L'écotourisme, une fausse bonne idée ?

0:07 traveling to save our planet, a beautiful utopia, isn't it? We call it ecotourism, a new form of civic travel. The idea is to minimize the impact on the environment in order to preserve it in the long term while benefiting local populations. For now, it represents 5% of global tourism. There is still a long way to go. Today, global tourism is more like this. 1.2 billion travelers in 2016, Trips that require means of transport, planes, boats, trains, buses, cars that consume fossil fuels and contribute to climate change. A round trip from Madagascar uses 567 liters of kerosene per passenger. Paris, New York, one ton of CO2. That's what a French person used to heat their home in a year. In all, tourism accounts for 5% of

0:53 our global greenhouse gas emissions. For example, the Tinguere in Italy, these small villages build on the side of a mountain hidden between land and sea. They welcome 2 million visitors per year in just 43 square kilometers where barely 5,000 people live, with a direct and very clear impact on the environment, waste, CO2 and overconsumption of water. If the situation were to deteriorate, if we could no longer manage the arrival of all these tourists, then we would be forced to take measures to limit the tourist flow. In short, All of this is far from sustainable. In response to the harmful effects of this mass tourism on people and the environment, ecotourism was born at the turn of the 70s and

1:39 80s. Protecting spaces by using tourism revenue. It is practiced in nature in small structures. That's the idea. Saint-Amey is located six hours by plane from Lisbon, a small island off the coast of Gabon. An African archipelago of 200,000 inhabitants that is just opening up to tourism. A still little-known treasure trove of biodiversity, the country has a very clear policy of green tourism. Welcome to La Rosa, a restaurant where the chef cooks local products such as cocoa, a guest room for others, and an ecological tourism center with new plantations. We need to create smart, creative tourism, but at the same time, no mass tourism. Eco-tourism is on the rise and is growing by around 20% per year. But is

2:27 it really eco-friendly? First of all, No form of tourism can be completely neutral for the environment, of course. You have to travel, take a plane or a train, build hotels and roads to get somewhere, especially in the depths of a remote area. Of course, this involves a lot of energy, even if at the end of the road, a magnificent eco-lodge with rainwater and solar panels awaits you. Tourists also produce waste that needs to be treated and recycled. And then when we talk about green tourism, we often talk about observing wild animals. According to some scientists, Tourists disrupt their way of life by causing stress. But surprisingly, overall, this green tourism does more good than harm to wildlife because it helps to save species. At least, that's what an Australian researcher who has studied the issue at length tells us. We've been

3:16 working with companies in Kenya, Tanzania, Amoeba, South Africa, and particularly in Botswana, for 25 years. These companies have spent tens of millions of dollars to save rhinos, elephants, lions, leopards, and cheetahs. If you want to be an eco-tourist, if you want to help protect endangered species, companies like this one exist. Your money will help these species not disappear. If we understand correctly, a dead animal is worth less than a living one. These protected species therefore become profitable. Each of the nine endangered species studied by Ralph's team on five continents benefit from tourism. Botswana, the country studied by our researcher,

4:02 is often cited as an example of successful ecotourism. Today, 45% of its territory is protected. National parks, nature reserves, and poaching are no longer an option. The hunting tribe itself has been forcibly displaced. In any case, the country has implemented very strict ecotourism regulations. Trophy hunting has been banned since 2014. Since then, Botswana has been an elephant sanctuary. It is home to one, thousands of the population of these large African mammals. So how can tourists choose their destination and their packages? It's hard to find your way around. For now, there is no registered ecotourism trademark anywhere in the world. Industry players can therefore use it freely. Real green marketing, sometimes with a 44-kilometer route, helicopter drop-off, swimming pool and air

4:53 conditioning. So what do we do? We stay at home. This is what Americans call staging, a vacation at home. It's more eco-friendly but not really peasant. To be a good eco-tourist, first of all, You can't go with just anyone. You have to go with organizations that have signed ethical charters. You know, in ecotourism, the real question is who gets the money? If people like the mayoress, like the mayoress, are just extras or people who are evacuated from their territory, then ecotourism is perverted.

5:44 It's much more expensive because it uses positive energy technology, water recycling, and buildings with natural materials, which often end up being expensive. But it's also the location. The problem with eco-friendly hotels that I've seen almost everywhere in the world is that they often sell minimal services at the maximum price. So, as in all environments, there are profiteers, but overall, the fact that this type of tourism was invented is a very good thing for the tourism industry. There is no magic formula for successful ecotourism, but in any case, regulations will have to be put in place to oversee this new form of travel.