Ecotourism has become something of a buzzword with international travelers in the last four decades. Even the jetsetters are open to trying to be as uninvasive in tourism spots with delicate ecosystems which actually help these ecotourism spots create a healthy tourism economy without destroying nature’s bounty in their region.

What does the term “ecotourism” mean?

The term “ecotourism” itself came into being in 1987 and in 1991 it was defined as a responsible way to travel through natural regions without damaging the environment of these locales or disturbing or altering the existing way of life that locals living in the region. TES (The Ecotourism Society) has been working hard to get ecotourism to gain credence as a legitimate philosophy around which tourism can be developed. TES is also the agency responsible for laying out a number of principles that a region, country or tourism destination must adhere to if they want to promote themselves as an ecotourism destination.

The basic principles of ecotourism

1. Avoid damage to the natural state of the destination

The most basic principle of ecotourism is that it should ensure that tourism activities don’t destroy of harm the existing cultural and natural environment of these destinations.

2. Traveler education

Ecotourism seeks to educate travelers about the value of conservation of protected natural areas and the role that they can play in ensuring that these destinations remain protected for posterity.

3. Redirection of tourism revenue to conservation

A core principle of ecotourism is that a big chunk of its revenues need to be redirected to the management, protection and conservation of protected areas and regions.

4. Economic benefits to local communities

People living near protected areas also need to benefit from the revenue generated from ecotourism to make it more lucrative to locals.

5. Planning for sustainable growth of eco-tourism

It is important for ecotourism destinations to ensure that the “growth” they need to make in such locations to facilitate an increase in tourist influx does not exceed the capacity of the environment and the society that exists there already. Sustainable growth needs to be preferred and plans for development of such sites need to be made accordingly.

6. Retention of revenue in host country

Ecotourism also places a great deal of emphasis on ensuring that the economic and financial benefits of such tourism-generated revenues are retained by the host country. To do this, governments ensure that locally owned businesses and facilities are given priority over international or multinational businesses.