ECOTOURISM PLANNER

Ecotourism is fairly new. The term refers to trips to exotic or remote locales that are not often frequented by tourists, such as the Arctic Circle or Brazilian rain forests. The real key to ecotours, though, is that while the adventure should enrich the traveler, it must not damage the ecosystem of the place being visited, and it should be economically beneficial to the local people.

This is the right time to be getting into ecotourism. Every year the industry grows significantly, and 2002 was declared the International Year of Ecotourism by the United Nations. According to an article in Green Money Journal, ecotourism is a $77 billion market, while a Travel Industry of America survey estimated that over 55 million U.S. travelers can be classified as “geo-tourists” who are interested in nature, culture, and heritage tourism. As ecotours continue to grow in popularity with adventurous and thoughtful travelers worldwide, the employment opportunities within the industry for people who want to lead or organize tours in wild and uncharted places become ever greater.