Ecotourism-Is it sustainable?

You may have heard of ecotourism before, and today, I will explain what it is, and the pros and cons about it. Once you've finished reading, put your opinion about ecotourism in the comments*

What is Eco Tourism?

In simple terms, eco tourism is a sustainable holiday. The lodges are designed to blend in with the environment, and food sources are local and the waste is managed on site. Eco tourism is made to have a low impact and a small scale, meaning there are thousands of lodges all built up together, there are only a small amount of people allowed to visit at a time, to encourage minimum disturbance to nature.

Some examples of ecotourism are hiking and camping. Other forms of eco tourism can be actual lodges, not tents, but the aim is to make the site as eco friendly as possible, and not to disturb the wildlife.

Rules about Eco Tourism

There are some responsibilities you have to take if you want to participate in eco tourism. Things such as: -don't leave any rubbish behind

-follow the footpaths

-don't pet the animals

-try not to be too loud

These rules are simple and easy to follow. To prevent dropping litter, make sure you bring minimal things with you when exploring, and try not to use single use plastics.

Make sure you follow the footpaths, because if you go rummaging through the foliage and flowers, then you are destroying animal's habitats. Don't pet the animals, because one, they might not be friendly and two, they are not pets, they are wild animals and if they get too attached to humans, they might rely on people for food, and stop hunting for themselves.

And lastly, try not to be too loud, screaming and shouting at the top of your voice isn't going to make a very enjoyable environment for the animals, or other people.

Is it sustainable?

Eco tourism has a lot of pros, but also a lot of cons. Major issues such as the fact that the lodges are made out of natural materials such as trees, doesn't help with deforestation. As well as this, many souvenirs which are made also contain non-eco friendly materials. Eco-tourism isn't available to everyone, considering the expensive price.

What do you think?

Do you think eco-tourism is sustainable, or not? Write you opinions in the comment section down below.*

Personally, I think it is a good thing, however there are little problems which could be easily solved. For example, if the souvenirs aren't eco friendly, then don't make them, and instead of using lots of wood to make the lodges, why not try and make some parts out of cork?

*Please feel free to add your opinions in the comment section. Any un-kind, hateful or inappropriate comments will be deleted or flagged. Thank you