According to The International Ecotourism Society, ecotourism companies should include the following principles to protect the host country's wildlife and environment: minimize their impact, build awareness, provide positive experiences for both visitors and hosts, provide direct financial benefits for conservation. (Reference 2).
When the principles of ecotourism are applied, then the local community benefits financially so that the conservation efforts of its wildlife and environment are funded for future protection. The principle "export" for 83 percent of developing countries is the tourism of its wildlife in their natural environment, which is the second most important source of income for the world's 40 poorest countries (Reference 3).
Since there is no current regulation of ecotourism, many businesses use the term as a marketing tool without fulfilling the basic principles (Reference 1). Tourists rarely acknowledge how the meals they eat, toilets they flush, water they drink, and so on are impacting regional economic and ecological systems that they were trying to help (Reference 1). For instance, in Annapurna Circuit in Nepal, ecotourists have worn down marked trails and created alternate routes, which resulted in soil erosion and plant damage(Reference 1). The ecotourism also results in scaring away animals, disrupting their feeding and nesting sites, or acclimating them to the presence of people(Reference 1). In Kenya, wildlife-observer disruption drives cheetahs off their reserves, increasing the risk of inbreeding and further endangering the species. (Reference 1) Before going on an ecotourism tour, tourists should investigate and discuss with the agency how it avoids these negative impacts, such as using alternative routes each time or keeping a minimum distance from animals. In addition, tourists can find legitimate ecotours through the International Ecotourism Society.
