Ecotourism: enjoying and respecting nature

Finca Exotica eco lodge will give you the experience of ecotourism, which the majority of people who visit us do. We invite you to be part of this great community, and in this article we give a short explanation on what practices constitute real ecotourism.

What is ecotourism?

Among the different forms of tourism, eco-tourism is positioning itself as the mode most currently sought after by tourists. If you’ve heard of eco-tourism and want to know more about it, please keep reading! Let’s start by defining what is ecotourism.

The International Ecotourism Society defines ecotourism as “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the welfare of local people”

What destinations are people seeking interested in eco-tourism?

These destinations are often remote, inhabited or uninhabited areas, and usually under some kind of environmental protection at the national, international, community or private level, seeking to minimize the impact to the environment. Why?

Tourism without environmental sustainability, unfortunately causes great damage to the environment. Ecotourism, contrary to this, strives to minimize adverse effects when looking for eco-lodges or hotels, whose paths and other infrastructure have been made using recycled materials and local building materials, natural sources of energy, recycling and safe disposal of waste and seeks to incorporate traditional architectural design culture of the place. Minimizing the impact on the environment also requires that the mode of behavior of tourists suits sustainability standards in place, thus achieving to a minimum and in some cases completely eliminate the damage to the ecosystem.

Building environmental awareness

Ecotourism means education, both for tourists and residents of nearby communities. Long before tourists make their travel itinerary, tour operators must provide passengers with reading material about the country, the environment and the local population, as well as a code of conduct for the traveler and the industry itself. This information helps the tourist to plan their trip, and start learning about the places and people they will visit, and minimize the negative impacts while visiting.

Essential to good ecotourism is to have multilingual naturalist guides with knowledge of natural and cultural history, environmental interpretation, ethics and others. Ecotourism projects should also help educate members of the surrounding community, schoolchildren and the general public in the host country, through activities and educational forums open access for all.

Some benefits of ecotourism

It provides direct financial benefits for conservation

Ecotourism helps raise funds for environmental protection, research and education through a variety of mechanisms, such as governments spend part of the money generated from the sale of tickets to visit a National Park and part of the money taxes collected by tour companies, hotels, airlines as well as voluntary contributions.

It provides financial benefits and empowerment for local people National parks and other conservation areas survive only if there are “happy people” around their perimeters. The local community should be involved in giving and receiving income and other tangible benefits (potable water, roads, health clinics, etc.) from the conservation area and its tourist facilities. Campsites, lodges, guide services, restaurants and other concessions should be addressed in collaboration with the communities around the parks or other tourist destinations.

More importantly, if ecotourism is seen as a tool for rural development, it should also help change the economic and political control of the local community, village, cooperative, or entrepreneurs.

This is the most difficult principle and takes much longer to implement this practice to local economic equation.

Respect for local culture

Ecotourism practice is not only respectful of nature, it also is culturally less intrusive and exploitative than conventional tourism. While prostitution, black markets and drugs often are by-products of mass tourism, ecotourism strives to be culturally respectful and have a minimal effect on both the natural environment and the human population of the host country.

Let us be your first experience in this new trend of tourism that is increasingly taking more attention around the world. Finca Exotica eco-lodge is your best option for eco-tourism.

Visit our website: http://fincaexotica.com/