Ecotourism = “philosophy”of travel
Laurie Lubeck
These are the BASIC REQUIREMENTS of ecotourism:
- 1) a commitment to the environment
2) education of the traveler
3) a contribution to conservation (financially or volunteer)
4) benefit to local people
5) protection of endangered species
6) a reduction of waste
Many types of nature and culture tours, including adventure travel, can become ecotours. The tour company should include a way of contributing towards the environment, increasing the knowledge and awareness of the traveler, and economically benefitting the local people at the destination. They should have a good recycling and energy conserving policy in the office and on the tour.
The tour activity, for example, might be birdwatching or whale-watching, trekking in the Himalayas or canoeing in the Amazon. However, even groups of birdwatchers can do a lot of damage if they frighten birds away from their nests. Scuba divers might break pieces of a coral reef when they drop the anchor of their boat. Nature tourists, therefore, need some helpful guidelines of appropriate behavior because usually they don’t even realize that they have done some harm.