Traveling and carrying out outdoor activities while preserving the environmental balance is known as ecotourism or nature tourism. It is a tourist way of carrying out tasks within a natural environment without negatively impacting its elements.
It incites to act with conscience in the enjoyment of the trip. It combines entertainment activities with certain ethical principles to mitigate ecological damage and promote the timely development of nature.
Definition of ecotourism
Ecotourism or ecological tourism is a type of tourism that consists of recreational activities in natural areas with a focus on environmental sustainability. It is characterized by being environmentally friendly and promoting ecological actions.
It is a responsible type of travel that not only preserves the green areas of the place but also promotes its ecological development, improving the well-being of the population and the biodiversity of the area.
Although nature tourism emerged in the late 1980s, being a relatively early institution, it is the fastest-growing type of tourism worldwide in recent years.
Ecotourism activities
Observing the flora and fauna: Consists of contemplating the variety of living beings that the tourist site possesses, including the species of animals and the diversity of plants that inhabit the area.
Photographing animals and plants: Photographing is an action that does not bother or cause harm to living beings, which encourages users to practice this activity in nature tourism, even if they are not experts in photography.
Participate in flora and fauna rescue programs: These programs are aimed at avoiding, mitigating, or correcting negative effects that can or have affected the tourist area.
Hiking: It consists of walking through forest trails, mountains, and any natural environment to discover the virtues that the area possesses. It is the activity that seeks to bring people closer to the natural surroundings of the tourist product.
Exploring by bicycle: It is about exploring natural areas using bicycles, which means of transportation is environmentally friendly and is used to travel medium and long distances.
Horseback riding: This is an activity that takes advantage of the benefits of the horse to explore the areas of the tourist destination. It is an alternative to exploring by bicycle and hiking.
Characteristics of ecotourism
Ethical tourism: Ecotourism defines itself as a type of ethical tourism.
Respect and conservation of the environment: It is based entirely on respect and conservation of nature.
Ecological actions: Promotes activities that are beneficial to the environment.
Environmental education: Instructs tourists on the most elementary topics to acquire ecological values, knowledge, and skills.
Kindness to local populations: Courtesy and respect is not only directed to the environment but also to the local people living in the area.
Advantages of ecotourism
- Promotes biodiversity conservation.
- Requires few non-renewable resources to carry out these activities, and encourages the use of renewable resources.
- Increases the environmental education of those involved.
- Generates environmental awareness.
- Increases ecological culture.
- It raises respect for local populations.
- Provides positive experiences to tourists and locals.
- Generates an economy around the tourist area, providing them with capital and money to carry out environmental conservation operations and tourism growth.
- Offers a different approach to minimizing environmental impact.
Importance of ecotourism
The importance of ecotourism lies in the conservation and development of the green areas of a particular tourist destination. It allows activities to be carried out without affecting the elements that make up a tourist area, in addition to promoting ecological programs to help improve the biological community.
The ecological balance of many natural areas depends essentially on their economic growth, which is driven mainly by ecotourism, indicating the great relevance of its role in preserving the biodiversity of different tourist destinations. If you found this article useful, you may also visit AlexontheMap to read more about ecotourism.
