Ecotourism - An Earth Friendly, Adventurous and Fun Way To Plan Vacations

As environmental concerns have become an important topic, especially with pollution and global warming, many people are re-thinking their way of travelling and taking vacations. We can help the earth, enjoy the earth and enjoy our vacations while spending little money. Some people believe that the term ecotourism applies only to environmentally significant locations on earth such as rainforests, habitats for endangered animals, etc., but I am of a different opinion. I believe a person can take part in ecotourism no matter where they travel! Of course, I suppose the part that may be debated is what constitutes "tourism."

The idea of ecotourism goes back many years, and can have a couple of different meanings I guess. Such as Charles Darwin can be said to have been on an ecotourism trip when he visited the Galapagos Islands. My idea of ecotourism however, includes the thought that a person can be visiting even a big city such as New York and still "think green" and make their travels environmentally positive. That means leaving the smallest "ecological footprint" possible everywhere we go, in an effort to keep human impact on the habitat and evironment to a minimum. Heck, we can do that in your day-to-day lives.

The United Nations declared 2002 as "The Year Of Ecotourism" and that year is when the term hit the mainstream. Originally, the term is first thought to be used by architect Héctor Ceballos-Lascuràin in 1983. At that time, the meaning was more along the lines of travelling to undisturbed locations with education as the primary goal, whereas today it is okay to focus of fun and adventure, while mixing in a healthy dose of education!