Ecotourism in India

Ecotourism encompasses nature-based activities that increase visitor appreciation and understanding of natural and cultural values. Typically involving travel to destinations where flora, fauna, and cultural heritage are the primary attractions and where social, economic, and environmental needs must be considered together to ensure sustainable development.

According to The International Ecotourism Society (TIES), ecotourism can be defined as “responsible travel to natural areas that conserve the environment, sustains the well-being of the local people, and involves interpretation and education”.

According to the UNWTO (World Tourism Organization in UN), ecotourism refers to"All nature-based forms of tourism in which the main motivation of the tourists is the observation and appreciation of nature as well as the traditional cultures prevailing in natural areas".

One of the best definitions of ecotourism is that provided by the Australian National Ecotourism Strategy which states: “Ecotourism is nature-based tourism that involves education and interpretation of the natural environment and is managed to be ecologically sustainable".

The above definitions indicate that ecotourism is a complex phenomenon, involving the integration of mainly two factors called natural areas and local population which are united in a symbolic relationship through the introduction of tourism. It differs in a meaningful way from mass tourism that aims at consuming nature leaving it depleted on more than one front. Conservation, sustainability, and biological diversity are the three interrelated aspects of ecotourism.