Ecotourism: an economic concept for ecological sustainable tourism

Abstract

Ecological sustainable tourism has to be viewed as an integral part of society's policy objective of sustainable development. As reaction to real or perceived threat to environmental quality from conventional mass tourism has been to advance ecotourism as a form of sustainable tourism. This article introduces an economic concept for ecological sustainable tourism and discusses instruments to achieve this objective. Caution, however, has to be expressed that ecotourism cannot be considered as a panacea for conservation and protection of ecosystems and biodiversity, nor can it alone become an economic bonanza to liberate local communities from the pain of poverty.