What is Ecotourism?

Ecotourism is one of many categories of tourism, and shares attributes with many of them. Like sustainable tourism, ecotourism is committed to having little to no negative effect on the culture and environment of the destination. Like community-based tourism, the entire community is involved in ecotourism, instead of only tour operators from larger cities. Like nature-based tourism, ecotourism capitalizes on the natural attributes of an area, centering tourist activities around them, be those activities biking, or white-water rafting, or rock climbing. With all of these attributes together, ecotourism puts the destination first, rather than the tourist, ultimately giving the tourist a more enriching and educational experience by emphasizing the cultural heritage and natural beauty of the destination.