Sustainable Tourism in general

It is known that tourism has become the world’s largest industry and especially nature tourism is its fastest growing segment.

Considering these facts with the fact that the nature is getting more destroyed and damaged by ignorant people, it is no longer surprise that ecotourism has happened to be more and more popular among tourists. Few years ago it was an idea but nowadays it is going mainstream.

 It might be only matter of time when some animals will be extinct and some amazing natural phenomenon will disappear from the earth.

Since savvy people have become aware of this reality, they are getting more interested in protection and preservation of the nature.

What can we imagine under the term- Ecotourism? There are several definitions describing this term.

The International Ecotourism Society defines it as: "responsible travel to natural areas which conserves the environment and improves the welfare of the local people".

Martha Honey published her book “Ecotourism and Sustainable Development", which dedicates to this topic and her definitions have been quickly spreading worldwide. Her definition consists of 7 main points:

1.      Traveling to natural destinations which are uninhabited, uninhabited or under the certain level of environmental protection.

2.      Minimizing impact of tourism.

3.      Building environmental awareness.

4.      Providing direct financial benefits for conservation.

5.      Providing financial benefits and empowerment for local people.

6.      Respecting local culture.

7.      Supporting human rights and democratic movements.

Another definition provided by the World Conservation Union is as follows: "Environmentally responsible travel to natural areas, in order to enjoy and appreciate nature (and accompanying cultural features, both past and present) that promote conservation, have a low visitor impact and provide for beneficially active socio-economic involvement of local peoples."

Let’s have a look at a definition by Travel Industry Dictionary: “A style of travel in which an emphasis is placed on unspoiled, natural destinations and on disturbing the environment as little as possible”.

Some other interesting terms are Sustainable tourism and Geo Tourism which can be defined as:

“Sustainable tourism is simply sustainable development achieved through tourism. Sustainable development is economic development that takes a long-term view. It balances the benefits of economic development against environmental and social costs. Just as sustainable development assumes continued economic growth, so sustainable tourism assumes continued tourism growth.” (www.greentourism.org.uk)

National Geographic defines Geo Tourism as: “Geotourism is defined as tourism that sustains or enhances the geographical character of a place—its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage, and the well-being of its residents.”