Asian ecotourism: Patterns and themes

Three main regions dominate the Asian ecotourism sector. The rainforest and reef region occurs mainly in Thailand and Malaysia and is closely linked with inbound markets and resort tourism. The mountain trekking region is an ecotourism hybrid found in the two sub-regions of northern Thailand and the Himalayas. The blossom and waterfall region is focused on Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, and involves high volumes of domestic participation and floral/hydrological/geological attractions. Major themes of Asian ecotourism include spatial concentration at several scales, the presence of ecotourism that is hybridized and otherwise linked to other forms of tourism, and the critical influence of external environments. It is appropriate to identify an emergent 'Asian ecotourism' that meets the core criteria normally associated with this sector in a distinctive way.

Keywords:

• Ecotourism
• Asia
• Trekking