Ecotourism – Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment, sustains the wellbeing of the local people and may involve education
To remember the meaning of the term Ecotourism, use the following mnemonic:
He co-ordinated tourism (ecotourism) to preserve nature.
Ecotourism is a form of travel that involves visiting fragile, pristine and relatively undisturbed natural areas. It is an alternative to standard commercial mass tourism. Its desired outcomes include financial benefits for the conservation of the environment and improvement of the wellbeing of local people.
For the travellers, it delivers memorable experiences and helps raise sensitivity to the host country's environmental and social climates.
It is intended to be educational for the traveller and to foster respect for different cultures and human rights.
However, there is also a negative side to ecotourism. Critics claim it puts extra pressure on the local environment and leads to the development of additional buildings and amenities. This can result in deforestation or the development of other types of natural land.
Animals and plants may be disturbed. Travel to the countries being visited is usually by air, which puts more CO2 into the atmosphere.
The point has also been made that most ecotourism firms are owned by investors outside the visited countries. This means that the majority of profits go to investors rather than being ploughed into the local economies or environmental protection schemes.
