Define Ecotourism Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes.

The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel to and stay in places outside their usual environment for more than twentyfour hours and not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes not related to the exercise of an activity remunerated from within the place visited." On the other hand, Ecotourism means responsible travel to natural areas which conserves the environment and improves the welfare of the local people".

Both tourism and ecotourism is related but ecotourism is beneficial to our society as many ways. A walk through the rainforest is not eco-tourism unless that particular walk somehow benefits that environment and the people who live there. A rafting trip is only eco-tourism if it raises awareness and funds to help protect the watershed. The primary objective of the Eco-Tourism is to showcase the natural resource to different segments of the society, for viewing the nature and the natural processes for educational, recreational values and to propagate the message of environmental conservation. It also attracts both domestic and foreign tourists by creating adequate infrastructure for accommodation, food and transport facilities in the Forest areas, Sanctuary areas and zoological gardens. The main activities involved in Eco-Tourism are non-consumptive like Bird watching, Trekking, Nature trails, River rafting and more importantly mere watching of the scenic beauty of the Hills, Valleys, Meadows, Water bodies and the natural processes and learn to live in Nature. Ecotourism also preaches the understanding and respecting various cultures and customs of people living in the area. We have discovered 7 characteristics of Ecotourism after researching and searching in the internet. These characteristics are explained below 1) Involves travel to natural destinations. These destinations are often remote areas, whether inhabited or uninhabited, and are usually under some kind of environmental protection at the national, international, communal or private level.

2) Minimizes Impact. Tourism causes damage. Ecotourism strives to minimize the adverse affects of hotels, trails, and other infrastructure by using either recycled materials or plentifully available local building materials, renewable sources of energy, recycling and safe disposal of waste and garbage, and environmentally and culturally sensitive architectural design. Minimization of impact also requires that the numbers and mode of behavior of tourists be regulated to ensure limited damage to the ecosystem. 3) Builds environmental awareness. Ecotourism means education, for both tourists and residents of nearby communities. Well before departure tour operators should supply travelers with reading material about the country, environment and local people, as well as a code of conduct for both the traveler and the industry itself. This information helps prepare the tourist as The Ecotourism Societies guidelines state"to learn about the places and peoples visited" and "to minimize their negative impacts while visiting sensitive environments and cultures". Essential to good ecotourism are well-trained, multilingual naturalist guides with skills in natural and cultural history, environmental interpretation, ethical principles and effective communication. Ecotourism projects should also help educate members of the surrounding community, schoolchildren and the broader public in the host country. To do so they must offer greatly reduced entrance and lodge fees for nationals and free educational trips for local students and those living near the tourist attraction. 4) Provides direct financial benefits for conservation: Ecotourism helps raise funds for environmental protection, research and education through a variety of mechanisms, including park entrance fees, Tour Company, hotel, airline and airport taxes and voluntary contributions. 5) Provides financial benefits and empowerment for local people: National Parks and other conservation areas will only survive if there are "happy people" around their perimeters. The local community must be involved with and receive income and other tangible benefits(potable water, roads, health clinics, etc.) from the conservation area and it's tourist facilities. Campsites, lodges, guide services, restaurants and other concessions should be run by or in partnership with communities surrounding a park or other tourist destination. More importantly, if Ecotourism is to be viewed as a tool for rural development, it must also help shift economic and political control to the local community, village, cooperative, or entrepreneur. This is the most difficult and time-consuming principle in the economic equation and the one that foreign operators and "partners" most often let fall through the cracks or that they follow only partially or formally. 6) Respects local culture: Ecotourism is not only "greener" but also less culturally intrusive and exploitative than conventional tourism. Whereas 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 a host country. This is not easy, especially since ecotourism often involves travel to remote areas where small and isolate communities have had little experience interacting with foreigners. And like conventional tourism, ecotourism involves an unequal relationship of power between the visitor and the host and a co modification of the relationship through exchange of money. Part of being a responsible ecotourist is learning beforehand about the local customs, respecting dress codes and other social norms and not intruding on the community unless either invited or as part of a well organized tour. 7) Supports human rights and democratic movements: Although tourism often is glibly hailed as a tool for building international understanding and world peace, this does not happen automatically; frequently in fact tourism bolsters the economies of repressive and undemocratic states. Mass tourism pays scant attention to the political system of the host country or struggles within it, unless civil unrest spills over into attacks on tourists. Ecotourism demands a more holistic approach to travel, one in which participants strive to respect, learn about and benefit both the local environment and local communities. Although not part of The Ecotourism Societies definition, giving economic benefits and showing cultural sensitivities to local communities cannot be separated from understanding their political circumstances. In many developing countries, rural populations living around national parks and other ecotourism attractions are locked in contests with the national government and multinational corporations for control of the assets and their benefits. Ecotourists therefore need to be sensitive to the host country's political environment and social climate and need to consider the merits of international boycotts called for by those supporting democratic reforms, majority rule, and human rights. For example the campaign by the African National Congress (ANC) to isolate South Africa through a boycott of investment, trade, sports and tourism helped bring down apartheid. Determining whether to boycott or visit a country is not always easy. Among the questions to ask are: Does the economic growth fueled by tourism really improve the chances of human rights being respected? Will boycotting a country harm already impoverished workers more than it will corporate or government titans? Or are the short term economic penalties more than offset by the ultimate benefits of change? If one visits a repressive state like China, Indonesia, Peru or Syria, it is possible to make the trip rewarding both personally and politically by consciously learning about the country beforehand, meeting with dissidents and average folks, as well as government officials while there, and speaking about the political climate, not just the weather after returning home. How it is different from mass tourism and adventure tourism?

Mass Tourism: Mass tourism is the act of visiting a destination with large amounts of people at one time, and the study of the effect that large amounts of people can have on a particular destination, or on a particular destination which has been over-exposed by single tourists having been there repeatedly. Mass tourism could only have developed with the improvements in technology, allowing the transport of large numbers of people in a short space of time to places of leisure interest, so that greater numbers of people could begin to enjoy the benefits of leisure time.

Effects of mass tourism:

While tourism can be a powerful positive force for change in poor countries, it can also be seriously damaging for the local environment and culture.

An increase in mass tourism that is not controlled responsibly can ruin areas of
fig: Coxs bazaar sea beach.(mass tourist spot)

natural beauty. Tourism can damage coral reefs, pollute beaches and destroy the habitats of wildlife as roads and hotels are built. Ironically, damage to these natural resources is likely to reduce future numbers of visitors. Another negative effect is that the increasing numbers of Airplanes flights are a major cause of global warming. Tourism can also have an adverse effect on local culture, traditions and the way of life. Large numbers of tourists can undermine traditional beliefs, values and customs and in particular risk commercializing the very culture that they find so interesting. And where these tourists are insensitive to local traditions their behavior can cause great offence. Adventure Tourism: Adventure tourism is an outdoor leisure activity that generally takes place in an unusual, exotic, remote or wilderness setting, sometimes involving some form of unconventional means of transportation and tending to be associated with low or high levels of physical activity. As the name suggests it entails an element of risk and can range from getting wet to getting high to getting faster.

How will you motivate local and international tourists, tour operators, and local community for involving in eco tourism? What promotion/communication do you suggest for developing more ecotourism? We can take several steps for motivating local and international tourists, tour operators, local community for involving in eco tourism. They are: Social issues By involving the local community in aspects of planning, decision-making and management of ecotourism. This encourages the empowerment of individuals. By educating travelers through leaflets, interpretation and advice from Tour operators or guides about the culture, customs and etiquette of locals. This prevents conflict or offence between local and traveler interactions that may be caused through misunderstanding or ignorance. Economic issues By employing local people whenever possible and paying fair wages. This prevents exploitation and benefits the local economy by preventing leakages of the revenue acquired through tourism. Many tour operators are involved in working on initiatives and projects with the local community such as training and education programmes. The promotion for the Development of ecotourism is a lengthy process and the local communities, private sector enterprises, NGOs, local authorities and protected areas, national governments and international agencies all have a role to play in ecotourism development and marketing. Address local community needs and opportunities. All preparatory conferences have Emphasized the importance of working with local and indigenous communities in Determining the level and type of tourism development in their area and in encouraging Individual entrepreneurship, community-based enterprise and employment opportunities for local people.

 Recognize the key role of private sector businesses. Fostering and working with successful private sector operations, encouraging and helping them to meet a combination of commercial, social and environmental objectives, has proved to be a sound strategy. It is important to strengthen links between private operators and local communities. International and incoming tour operators have an important role to play, not only in promoting ecotourism but also in advising on product development and the overall quality of a destination, relating this to customer requirements. Strengthen networking between small enterprises and projects. There was a frequent call for small ecotourism enterprises to work together, to strengthen their marketing outreach and encourage common standards. Examples vary from associations of village community ecotourism products in a number of Asian and African countries, to branded small farm based accommodation enterprises in Europe with central booking services. Two conferences put forward the concept of local clusters of ecotourism initiatives, thereby establishing a critical mass of product in one area which would provide a composite visitor experience, be more able to attract business and justify investment in supporting infrastructure. Recognize protected areas as focal points for ecotourism products and marketing. Often parks and other protected areas provide the main draw for visitors, creating an opportunity for local communities to gain economic benefit through the provision of facilities and services. The relationship between protected area authorities and local communities and tourism enterprises can be a critical one. There are various examples of stakeholder groups or wider liaison forums attached to national or nature parks, enabling the park to influence standards, marketing messages and new projects, while also supporting and coordinating enterprises and reflecting their needs. The quality of a parks own facilities and services, and the relationship between visitor management and conservation policies, is obviously of major importance in its own right. Increase support from national and local government for product development and marketing of ecotourism. Priorities may include infrastructure improvement, including sustainable transport, and featuring ecotourism more strongly in destination and thematic promotional campaigns.

Promoting ecotourism messages and products

In general the preparatory conferences have called for more promotion of ecotourism, while recognizing that the level of promotion of any one location should be determined by its carrying capacity and take account of the views of the local community. Promote ecotourism as a concept. There is a particular desire to see more active promotion of the principles and values of ecotourism, to recipient communities and to the travelling public. There is a need for a stronger international campaign to make tourists aware of both the harmful and the beneficial impacts of their activities, and how this depends on their travel choice. This could go beyond simply the generic message, with promotional support for relevant certification schemes and for activities such as donating to conservation causes in destinations visited. One conference emphasized the need to focus on the promotion of ecotourism to young people, as a receptive audience and the travelers of the future. Grasp the significant opportunity presented by the Internet. The Internet has had a major impact as a medium for promoting individual ecotourism products and the considerable potential it presents is widely recognized. It lends itself well to the ecotourism market, which is particularly responsive to up to date, detailed information and reports from previous travelers. A cautionary note was sounded about the lack of consumer trust in making bookings through the Internet, but this is being overcome as specific sites and brands are becoming better known. The advent of IT based Destination Management Systems will help to link demand to supply more efficiently. Use a range of techniques and partners. Despite the growth in Internet use, there was general recognition that ecotourism products should continue to use a range of promotional tools in their marketing, including working with specialist media and tour operators. There was a strong call for national and local tourist organizations to become more actively engaged in promoting ecotourism themes and products, in their publications and through travel fairs and familiarization trips.

 Provide comprehensive and educative information at all stages. The detail and accuracy of information supplied to visitors in advance of their stay is particularly important in this sector. Ecotourists need to know what to expect. As well as covering travel details and facilities, this should include information on the ecology and culture of the area and how to respect it. Likewise, the quality of information supplied during their stay, for example by hosts, protected area authorities or local tour operators, can greatly affect the visitors experience and their impact on the local community. Create loyal ambassadors. Almost all conferences stressed the importance of word of mouth recommendation as the most potent form of marketing. Providing visitors with a quality experience, getting feedback from them and maintaining some post-visit contact,will help to turn them into committed ecotourists and ambassadors for conservation.