WEcotourism is catering for tourists wishing to experience the natural environment without damaging it or disturbing its habitats. It is a form of tourism involving visiting fragile, pristine, and relatively undisturbed natural areas, intended as a low-impact and often small scale alternative to standard commercial mass tourism. It means responsible travel to natural areas, conserving the environment, and improving the well-being of the local people. Its purpose may be to educate the traveler, to provide funds for ecological conservation, to directly benefit the economic development and political empowerment of local communities, or to foster respect for different cultures and for human rights. Since the 1980s, ecotourism has been considered a critical endeavor by environmentalists, so that future generations may experience destinations relatively untouched by human intervention. Several university programs use this description as the working definition of ecotourism.
WButterfly Valley is a valley in Fethiye district, Muğla Province, on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. The valley is home to diverse butterfly species.
WFor other uses, see Costa Rica.
WEcotourism in Costa Rica is one of the key activities of the tourism industry in the country. By the early 1990s, Costa Rica became known as the poster child of ecotourism. The country is among many developing nations that look to ecotourism as a way of cashing in on the growing demand for this popular trend of travel.
WEcotourism in Jordan has grown tremendously due to environmental pressures and the demand for jobs outside of the cities, especially since the establishment of the Dana Biosphere in 1993, the first biosphere reserve.
WThe five eco-tourism Pan-European routes cross 35 countries in Europe by connecting natural parks to the heritage sights chosen by UNESCO and to the biosphere reserves (MAB).
WLake Kuyucuk is a small shallow lake located in Arpaçay district of Kars Province in the Eastern Anatolia Region of Turkey. It has an area of 245 ha (2.45 km2) and a maximum depth at 13 m (43 ft). The lake area is an internationally recognized Ramsar site, important for its ornithofauna, and a tourist wildlife reserve.
WThe Las Piñas–Parañaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area (LPPCHEA), also known as the Las Piñas - Parañaque Wetland Park, is a protected area at the coasts of the cities of Las Piñas and Parañaque in Metro Manila, Philippines. The entire wetland is a declared Ramsar site under the Ramsar Convention of UNESCO.
WThe Len Foote Hike Inn is a sustainably designed and LEED-certified ecotourism facility located near the peak of Frosty Mountain in the Chattahoochee National Forest in Dawson County, Georgia, USA. The lodge is open year-round and is only accessible via hiking trails. Twenty rooms, a two-story central lobby, a dining room, a bathhouse, toilets, and a common room comprise the facility.
WThe Limberlost Forest and Wildlife Reserve is a publicly accessible private property near Huntsville, Ontario, Canada. The private forest contains many lakes and forest stands with hiking, biking, skiing and snowshoeing trails throughout that has been made available to the public at no charge. Limberlost practices a form of land management referred to as Conscientious Forest Management which focuses on ensuring the sustainability of their management objectives and actions for generations to come. Some of the management actions undertaken by the private forest include sustainably harvesting timber using the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources Single Tree Selection System; encouraging the use of the forest by all visitors and eco-tourists at no charge; supporting environmental research programs and institutes; and offering both modern and traditional forest land use options to the local community.
WMountain Madness is a Seattle-based mountaineering and trekking company. The company specializes in mountain adventure travel and has a training school for mountain and rock climbing.
WOverlanding is self-reliant overland travel to remote destinations where the journey is the principal goal. Typically, but not exclusively, it is accomplished with mechanized off-road capable transport where the principal form of lodging is camping, often lasting for extended lengths of time and spanning international boundaries.
WProdetur is an ecotourism organization, directed and managed by Luis Diaz Martinez, and is headquartered in the village of Perquin in the Morazán Province of El Salvador. Prodetur directs tourist activities in Morazán which ensure the continuity of the Rio Sapo preservation initiative.
WRosie the Shark is a preserved Great White Shark located at Crystal World Exhibition Centre in Devon Meadows. It was originally preserved in a glass tank of formaldehyde on display at Wildlife Wonderland in Bass, Victoria, Australia which ceased business in 2012 due to animal welfare concerns and operating without appropriate licences.
WServas International is a non-profit organization proving a hospitality exchange service.
WShark tourism is a way for tourists to see sharks the ocean rather than in an aquarium. It is a form of eco-tourism intended to show in that local shark species are more valuable alive than dead. Instead of opting for a one time economic benefit of harvesting sharks for their body parts, communities are enabled to assist tourists who want to see live sharks. People can get close to the sharks by free- or scuba diving or entering the water in a protective cage.
WSoreng is a small town in the West Sikkim district of the north-east Indian state of Sikkim.
WSri Lanka Ecotourism Foundation is a national association of Sri Lanka that aims to create a wide network of ecotourism actors throughout the country. The organization focuses on developing the economic and social development of rural communities through tourism. SLEF supports local communities to take part in community based tourism and conservation projects. The organization has been founded in 1998 by Palitha Gurusinghe, who is a member of Advisory Board of The International Ecotourism Society and a famous presenter in Ecotourism and Community Based Tourism.
WUrban ecotourism is a relatively new form of ecotourism that takes place in urban settings. The concept first appeared in 1996 when the Blackstone Corporation defined it as “[...] travel and exploration within and around an urban area that offers visitors enjoyment and appreciation of the city's natural areas and cultural resources, [...] promotes the city's long-term ecological health [...] promotes sustainable local economic and community development and vitality; [...] is accessible and equitable to all”. Urban ecotourism shares the same goals for sustainability and community development as traditional ecotourism, but applies them to large cities, industrial wastelands, and post-productivist agriculture sites, as opposed to more nature-based venues for traditional ecotourism. Destinations in these locations may take the form of linear parks, farm-to-table restaurants, rewilding parks, biking and hiking trails, sustainable hotels, and rooftop gardens.
WWilderness Safaris is an ecotourism operator, headquartered in Gaborone, Botswana. It operates camps and mobile safaris across eight countries: Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, South Africa, Rwanda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Known for its ongoing conservation work, the company is helping to conserve some 33 species on the IUCN Red List and lists some 2.5 million hectares as being under protection.
WWildlife tourism is an element of many nations' travel industry centered around observation and interaction with local animal and plant life in their natural habitats. While it can include eco- and animal-friendly tourism, safari hunting and similar high-intervention activities also fall under the umbrella of wildlife tourism. Wildlife tourism, in its simplest sense, is interacting with wild animals in their natural habitat, either by actively or passively. Wildlife tourism is an important part of the tourism industries in many countries including many African and South American countries, Australia, India, Canada, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Maldives among many. It has experienced a dramatic and rapid growth in recent years worldwide and many elements are closely aligned to eco-tourism and sustainable tourism.