Ecotourism is a growing sector in today's travel industry. Also known as "green tourism," ecotourism is when people travel to a destination and take place in observing and interacting with the environment, learning about the cultures and practices of local inhabitants while promoting their well being. The tourists that visit many times take part in helping to preserve the natural habitat (Tisdell 12). I have compiled various articles relating to ecotourism. These articles include a study that unveils what makes up ecotourism and how it is being developed. The second article I will review describes how business travel organizers are more often considering ecotourism when scheduling their events. The third article explains how the lodging industry is an integral part of ecotourism. The final article is a study of a new and forthcoming area of ecotourism called geotourism and the various demographics and psychographics they encompass among American travelers.
"Ecotourism, Economics and the Environment: Observations from China" by Clem Tisdell speaks of ecotourism in China. It talks about how ecotourism can help countries pay for the high costs of recovering biodiversity. China has found ways to pay for salaries and keep citizens employed while conserving nature (Tisdell 13). Ecotourism also benefits the local economies by the purchases that travelers make while visiting nearby towns. Local economic growth can occur when areas need to build hotels and restaurants to support growing tourist numbers. Foreign exchange can also be earned which may be rare in a developing economy (Tisdell14). The local economy can be diversified in areas where agricultural industry provides unsteady income for locals. It can also help to pay for improvements in the economies infrastructure system that would not be affordable otherwise. Demand for local agricultural products may increase as well because ecotourists many times want to eat foods that are native to the area.