Introduction

In recent years, nature and wildlife tourism has grown massively. Whether it’s meeting mountain gorillas or swimming with dolphins, every year tourists pay thousands of dollars for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. But ecotourism doesn't always work well. Beth and Neil discuss the topic and teach you related vocabulary.

This week's question

Most tourists on safari are looking for ‘the big five’, the name given to Africa's most iconic large animals. But which animals are ‘the big five’?

a)    the lion, leopard, giraffe, baboon and buffalo

b)    the lion, leopard, tiger, elephant and buffalo or

c)    the lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant and buffalo?

Listen to the programme to find out the answer. 

Vocabulary

ecotourism
travel to places of natural beauty in which the tourists’ main motivation is to appreciate the natural world and support the traditional culture of local people

sustainable
designed to continue at a steady level which does not damage the environment

tiger selfie
having your photo taken with a captive wild tiger

at the other end of the scale
by contrast

grassroots NGOs
non-governmental organisation (NGO) which tries to achieve its aims through the actions of local ordinary people rather than leaders

go a long way (towards)
be an important factor in achieving a certain goal

230601_6min_english_ecotourism.pdf