Ecotourism : As an Alternative Development Option for Rural Sites

The aim of this book is to prove that ecotourism is an economically viable option for the development of rural sites. Ecotourism builds on local socio-economic dynamics and has minimal impact on the environment. The application of ecotourism as a sustainable development option for rural sites was tested in Kaa Al Rim, which is a village in mountain of Sannine. A mega-scale development project called Sannine Zenith of Lebanon is proposed for Sannine Area and promoted as sustainable despite its incompatibility with principles of sustainability. Kaa Al Rim was chosen to become the eco-farm village, which constitutes phase one of the project. Ecotourism is a holistic approach that is based on principles like community participation, building on existing local economies and protection of existing local ecosystem. These principles were the bases for the framework used to study the potentials and challenges of the application of ecotourism in Kaa Al Rim.