found in Asia while 117 are found in the Philippines. Birds are also found in coastal areas and wetlands. Migrating birds know no boundaries. Given this data, today birdwatchers are the largest of all nature-watching groups worldwide since 78 million birdwatchers traveled and spent US$78 million in one year.
Thus, to sum it up, bird watching or experiencing nature in the wild has good potential in the Philippines and Southeast Asia, as a whole. This could be used to explore the use of flagship species and for ecotourism promotion and product development.
C. Conjectures of Medical Tourism
Medical Tourism (MT) also known as medical travel or health tourism can be broadly defined as a health holiday along with a provision for ‘cost effective’ private medical care in collaboration with the tourism industry for patients needing surgical and/or other forms of specialized treatment. It combines wellness and healthcare alongside leisure and relocation aimed at rejuvenating a person – mentally, physically and emotionally.
Ten years ago medical tourism was hardly heard of. Now, countries in Southeast Asia like the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia are growing as destinations for medical tourism because of world-class physicians and modern technology, with procedures delivered at a fraction of the cost of those in developed countries. These countries have excellent hospitals and stand-alone specialty clinics.
Looking at the ASEAN picture today, more than 250,000 patients per year visit Singapore alone - nearly half of them come from the Middle East. On the other hand, Thailand specializes on cosmetic surgery and dental treatments. Other in-demand procedures like eye surgery, kidney dialysis and organ transplantation are also among the most common procedures sought by medical vacationers in Southeast Asia. For a few patients, Phuket has another attraction as well, the Bangkok Phuket Hospital is the premier place to go for sex-change surgery. In fact, that is one of the top 10 procedures for which patients visit Thailand.
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