Ecotourism and education for sustainability: a critical approach

Abstract

This paper considers the potential of ecotourism as a form of environmental education for sustainability. It reviews current concepts of education for sustainability and research on the educational impact of ecotourism, and points to a gap between the aspirations of education for sustainability and the outcomes of current ecotourism programs. The paper further argues that a critical approach to environmental education through ecotourism is the most appropriate form for contemporary concepts of sustainability, and illustrates how this approach can be applied to environmental education using a strategy of critical discourse analysis.