NGOs in ecotourism: patrons of sustainability or neo-colonial agents? Evidence from Africa

• Amare Wondirad ^[1] ; Denis Tolkach ^[2] ; Brian King ^[2]
  1. [1] Woosong University

     Woosong University

     Corea del Sur

     
  2. [2] Hong Kong Polytechnic University

     Hong Kong Polytechnic University

     RAE de Hong Kong (China)

     
• Localización: Tourism recreation research, ISSN 0250-8281, Vol. 45, Nº. 2, 2020, págs. 144-160
• Idioma: inglés
• Enlaces
  • Texto completo
• Resumen

  • NGOs have become involved in ecotourism because of its potential to balance economic development, environmental conservation, and socio-cultural revitalisation. However, some critics have associated ecotourism with neo-colonialism and with the perpetuation of economic and political hegemonies because the concept has been advanced from the West. The present study adopts a qualitative research approach to explore the merits of two opposing views – that NGOs facilitate and advance sustainable development or that they are agents of neo-colonialism. The researchers focus on a nation which was spared the experience of colonisation – Ethiopia – to explore whether ecotourism practice can be accurately characterised as ‘neo-colonial’. Through a close examination of NGO involvement in ecotourism, the authors challenge the widely held view that NGOs use sustainable development as a pretext to promote neo-colonial ideas. The paper contributes to theory and practice by explaining the relationship between neocolonialism and ecotourism. Implications and opportunities for future research are also discussed.