Modernisation theory, ecotourism policy, and sustainable development for poor countries of the global South: perspectives from Nepal

ABSTRACT

Despite its popularity as a strategy for sustainable development in the global South, ecotourism has had a mixed record in enhancing the socio-economic conditions of the rural populace. We argue that part of this failure lies in the fact that the theory and practice of ecotourism, like conventional mass tourism, has been guided by a modernisation approach to development. In this paper, we outline the historical evolution of ecotourism policy in Nepal, review the present global policy agenda of ‘ecotourism for development’, and offer a critique of modernist forms of ecotourism. Using empirical research from secondary sources on ecotourism in Nepal, we then discuss the economic, social, educational, and environmental benefits of community-based ecotourism. We conclude that to achieve sustainable development goals in Nepal and other poor countries of the global South, the focus of ecotourism for development should shift from modernist, ‘economist’ forms of ecotourism to more locally controlled, participatory forms of community-based ecotourism for sustainable development.

KEYWORDS:

• Ecotourism
• sustainable development
• Nepal
• community participation
• modernisation
• development critiques

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.