A Study on Sustainability of Ecotourism Destination* Jeong-Joon Oh** Abstract : Ecotourism has been considered as sustainable tourism since it has been believed to preserve the environment of a tourist destination as well as to satisfy the various needs of tourists. However, most of destinations recently developed for ecotourism have confronted environmental degradation. Therefore, it is necessary to challenge and reestablish the concept of ecotourism. This study seeks to provide new perspectives on the concept of ecotourism by estimating the sustainability of three ecotourism destinations in Jeju Island. The Yae-Rae Dong Ecotourism Village shows a high level of sustainability, while the Ah-Bu Oh-rum at Song-Dang Ri and the Experience Beach at Jong-Dal Ri shows a low level of sustainability. In result, the ecotourism in itself is not sustainable tourism, and further this study suggests that appropriate planning, development, and management of a destination are important factors to decide the success of sustainable tourism. Key Words : ecotourism, sustainable tourism, ecotourism destination, environmental degradation, sustainability (Post-doctoral research fellow, Tourism Brand Development Team, Kyunghee University, BK21 Program), ohjj68@hanmail.net 610
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