With the rampant modernization of the world, it's sometimes to forget that our natural resources are depleting at the same time we expand our world to modern technologies. Not only is it a very important issue, but it's actually a life-or-death situation for us humans, since we need clean air and a green environment to survive in the next generation to come.
As such, ecotourism is now being practiced all over the planet. According to the International Ecotourism Society, ecotourism is defined as "responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment, sustains the well-being of the local people, and involves interpretation and education" (TIES, 2015). Education is meant to be inclusive of both staff and guests."
So why is ecotourism important? As tourists, we want nothing more than to explore a breathtaking destination that is beautifully preserved and teeming with fresh, natural life. These places are usually found in some of the most remote locations on earth, where locals thrive in their own communities and often have no industrial means of income for further development.
Being an ecotourist means you respect local laws, does not contribute to pollution, but instead relishes in the natural environment in which you're traveling in, all the while helping to protect and conserve the area.
This awareness must still be greatly pushed and instated in all parts of the globe. Sometimes, tourists don't think about the implications of travel to the places they explore, which contributes to further dilapidation of some places around the world. The Great Barrier Reef, for example, is slowly dying each passing year.
Because of this, more and more international programs are being held to further promote ecotourism. The Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference, for example, is held every year where major tourism conglomerates all over the world meet to promote more sustainability in the tourism industry, and to further protect these natural destinations tourists usually frequent.
So if you plan on traveling the world, why not become an ecotourist? If more and more people adopt this idea, the world will have no problem sustaining our natural resources, which will greatly dictate the kind of future we will preserve for the future.
