Ecological and cultural aspects of the evolutionary development models of ecological tourism

Abstract

Theses for search of new types of ecological tourism on the basis of allocation of the prevailing signs of the territory are formed. Currently, ecotourism is spread all over the world: Latin America, Asia and Africa. As a result of natural and cultural features, the existing models of ecotourism have been transformed and new types of ecotourism have appeared. The Middle East is the centre of the origin of the planet's religions. A distinctive feature of Iran, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Israel is the orientation of tourism on pilgrimage tours to sacred places. In Africa and Australia, there is a type of ecotourism, such as ethnic or aboriginal tourism, the cultural landscape of which includes the territory of traditional nature management of local tribes. A special feature of ecotourism in Central and Latin America is the organisation of national parks for the preservation of ancient landscape complexes of extinct civilisations. In Russia, a new type of ecotourism has emerged—expeditionary tourism, which is less dependent on the transport accessibility of the territory and its routes cover large areas. Ecological and cultural synthesis, going beyond the protected areas to the cultural landscape, the greening of the local economy—these can and should be the new principles of the Russian strategy of ecotourism. Each macro region is characterised by its model of environmental and cultural values, which should form national eco-tourism concepts.

Keywords: Ecological tourism, American (North American, Australian) ecotourism model, Western European (German) ecotourism model, recreational tourism, educational tourism, scientific tourism, rural tourism, ethnic tourism.