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Towards A Southeast Asian Model Of Resort-Based 'Mass Ecotourism': Evidence From Phuket, Thailand And Bali, Indonesia, Nick Kontogeorgopoulos

All Faculty Scholarship

This paper examines the history of, and current practices associated with, “mass ecotourism” in the long-established resort destinations of Phuket, Thailand and Bali, Indonesia. Using examples from each island’s original mass ecotourism companies, this paper argues that, contrary to approaches that tend to universalize the concept, ecotourism remains highly anchored to local or regional context. In the case of resort areas of Southeast Asia, it derives its origins and ongoing success to fundamental links to conventional mass tourism. A symbiotic relationship between mass tourism and ecotourism has allowed companies in Phuket and Bali to promote such ecotourism principles as conservation, …