| dc.description.abstract | While to some extent there is disharmony in defining the term ecotourism, most tourism research agrees that
the eco prefix is a definite pointer to environmental or natural resource management as a core value to the
concept. However, the inherent gap between theoretical conceptualization of ecotourism as ‘‘green practice
expected to address adverse outcomes of conventional tourism’’ and actual environmental impacts of this
form of tourism raises the question of whether or not ecotourism in practice complies more closely with its
defining criteria. In this regard, this article explores the term ecotourism as a metaphor for pro environmental
behavior, uncovering its derivatives as constructed by tourism players in Kenya. The study covered five focal
areas for ecotourism identified by the Ecotourism Society of Kenya, analyzing excerpts from hypertexts that
operate at the supply side of tourism to read motivations for references to the term. The readings were then
compared to The International Ecotourism Society definition of ecotourism which was taken as a neutral
position. The findings revealed that environmental sustainability was an insignificant concern, as compared to
product promotion and corporate image in informing the concept of ecotourism in focal areas. Consequently,
the ‘‘eco prefix’’ metaphor in tourism is informed by economic and social logics, serving stakeholders other
interests. The authors recommend a revisit to the practical basis of the concept for actors in ecotourism focal
areas, with keen considerations to linguistic adequacies of the term’s use. | en_US |
