Ecotourism Employee
The International Ecotourism Society
(TIES) defines ecotourism as “the responsible travel to natural areas that
conserves the environment and sustains the well-being of local people.”
Ecotourism is a growing industry with a wide array of opportunities around the
globe. There are internship and volunteer opportunities, seasonal employment,
or one could start their own ecotourism industry. The travel and tourism industry is the
largest business sector in the world, with over 230 million jobs filling ten
percent of the global domestic product (TIES).
An ecotourism employee can work for a
government, a private tourism
company, a researching university, or a non-governmental organization. Generally, these positions involve working
outdoors and the hours can be demanding depending on the position. Knowledge about sustainable development, ecological
business management, natural resources and conservation and community growth
and development are important issues for one to understand. Although ecotourism has been a tool in
developing countries for conserving their environmental and cultural diversity,
there are also opportunities for ecotourism in the developed world. Ecotourism provides an economic incentive for
environmental conservation.
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Field
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Environmental Conservation and Education
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Job Title
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Ecotourism Employee
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Education
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PhD
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Masters
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Bachelors
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Associate
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Trade School
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Other
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Not required
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Not required
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Aids in ability for off-season work
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Location
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International
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Regional
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States
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Cities
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Corporations
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Top Schools
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Found in most countries where tourism is common
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Local and State National Parks
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Generally in wilderness areas
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Working Conditions
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Salary Range
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Hours
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Benefits
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Atmosphere
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Depends on position, location, amount of danger, and experience
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Can be demanding, often seasonal
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Generally, medical and other insurance, travel and room and
board covered
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Outdoors, mostly collaborative. Often one works with a
community or organization to monitor, maintain sustainability. Much human
interaction with tourists and community.
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Marketable Skills
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Knowledge about sustainable development, business,
environmental issues, tourism.
Communication important. Potential for research. Fluency in foreign language may be
necessary. Resourcefulness is a plus.
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Responsibilities
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Maintain cultural and environmental integrity. Ensure tourists
understand and learn about particular animals, plants, ecology, culture of
area, and enjoy their time.
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A Day in the Life…
There are a variety of activities for
an ecotourism employee throughout the day and depending on the specific
position title they have, most people would not call themselves an ecotourism
employee. For example, an Ecotourism and
Community Based Tourism Adviser working for the Volunteer Service Overseas
(VSO) would work in a poor country to help a particular community to improve
their tourism industry while also conserving their ecological and cultural integrity
for future generations. Others may call
themselves Tour Leaders or Community Environmental Educators. Education will be a large part of their day,
whether it is for a community to help their business or for tourists to enjoy
and appreciate their time there.
Therefore, it is important to know a lot about the plants and animals
there as well as the history of the community and knowledge about their culture
to share with others. The job would
involve much of their day, especially if they manage the activities and
finances of the business. (Based on
interview conducted on April 17, 2009)
Projected Career Outlook
With more experience in the field,
there is the potential to manage or even run your own ecotourism business. It may be difficult to keep one position
since it is seasonal work, more experience allows for more security, especially
if it is your own business. Ecotourism
is a rising industry, with more people each year being interested in traveling
sustainably as well as making money without depleting resources. Knowledge in sustainable development could
also aid in other jobs, such as consulting businesses on how to turn
“green”. Therefore, even internships and
volunteer opportunities in ecotourism would aid one in finding further careers
down the road. According to the Bureau
of Labor Statistics, tour guides in the United States have a mean hourly wage
of $11.57 and a mean annual wage of $24, 060. Honolulu, Hawaii has the highest
concentration of workers, at 1,330; while the U.S. employs a total of 31,620
tour guides. The common industries for
tour guides are scenic sightseeing on land and water, social advocacy groups,
state governments and the federal executive branch. Often, the amount made depends
on the length of the tour, ranging from about $25 to $35 per day. The earnings
vary depending on location, experience and the amount of danger in the job.
(BLS)
Education, Preparation,
and Skills
While the work is commonly seasonal,
having a bachelor’s degree would make it easier to make a living through
ecotourism because your position is more secure and it is easier to find jobs
during the off-season. Knowledge about
business, sustainable development, ecology and education are important aspects
of the positions, although positions vary from tour guides to researchers to
advisers and managers. Often, travel and training will be part of the position
as well. Wilderness training and safety
would be important for tour guides to ensure potential dangers are
avoided.
Employers
There is a great variety of industries
which participate in ecotourism. There
are many non-governmental organizations, such as Conservation International and
The International Union for Conservation of Nature. There are also private companies which run
tours. One could also work for the
government, through local, state and national parks or forests and wilderness
areas. There are also non-profit
organizations, such as the Peace Corps, sending volunteers to aid community-based
ecotourism.
Related Environmental
Careers
Ecotourism
is a broad network of positions, marine biologists are wanted for diving tours,
park rangers for parks and wilderness areas, and conservationists and
ecologists for eco-lodges for wildlife walks.
There are even spa retreat workers in ecotourism, yoga teachers,
masseuses, nutritionists, etc. Since ecotourism is seasonal, most employees can
keep another job in the off-season which may not be environmentally focused.
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Further Information
“Sowing the Seeds of Change: An
Environmental and Sustainable Tourism Teaching Pack for the Hospitality
Industry”, The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), 2008
“Eco-Efficiency: Creating More Value
with Less Impact”, World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD),
2000
The Business of Ecotourism,
Carol Patterson, 2007
Critical Issues in Ecotourism:
understanding a complex tourism phenomenon, Jan Higham,
2007
Sustainable Travel International
Authored and Researched by Kelsey
Danninger