Int. J. Management and Decision Making, Vol. 10, No.

3/4, 2009

231

Utilitarian and abstract rhetorics in ecotourism and social constructionism: the power of language Ismar Lima
Department of Geography, Tourism and Environmental Planning, The University of Waikato, FASS, Room I 2.19, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton 3201, New Zealand E-mail: ismarlima@yahoo.com.br E-mail: ismar@waikato.ac.nz
Abstract: This paper aims to show areas in which discourses in ecotourism collide, while arguing that discursive interaction, based on language used in collaborative schemes, can create new and consensual meanings and values for nature and for practices in nature tourism. Central to this investigation is the power of language and its use for socio-environmental discourses within the realm of ecotourism. The approach is to examine existing competing discourses in and about ecotourism. Discourse is used interchangeably with power, and in the follow-ups of the analysis, deliberative collaboration schemes are briefly introduced as avenues for negotiation of discourse (of power) among ecotourism stakeholders. Local Environmental Governance (LEG) is then mentioned as a final stage in terms of collaboration in ecotourism, with local stakeholders becoming more autonomous for decision making through a process of power devolution. To shed light on the problematique of competing discourses, power relations and meaning fabrication, social constructionism will be discussed. Keywords: competing discourses; ecotourism; sustainable tourism; LEG; local environmental governance; social constructionism; Brazil; New Zealand. Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Lima, I. (2009) Utilitarian and abstract rhetorics in ecotourism and social constructionism: the power of language, Int. J Management and Decision Making, Vol. 10, No. 3/4, pp.231246. Biographical notes: Ismar Lima is a PhD candidate in Tourism Resources at the University of Waikato, New Zealand, and he has been investigating competing discourses and collaborative schemes in ecotourism/sustainable tourism in Brazil and in New Zealand. His Masters (MA) was in International Relations, in Japan and his thesis dealt with Deforestation in Amazonia and Local Environmental Governance.

Introduction

This paper starts from the premise that there is no socially harmonic and idyllic ecotourism practice. In fact, the intricacy of ecotourism implementation unveils an activity that is both multivocal and contradictory (Gullette, 2001, p.67), and can thus primarily bring divergences rather than integration. The mere use of the term itself ecotourism is not without problems (Stark, 2002), and brings semantic debates
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