Ecotourism...Where's the ECO?
Costa Rica as a Case Study
By Beth Abell & Ben Winig
In this day and age of free-time, vacationing, and environmental awareness, one cannot plan for a getaway without coming across the word ecotourism. Ecotourism means many things to many people. Presently, the term is used as a catchall applied indiscriminately to almost anything linking tourism and nature. In our view, however, ecotourism should mean travel to enjoy the world's amazing diversity of natural life and human culture without doing harm to either. The Ecotourism Society gives us a more formal definition. The Society defines ecotourism as:
"purposeful travel to natural areas to understand the culture and natural history of the environment, taking care not to alter the integrity of the ecosystem, while producing economic opportunities that make the conservation of natural resources beneficial to local people." Is ecotourism a sustainable option? This page will allow you to make that decision for yourself.
LINKS TO OTHER PAGES
Travel Map of Costa Rica
The Eco-Source
A Conference on Ecotourism
Go Green
This page last updated on April 25, 1997