unrelated to an adjacent, major tourist attraction--the ancient Roman baths. ..... borrow from the existing landscape to enhance tourists' experiences without ...
Resort Ec0t0urism:
A MasterPlanfor Experience Management Destination resorts are beginning to realize that "green" operation is fast
by Hana Ayala
becoming a business imperative. Ecotourism, too, offers an economic oppor. tunity for those willing to follow a master plan for developing ecoresorts.
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cotourism will be a chief purpose for international leisure travel in the first part of the 21st century. As I outlined in the first article in this series, ecotourism involves both environmental and cultural-heritage aspects.1 Traditional sun-and-sand and sightseeing
in the absenceof an eceresert master plan, the Ja}eusie Plantation Resort and Spa--an upscale vacatien product--is embraced by a dramatic hut meaningless beauty. That is, the resort is i~ no way connectedto iis place and fits ne eceteurism mold despite having been deveieped in an environmentalJysensitive manner.
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HanaAyala, Ph.D.,formerly on the faculty of the School of Social Ecology at the University of California, Irvine, is president of EcoResorts International-Research and Development. © 1996,CornellUniversity 1See: Haua Ayala,"Resort Ecotourism: A Paradigm for the 21st Century," in this issue of" Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly (Vol. 37, No. 5), pp. 46-53.
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resorts can be part o f a destination's ecotourism effort by developing plans to manage a guest's experience with interpretive activities and programs to conserve a destination's natural and cultural heritage. I introduced the concept of an ecoresort master plan in another publication, and in this article I flesh out that concept. 2 Formulated as a prototype, the ecoresort master plan is internationally applicable, emphasizing the quality and sustainability of the traveler's experience of a particular place's heritage. The master plan integrates three core principles: the "resort-plus" scope of master-planning; an expanded capacity to assimilate; and a layered approach to product development. The resort-plus principle is elaborated in the other two principles. While some of the guidelines presented by the master plan can be used for upgrading existing resorts, the ecoresort concept is of particular relevance to planning new developments.
"Resort-Plus" Destination resorts have traditionally been in the business of providing a self-contained guest experience under the resort's purview. Ecotourism involves substantial travel outside the resort's umbrella, unless the resort's developers and managers work with destination planners to integrate natural and cultural aspects of the destination with interpretive activities at the resort. The idea of "resort-plus" spans the considerations of contextual access, selfcontainment, heritage themes, and resort-destination partnerships. C o n t e x t u a l a c c e s s . Maintaining appropriate access to heritage resources can be a formidable challenge. Some attractions cannot sus2 Hana Ayala, "Ecoresort: A 'Green' Masterplan for the International Resort Industry," IraernafionalJournal qfiHospitalit), Managemellt , Vol. 14, No. 3-4 (1995), pp. 351-374.
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The design of the Doryssa Bay Hotel (Samos, Greece), visible in the background, is completely unrelated to an adjacent, major tourist attraction--the ancient Roman baths.
rain large numbers of visitors, while others are restricted by statute or custom. In my previous article, I gave the example of how the government of Myanmar proclaimed "visit Myanmar year" and then restricted access to the ancient city of Bagan to protect its temples. The United States National Park Service has long restricted back-country access to the Grand Canyon by issuing limited numbers of permits to would-be hikers. A tourism strategy, whether national or regional, must be realistic about visitor volume and the infrastructure needed to support that volume. It must also be realistic about physical access to cultural or natural attractions. Uganda's ambitious goal in the next decade is to develop ecotourism into the nation's number-one source of foreign exchange) The strategy calls for selling access to a wealth of diverse and vulnerable ecosystems and species for an economic benefit that is supposed to favor conservation. W h a t is not clear about the policy is 3john Balzar,"Ambition and Dread in Uganda," Los Angeles Tinges, July 1 i, 1995, p. A10.
whether it includes sufficient restrictions on tourist visits to conserve the resources that those tourists wish to visit. As the number of ecotourists grows, an emphasis on "contextual access" should replace the emphasis on physical access. A skillful interpretation of a natural or cultural p h e n o m e n o n can add value to the tourists' experience, while reducing the need for physical access to sensitive areas. That is especially true if some of the access can involve distant views. Consequently, destination planners should identify the natural and cultural resources whose ecotourism value could be enhanced through interpretation carried out on the ecoresort's premises. U N E S C O recently introduced "associative cultural landscape" as a new category of World Heritage Sites. The heritage value of an associative cultural landscape is defined by the powerful religious, artistic, or cultural associations through which the local people identify with the landscape's features. In 1993, the Tongariro National Park in N e w Zealand became the first site recognized within the new category.
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are hard pressed to match. That consideration is important, since a growing proportion of international leisure travel involves circuits, or multiple destinations, 4 The composition of powerful heritage themes depends on interpretation, which can establish for guests a connection with sites they have not visited. Such a connection can enhance the quality and educational impact of the experience, and it can result in repeat visits.
Resort-destination partners.
As explained in the text, ecotourism depends on, among other things, research regarding the ecology and evolution of destinations' landscapes. By developing such information, ongoing research will encourage guests to return to learn more about a destination. Pictured above is an interpretive exhibit within Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah).
While a tourist looking at the landscape of Tongariro without preparation will undoubtedly see a marvelous view, that person could not fully appreciate the area's cultural significance. Tongariro's volcanic landscape defines the mythology and spiritual life of the Maori people. Appropriate interpretation will disclose the cultural value of this landscape. When tourists learn that the mountains are sacred to the Maori people, who themselves refrain from traveling into them, tourists will then understand the need to limit physical access. Self-containment. The ecoresort master plan endorses the building of resorts as self-contained developments in the sense that they follow a "green" model through resource conservation, recycling, and energy efficiency. Beyond that, the resort should be an integral part of the management of the heritage resources that are outside the resort but within reach of it through views and excursions. The ecoresort master plan emphasizes the dual role of interpretation as a mediator of the ecotourism experience and as a
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means of minimizing any ecological and cultural disturbance resulting from the resort's presence. An ecoresort that surrounds its guests with a stimulating interpretive program will modify visitor patterns, redirect interest to alternative sites, and even retain the bulk of visitors by satisfying their curiosity and their educational interest. Heritage themes. One site's heritage can often be connected with natural and cultural themes of an entire country or region. For example, the Silk Route evokes the network of historic thoroughfares linking the cultural treasures of China and Europe. The medieval Pilgrims' Way to Santiago gives a unifying theme to monuments and art inspired by Christians across northern Spain. The "ice and fire" theme of the New Zealand Natural Heritage Foundation brings together glaciation and volcanism as the two forces that have defined New Zealand's landscape. Resorts that develop heritage themes relating to more than one destination can combine to build tourist itineraries that competitors
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Sustainable and profitable resort ecotourism--for many developing countries the greatest hope for making conservation economically viable--will best be achieved through partnerships. The international resort industry has an interest in having conservation strategies put in place by host governments, and it can itself be a prominent factor in the development of such strategies. The industry has so f~arbeen absent from any such partnerships, however. The ecoresort master plan makes the pursuit of partnerships a priority. Patronage of heritage resources is a worthwhile step for an ecoresort project--not just monetary donations but also potential sponsorship of research on the destination's natural and human ecosystems. Many developing countries want to combine access to more knowledge about their resources with access to funds that would help protect those resources. International ecotourism has yet to be appreciated as a widely applicable partnership that can bridge the business and conservation value of research and help create sustainable development. Ecotourism depends, among other things, on research regarding 4 Hana Ayala,"The Unresearched Phenomenon of'Hotel Circuits,'" Hos!oitaliryResearchJournal, Vol. 16, No, 3 (1993), pp. 59-73.
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the ecology and evolution of destinations' landscapes. By developing additional information, ongoing research will encourage guests to return to learn more about a destination. The presence of a research institute or a university-based investigation of local natural and cultural resources is a strong attraction for an ecotourism destination resort. The same research that will boost the quality of the ecotourism product can be used to improve the efficiency and sustainability of resource use. Such research could produce benefits in agriculture, forestry, health, and education. A shift toward experience management opens the way for an unprecedented contribution by the international resort industry to assist in the conservation and sustainable development of destinations.
An Expanded Capacity to Assimilate The concept of assimilation refers to integrating the "inside" and "outside" components of the resort to make the resort more a part of its environment. Enjoying the experience. The master plan brings together several findings that indicate the need to direct attention to the visitor's comfort level in experience management. Experiences will be more enjoyable under the following conditions. • Tourists can more thoroughly enjoy foreign environments, traditions, and climates from a safe, familiar base. 5 • If tourists are not prepared for exposure to an unfamiliar envis See, for example: Eric Cohen, "Towards a Sociology of International Tourism," Social Resealrh,Voh 39, No. 1 (Spring 1972), pp. 164182; M.M.Warmedal, "Sports-Tourism Linked to Hotels, Cabins, Hostels and Camps, Including Mountain Tourism in Summer, and CrossCountry Skiing--the Notwtegian Experience," in Semirtar on New Forms of Demartd arid New Products, Nicosia, Cypt'tG May 8-9, I99I (Madrid: World Tourism Organization, 1991), pp. 39-54.
ronment or tradition, the quality of their experience diminishes. 6 • Interpretation promotes the tourist's enjoyment and the experience's education value. Without being intrusive, interpretation should shift tourists' awareness and filter out preconceptions. 7 • The more engaging and thoughtprovoking the interpretationmediated exposure is, the less likely it is that one visitor's enjoyment of the attraction will impinge on another visitor's enjoyment. • The mere presence of a resort in an environmentally sensitive location does not mean it will attract ecotourists. Nor is the ecotourism market automatically an environmentally sensitive market. Contrary marketing assumptions mitigate against tapping the full potential of ecotourism. The implications for planning and design of these principles include the idea that the ecoresort should be a staging area that will facilitate the traveler's enjoyment of the place and accommodate more of the ecotourism experience. To enhance the traveler's capacity to enjoy the heritage-based experience, the ecoresort master plan seeks to achieve the greatest affinity between the project's infrastructure and the destination experience. ~'Horst Kopp, "Tourism and Recreation in NorthernYemen," Tourism Recreation Research, Vol. 14, No. 2 (1989), pp. 11-15. 7Bryan Brace Taylor, "The Displaced Moment: Intangible Qualities of Hotel Environments," Mimab Vol. 25 (September 1987), pp. 18-19; David L. Andersen,"A Window to the Natural World: The Design of Ecotourism Facilities," in Ecotourism--A Guidefor Planners and Managers, ed. Kreg Lindberg and Donald E. Hawkins (North Bennington,VT: Ecotourism Society, 1993), pp. 116-133; C.M. Hall, D.M Springett, and B.P. Springett, "The Development of an Environmental Education Tourist Product: A Case Study of the New Zealand Natural Heritage Foundation's Nature of the New Zealand Programme," lout'naI of Sustainable Tourism, Vol. 1, No. 2, 1993, pp. 130-136.
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Infrastructure and experience. An ecoresort project can build on various planning and design solutions that have already generated business dividends. 8 Ecologically sensitive site plans and designs can harmonize hospitality with the preservation of a desert ecosystem (e.g., the Loew'sVentana Canyon Resort, Arizona); of a growth of malaleuca trees (e.g., the Ramada Great Barrier R e e f Resort, Queensland, Australia); and of the leatherback sea turtles' migration routes (e.g, the Tanjong Jara Beach Hotel and Rantau Abang Visitors Center, Malaysia). Using indigenous materials and drawing on native craftsmanship encourage a design that can instill an appreciation ofa resort's setting. Amanresorts' development philosophy gives a strong sense of place to each project through native architecture and local materials, sensitiviv/to the ecosystem, and management that encourages observance of the surrounding communities' traditions. Equally applicable to the ecoresort concept are property layout and architecture that strive for openness to the surrounding landscape. The approaches include the confluence of interior gardens with exterior portions of the grounds (Kona Surf Resort and Country Club, Hawaii) and the tuning of the hotel architecture and grounds to the natural ecosystem (Camino Real Ixtapa, Mexico) or the cultural landscape (Parador San Francisco, the gardens of which blend in with the adjacent parks of Granada's Alhambra, Spain). The view can be used as a catalyst for the guests' interaction with the destination. In the ecotourism industry the value of the view lies equally in its information content Hana Ayala,"Resort Hotel Landscape as an International Megatrend," Aimals of Tourism Resea~rh, Vol. 18, No. 4 (1991), pp. 568-587.
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The magnificent garden of Kyoto's Tenryuji Temple (Japan) is an exampie of how a site may borrow from the existing landscape to enhance tourists' experiences without actually detracting from that landscape.
and the pleasure it offers guests. Spatial separation of the resort and the distant view is an opportunity, not a limitation. For example, a panoramic view usually has higher information content for interpretive guidance than a close-up view. The panorama can be transformed into an attraction in its own right, which may be greatly enhanced by the design of the grounds. The concept of shakkei ("borrowed scenery" or "landscape captured alive"), developed into an art form in Japan, is inspiring. 9 A borrowed view invites further exploration through the use of interpretive exhibits, thereby increasing the complexity, authenticity, and educational value of the experience. Mythology, folk memory, and literature relating to the viewed landscapes can all be fed into the interpretation. Paintings, sculptures, music, and other forms of the landscape-inspired art can also be used as interpretive tools, providing an insight into the place-specific 9 Hana Ayala,"1},esort Landscape Systems: A Design Management Solution," Tourism Mm~a2emeut, Vol. 12, No. 4 (1991), pp. 280-290.
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integration of ecological, spiritual, and aesthetic values. In the ecoresort concept, interpretive guidance is more than an exhibit on a lobby wall. It is an interplay of the resort's layout, the buildings' and grounds' architecture, and interpretive exhibits that minimizes the boundary between the resort-owned elements of the setting and the borrowed elements. It enhances the project's sense of place and contributes to its appeal. Integral to the effort is the ecoresort's capacity to borrow, rather than develop, landscape resources. From the point of view of business as well as environmental benefits, designing and using that capacity is the driving element of the master plan.
Indigenous societies' benefits. The use of indigenous cultural and material resources in implementing an ecoresort master plan favors the quality of the tourist experience, the development's marketability, and the fitness and efficiency of its responses to climate and other characteristics of the place. It also provides spiritual support for the local culture and an economic rationale
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for the continuation of local traditions. A publication of the Tourism Council of the South Pacific explores the relationship between the future of the hotel industry in Papua N e w Guinea, and the future of the country itself and offers a valuable model for hotel-mediated cultural experiences. 1°As the international resort industry's expansion increasingly centers on emerging, exotic destinations, the subject of crosscultural resort construction in the context of sustainable development deserves discussion. The growing prominence of heritage resources is an opportunity for indigenous people to benefit from tourism by being directly involved in the management of those resources. At the same time, such involvement can improve the quality and genuineness of the visitor experience. Many arguments in favor of that view can be gathered in the South Pacific island region, where the cultures are an integral part of their environments, and the environments, enveloped in sacred values, rituals, and beliefs, are an integral part of the cultures. When the village people determine the size of the group that will experience a traditional ceremony, manage the ceremony, take steps to guarantee its cultural integrity, and impart an understanding of their world view, the tourists' satisfaction can be greatly increased. The indigenous management can promote the guest's sense of participation, u It is a noteworthy model of a partnership bulk on respect, understanding, and reciprocity of gains. The ecotourism experience is also enriched when the indigenous i, David Week and David Richardson, Building, Hotels ij~ Papua New Guinea: A Cultm'al Approach (Suva, Fiji:Tourism Council of the South Pacific, 1991). ~1Trevor Sofield, "Sustainable Ethnic Tourism in the South Pacific: Some Principles," Journal of Tourism Studies, Voi. 2, No. 1 (1991), pp. 56-72.
people share their cultural knowledge of the environment with the visitor. Many visitors to Australia's national parks and other natural landscapes never realize that their destination is a cultural landscape that has evolved in response to tens of thousands of years of Aboriginal land-management practices. The Uluru (Ayers Rock) National Park is an inspiring exception, involving the Aboriginal people in the management of the visitor experience. That management allows the Ayers R o c k Resort to offer its guests a product built around an outstanding natural landscape with the deep imprint of an indigenous culture. The park successfully channels traditional knowledge and skills into modern land-management practices and stimulates the indigenous culture's further development through an integration of heritage values with present-day needs. The international resort industry could be a powerful force in the conservation of culture, as directed by native peoples. The use of traditional motifs or building forms is only the beginning o f a resort's potential cultural fit. The ecoresort master plan defines culturalfit as cultural fitness, respectful of local traditions. Conservation--not preservation--of a cultural heritage, like conservation of the environment, allows evolution to continue. Resort ecotourism can enhance the capacity and motivation of indigenous people to keep their traditional sociocultural systems alive and evolving.
A LayeredApproach The development of a product based on place is a more dynamic and open-ended process than the development of a vacation-oriented product. The content of the place experience can encompass different depths of tourist participation and education and various spatial scales,
Native colors, textures, and architectural styles inspire the distinctive appearance and ambience of the Hotel Bora Bora (now an Amanresort) in French Polynesia.
while the vacation is essentially passive. The principle of layering allows ecotourists to determine the level of intensity of their experience.
Diversifying the experience. While united by a desire for heritage experiences, international tourists differ in the intensity of their interest and in their ability and willingness to undertake physical effort in its pursuit. By providing opportunities for an interpreted and mediated place experience on its premises, the ecoresort will be wellpositioned to satisfy the demand for a comfortable ecotourism experience. The interpretive guidance conveyed through design and management can simultaneously be used to provide support for, and augment the enjoyment of, the pre- and postexcursion stages of the tourist visit. Given the changing demographics in developed countries, ma W international tourists are of an age at which they travel more often, stay longer, and have the means and enthusiasm to seek heritage experiences in the far corners of the world relative to the typical younger traveler. Older travelers such as these
are a great prospect for ecotourism destinations.12 In addition to segmenting the market on the physical aspects of the experience, the ecoresort can further diversify according to the depth of exposure by annexing a "specialist" outpost. The Tropical Hotel Manaus (Brazil) is an example. Guests can stay exclusively at this luxury resort or take an excursion to the "satellite" Lago Salvador Jungle Hotel for a more intense experience of the rain forest. The Kia OraVillage Hotel (French Polynesia) is another variation on the intensity theme. Its adventure in style on the 1Kangiroa atoll is expandable into the experience of "harder" adventure and discovery through a stay on an islet at Kia Ora Sauvage.
Cooperative master-planning. Multiple-resort developments are ~2Bert Winterbottom, "Urban Models Worldwide," in ProceediJ~s of the 1991 World Cot~gress ot~ Adue~ture Travel and Eco-tourism (Englewood, NJ: Adventure Travel Society, 1991), p. 153; Richard lKyel and Tom Grasse, "Marketing Ecotourism: Attracting the Elusive Ecotourists," in .N'ature Tom'is1~l: Mat~aoit~2for the Ett~ilvnment, ed.Tensie Whelan (Washington, DC: Island Press, 1991), pp. 164-184; and Andersen, p. 132.
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to visit the chain's various properties. Connection between resort and place should be genuine in each case. M u c h can be learned from the culture-based model of Spain's paradors, which are synonymous with the country's cultural legacy and scenic beauty. 13 The planning philosophy behind the network of 86 paradors combines the opening up of little-known, mostly inland areas of outstanding beauty with resuscitation of historic monuments. Each parador, historic in its own right, is a springboard to the exploration of its heritage-rich surroundings. Perhaps the highest accomplishment of the paradors' patronage of culture is not that it brings back to /3 Hana Ayala, "International HotelVentures: Back to the Future," Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, Vol. 31, No. 4 (1991), pp. 38-45.
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life past cultural achievements but that it gives birth to new ones. An impressive group of Spanish writers, each focusing on a particular parador, produced a collection of essays that take the reader on a countrywide j o u r n e y of discoveries. TMThe two-volume literary masterpiece, richly illustrated with photographs and translated into many languages, promotes one of the highest accomplishments of Spain's tourist industry and culture. Most resorts will not have the chance to use existing buildings that are already associated with a destination's history and culture. Consequently, the ecoresort concept offers a strategy for developing m o d ern hotel infrastructures with a place's identity. The idea is to create an ecoresort portfolio that generates a flow of multidestination ecotourism. Such a resort-destination partnership involves laying out an ecoresort network that is coordinated with a national or regional conservation strategy structured around distinctive heritage themes. The model is particularly attractive, in both business and environmental benefits, to situations where the destination lacks protected areas or has only a rudimentary system of them. is Given the significance of heritage themes, one can make the case that a resort network should be recognized as a unit of master-planning in its own right. Cooperative masterplanning in the spirit of the ecoresort concept would help the "sister" properties induce combined or ~4From Parador to Parador Spain (Madrid: Secretaria General de Turismo and Luna Wennberg Editores, 1986). 15Hana Ayala, "From Quality Product to Ecoproduct:Will Fiji Set a Precedent?," Tourism Management, Vol. 16, No. 1 (1995), pp. 39-47; and Hana Ayala,"The International Resort Industry, Heritage Conservation and Sustainable Development:Towards an Unprecedented Partnership," Insula--International ffournal qf lsland Affairs, Vol. 4, No. 1 (1995), pp. 32-47.
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repeat stays and pool the benefits of environmental sponsorship. It would be a source of competitive strength, with a synergistic effect on the identity, visibility, and marketability of the cooperating properties.
Into the 21st Century The international resort industry is confronted with the need for unprecedented changes. If, as I anticipate, the distinction between international tourism and international ecotourism blurs, a new rationale emerges for product and market segmentation. The prospect of heritage tourism offers development possibilities for areas that are currently "overbuilt" by offering a new aspect of tourism, and also provides a means for appropriate development in previously untouched areas. The business prospect of ecotourism appears enormous, but so is the potential for a failed venture that not only loses money but creates adverse and often irreversible changes in the natural and cultural resources. Ecotourism emerges as a mediator among business, conservation, and socioeconomic interests. The paradigm of international ecotourism carries three major strategic implications for the international resort industry. First, the ownership and management of the resort product, defined by the boundaries of the resort site, must be aligned with the ownership and management of the resources beyond the resort but within the radius of the guests' experience of the destination. Second, resort planning, design, management, and marketing must be conceived within a single master plan based on the essential concepts of ecotourism and including all stakeholders. Third, whenever a group's international-expansion strategy includes two or more new resort developments in a particular destination, a master plan should integrate the envisioned portfolio of
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Two Ecotourism Opportunities The following two resorts could readily expand their operations to include a resort-plus mode of ecotourism, but much would have been gained in fitness for that purpose if they had been so designed from the start. Caneel Bay. The Caneel Bay resort on St. John Island is located in a privileged setting, as envisioned by its developer, Laurance Rockefeller.* Embraced by the Virgin Islands National Park, at least some of which was donated by Rockefeller in part to insulate the resort, it followed the ideal of an environmentally sensitive development that does not distract from spectacular scenery--the '60s version of ecotourisrn, although the term was then not known. However, the diverse scenery that unfolds as one walks along the resort's exclusive peninsula has not been used to frame an ecotourism experience as we know it today. Nowhere in the resort or in its promotional materials is it mentioned that the resort is in a Biosphere Reserve (i.e., in an internationally recognized research "laboratory" and a superlative pool of biological and ecological diversity). Its management and grounds could accommodate a shift in focus if management so desired. The seven beautiful beaches that frame the resort could be staging areas for an interpretive exploration of each view and an introduction to further discoveries along the trails that unwind from the resort. The resort could establish a heritage theme through a connection with other Biosphere Reserves--either in the United States or on other islands. It could take the form of a multiresort cooperative effort, from which a portion of gains would go to support the "laboratories" that will keep the ecotourism experience unique and ever-changing. That's to say, its historical success notwithstanding, Caneel Bay resort could profitably embark on a forward-looking strategy to fortify its appeal to the changing market of international leisure travelers while further enhancing and preserving its unique location. Jalousie Plantation Resort and Spa. The Jalousie Plantation Resort and Spa opened in 1992 on St. Lucia amidst an intense controversy. Nestled between two huge rock pinnacles--the Grand Piton and the Petit Piton--the resort's setting is breathtaking, and among the most remarkable on the Windward Islands. The controversy pitted those who wanted to protect the striking landscape as a national park against those who wanted to develop a resort. Development won. By the standards of the past, the resort development was environmentally sensitive. The development was self-contained, preserved the site, and blended into the environment. Its self-containment as an average upscale vacation product, however, is embraced by a dramatic but meaningless beauty. That is, the resort is in no way connected to its place and fits no ecotourism mold. To accomplish that its developers might well have endorsed the establishment of the park and communicated to guests the resort's willful integration into and enthusiasm for the park.--H.A. *See: Laurance S. Rockefeller, "Resort Building in Undeveloped Areas: Rockresort Company," Cornefl Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, Vol. 7, No. 4 (February 1967), pp. 102109; and AI Glanzberg and Glenn Withiam, "Culture at the Crossroads: Boca Raton and Rockresorts," Cornefl Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, Vol. 32, No. 1 (May 1991), pp. 36-39.
properties to create a distinctive ecotourism circuit that enhances each participating project. The resort concept is at a crossroads. If it takes the turn toward cooperation and partnerships, fueled by respect for heritage resources, talents, and aspirations of places, it could fulfill the international resort industry's potential to become a strong conservation force. Becoming the world's conservation leader would be in the best interests of the resort product and of the resort business in the 21st century. CQ
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