Comparative Study of Eco-tourism in the Caribbean Sea Area

(1)本项目的主要目的是研究加勒比地区生态旅游的社会文化因素。在1974财政年度，在巴哈马、巴巴多斯、古巴、多米尼加联邦、多米尼加共和国、牙买加、波多黎各、圣马丁、圣文森特、特立尼达和多巴哥进行了实地研究。此外，在1973财政年度还在伯利兹、哥斯达黎加、危地马拉、洪都拉斯、墨西哥和巴拿马进行了实地研究。根据世界旅游组织（WTO）的统计，1993年全世界的游客总数为5亿。虽然大众旅游有助于经济发展和金融优势，但它也造成了环境退化和文化破坏。实现可持续旅游和负责任旅游成为一个全球性问题。在我们调查的加勒比国家中，旅游业已经成为主导产业。这些国家的政府正在建设性地促进国际旅游业。然而，他们的国家旅游政策大多以促进大众旅游为导向，因为经济发展和财政优势是最重要的。在加勒比国家，生态上可持续和负责任的旅游尚未实现。(4)生态旅游通常是少数人组团旅游，不适合大众旅游。通过对加勒比岛屿国家和中美洲国家的广泛比较研究，我们成功地获得了发展中国家生态旅游的许多重要数据。(5)发展中国家如加勒比地区大多数国家要实现生态可持续的旅游和负责任的旅游，发达国家的国际合作和官方发展援助是不可避免和不可或缺的。研究结果将为生态旅游领域的国际合作做出贡献。

(1)The main aim of this project is to study socio-cultural factors of ecotourism in the Caribbean area. Field researches have been done in Bahama, Barbados, Cuba, Commonwealth of Dominica, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, St.Martin, Saint Vincent, Trinidad and Tobago in the fiscal year of 1974. Also, field researches had been done in Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Panama in the fiscal year of 1973.(2)According to the World Tourism Organization (WTO) , tourists arrivals worldwide in 1993 totalled 500 million. While mass tourism contributes to the economic development and financial advantage, it also causes environmental degradation and cultural disruption. The realization of sustainable tourism and responsible tourism become a global issue.(3)In the Carribean countries we have investigated, the tourism industry has already become a leading industry. Governments of these countries are constructively promoting international tourism. However, their national tourism policies are mostly oriented toward the promotion of mass tourism because economic development and finacial advantage have prime importance. Ecologically sustainable and responsible tourism has not yet been realized in the Carribean countries.(4)Ecotourism usually involves a small number of tourists in a group, so that it is not fitted with mass tourism. We have successfully acquired many important data on ecotourism in the developing countires, through extensive and comparative researches in Caribbean island countries and Middle American countries.(5)In order to realize ecologically sustainable tourism and responsible tourism in developing countries such as most countries in the Carribean area, international cooperation and ODA (official development assistance) by the developed countries are inevitable and indispensable. The results of our study will be contributed to the international cooperation in the field of ecotourism.