Tourism will always have an impact on the places visited. Sometimes the impact is good, but often it is negative. For example, if lots of people visit one place, then this can damage the environment. The question is - how can we minimize the problems without preventing people from travelling and visiting places?

The main aim of ecotourism is to reduce the negative impact that tourism has on the environment and local people. The idea is to encourage tourists to think about what they do when they visit a place.

It's great to talk about protecting the environment, but how do you actually do this? There are a number of key points. Tourists shouldn't drop litter, they should stay on the paths, they shouldn't interfere with wildlife and they should respect local customs and traditions.

Some people see ecotourism as a contradiction. They say that any tourism needs infrastructure - roads, airports and hotels. The more tourists that visit a place, the more of these are needed and, by building more of these, you can't avoid damaging the environment.

But, of course, things aren't so black and white. Living in a place of natural beauty doesn't mean that you shouldn't benefit from things like better roads. As long as the improvements benefit the local people and not just the tourists, and the local communities are consulted on plans and changes, then is there really a problem?

In 2002 the United Nations celebrated the "International Year of Ecotourism". Over the past twenty years, more and more people have started taking eco-holidays. In countries such as Ecuador, Nepal, Costa Rica and Kenya, ecotourism represents a significant proportion of the tourist industry.

Tourism will always have an impact on the places visited. Sometimes the impact is good, but often it is negative. For example, if lots of people visit one place, then this can damage the environment. The question is - how can we minimize the problems without preventing people from travelling and visiting places?

The main aim of ecotourism is to reduce the negative impact that tourism has on the environment and local people. The idea is to encourage tourists to think about what they do when they visit a place.

It's great to talk about protecting the environment, but how do you actually do this? There are a number of key points. Tourists shouldn't drop litter, they should stay on the paths, they shouldn't interfere with wildlife and they should respect local customs and traditions.

Some people see ecotourism as a contradiction. They say that any tourism needs infrastructure - roads, airports and hotels. The more tourists that visit a place, the more of these are needed and, by building more of these, you can't avoid damaging the environment.

But, of course, things aren't so black and white. Living in a place of natural beauty doesn't mean that you shouldn't benefit from things like better roads. As long as the improvements benefit the local people and not just the tourists, and the local communities are consulted on plans and changes, then is there really a problem?

In 2002 the United Nations celebrated the "International Year of Ecotourism". Over the past twenty years, more and more people have started taking eco-holidays. In countries such as Ecuador, Nepal, Costa Rica and Kenya, ecotourism represents a significant proportion of the tourist industry.

Tourism will always have an impact on the places visited. Sometimes the impact is good, but often it is negative. For example, if lots of people visit one place, then this can damage the environment. The question is - how can we minimize the problems without preventing people from travelling and visiting places?

The main aim of ecotourism is to reduce the negative impact that tourism has on the environment and local people. The idea is to encourage tourists to think about what they do when they visit a place.

It's great to talk about protecting the environment, but how do you actually do this? There are a number of key points. Tourists shouldn't drop litter, they should stay on the paths, they shouldn't interfere with wildlife and they should respect local customs and traditions.

Some people see ecotourism as a contradiction. They say that any tourism needs infrastructure - roads, airports and hotels. The more tourists that visit a place, the more of these are needed and, by building more of these, you can't avoid damaging the environment.

But, of course, things aren't so black and white. Living in a place of natural beauty doesn't mean that you shouldn't benefit from things like better roads. As long as the improvements benefit the local people and not just the tourists, and the local communities are consulted on plans and changes, then is there really a problem?

In 2002 the United Nations celebrated the "International Year of Ecotourism". Over the past twenty years, more and more people have started taking eco-holidays. In countries such as Ecuador, Nepal, Costa Rica and Kenya, ecotourism represents a significant proportion of the tourist industry.

Tourism will always have an impact on the places visited. Sometimes the impact is good, but often it is negative. For example, if lots of people visit one place, then this can damage the environment. The question is - how can we minimize the problems without preventing people from travelling and visiting places?

The main aim of ecotourism is to reduce the negative impact that tourism has on the environment and local people. The idea is to encourage tourists to think about what they do when they visit a place.

It's great to talk about protecting the environment, but how do you actually do this? There are a number of key points. Tourists shouldn't drop litter, they should stay on the paths, they shouldn't interfere with wildlife and they should respect local customs and traditions.

Some people see ecotourism as a contradiction. They say that any tourism needs infrastructure - roads, airports and hotels. The more tourists that visit a place, the more of these are needed and, by building more of these, you can't avoid damaging the environment.

But, of course, things aren't so black and white. Living in a place of natural beauty doesn't mean that you shouldn't benefit from things like better roads. As long as the improvements benefit the local people and not just the tourists, and the local communities are consulted on plans and changes, then is there really a problem?

In 2002 the United Nations celebrated the "International Year of Ecotourism". Over the past twenty years, more and more people have started taking eco-holidays. In countries such as Ecuador, Nepal, Costa Rica and Kenya, ecotourism represents a significant proportion of the tourist industry.

Tourism will always have an impact on the places visited. Sometimes the impact is good, but often it is negative. For example, if lots of people visit one place, then this can damage the environment. The question is - how can we minimize the problems without preventing people from travelling and visiting places?

The main aim of ecotourism is to reduce the negative impact that tourism has on the environment and local people. The idea is to encourage tourists to think about what they do when they visit a place.

It's great to talk about protecting the environment, but how do you actually do this? There are a number of key points. Tourists shouldn't drop litter, they should stay on the paths, they shouldn't interfere with wildlife and they should respect local customs and traditions.

Some people see ecotourism as a contradiction. They say that any tourism needs infrastructure - roads, airports and hotels. The more tourists that visit a place, the more of these are needed and, by building more of these, you can't avoid damaging the environment.

But, of course, things aren't so black and white. Living in a place of natural beauty doesn't mean that you shouldn't benefit from things like better roads. As long as the improvements benefit the local people and not just the tourists, and the local communities are consulted on plans and changes, then is there really a problem?

In 2002 the United Nations celebrated the "International Year of Ecotourism". Over the past twenty years, more and more people have started taking eco-holidays. In countries such as Ecuador, Nepal, Costa Rica and Kenya, ecotourism represents a significant proportion of the tourist industry.

Tourism will always have an impact on the places visited. Sometimes the impact is good, but often it is negative. For example, if lots of people visit one place, then this can damage the environment. The question is - how can we minimize the problems without preventing people from travelling and visiting places?

The main aim of ecotourism is to reduce the negative impact that tourism has on the environment and local people. The idea is to encourage tourists to think about what they do when they visit a place.

It's great to talk about protecting the environment, but how do you actually do this? There are a number of key points. Tourists shouldn't drop litter, they should stay on the paths, they shouldn't interfere with wildlife and they should respect local customs and traditions.

Some people see ecotourism as a contradiction. They say that any tourism needs infrastructure - roads, airports and hotels. The more tourists that visit a place, the more of these are needed and, by building more of these, you can't avoid damaging the environment.

But, of course, things aren't so black and white. Living in a place of natural beauty doesn't mean that you shouldn't benefit from things like better roads. As long as the improvements benefit the local people and not just the tourists, and the local communities are consulted on plans and changes, then is there really a problem?

In 2002 the United Nations celebrated the "International Year of Ecotourism". Over the past twenty years, more and more people have started taking eco-holidays. In countries such as Ecuador, Nepal, Costa Rica and Kenya, ecotourism represents a significant proportion of the tourist industry.

As most potential ecotourist sites are inhabited by ethnic minorities, the principle of “encouraging community participation in ecotourism activities” should both create income and help maintain cultural identity. These communities have a deep understanding of traditional festivals, cultivation and land use customs, traditional lifestyle and handicrafts, and historical places. A trip to the limestone mountain of Cao Bang - Bac Kan, for example, is valuable not only for the Ba Be Lake, but for the opportunity to learn about cultivation customs, dying practices using endemic plants to produce brocading, and traditional handmade boats of precious timber collected in the forest.

Because ecotourism is important for environmental education, maintenance of indigenous culture, and local economic development, both investment and government encouragement are required.

One research shows that 90 percent of ecotourist guides lack environmental knowledge about the flora, fauna, and natural resources in the area, and 88 percent would benefit from ecotourism guidebooks written especially for them. An illustration of wasted potential caused by this lack of training is Ha Long Bay, a world heritage site with immense environmental value - coral reefs, limestone mountains, thousands of flora and fauna species of high biodiversity, and rich cultural identity. But tourists in Ha Long Bay are presently visiting only the Bay and some caves, not accessing environmental information or local cultural activities. In general, the full potential of ecotourism has not yet been reached.

International visitors to Viet Nam often like to visit ethnic minority villages to observe the culture, meet local people, and participate in traditional activities. The ethnic minorities who live in or near nature reserves maintain distinctive lifestyles, cultural identities, and traditional customs. These features are part of the real value of ecotourism. However, local people are not much involved in ecotourism.

In addition, local people still live in poverty, their life closely associates with natural resources. The economic benefits of ecotourism need to be shared with them, but this will not happen without community participation.

As most potential ecotourist sites are inhabited by ethnic minorities, the principle of “encouraging community participation in ecotourism activities” should both create income and help maintain cultural identity. These communities have a deep understanding of traditional festivals, cultivation and land use customs, traditional lifestyle and handicrafts, and historical places. A trip to the limestone mountain of Cao Bang - Bac Kan, for example, is valuable not only for the Ba Be Lake, but for the opportunity to learn about cultivation customs, dying practices using endemic plants to produce brocading, and traditional handmade boats of precious timber collected in the forest.

Because ecotourism is important for environmental education, maintenance of indigenous culture, and local economic development, both investment and government encouragement are required.

One research shows that 90 percent of ecotourist guides lack environmental knowledge about the flora, fauna, and natural resources in the area, and 88 percent would benefit from ecotourism guidebooks written especially for them. An illustration of wasted potential caused by this lack of training is Ha Long Bay, a world heritage site with immense environmental value - coral reefs, limestone mountains, thousands of flora and fauna species of high biodiversity, and rich cultural identity. But tourists in Ha Long Bay are presently visiting only the Bay and some caves, not accessing environmental information or local cultural activities. In general, the full potential of ecotourism has not yet been reached.

International visitors to Viet Nam often like to visit ethnic minority villages to observe the culture, meet local people, and participate in traditional activities. The ethnic minorities who live in or near nature reserves maintain distinctive lifestyles, cultural identities, and traditional customs. These features are part of the real value of ecotourism. However, local people are not much involved in ecotourism.

In addition, local people still live in poverty, their life closely associates with natural resources. The economic benefits of ecotourism need to be shared with them, but this will not happen without community participation.

As most potential ecotourist sites are inhabited by ethnic minorities, the principle of “encouraging community participation in ecotourism activities” should both create income and help maintain cultural identity. These communities have a deep understanding of traditional festivals, cultivation and land use customs, traditional lifestyle and handicrafts, and historical places. A trip to the limestone mountain of Cao Bang - Bac Kan, for example, is valuable not only for the Ba Be Lake, but for the opportunity to learn about cultivation customs, dying practices using endemic plants to produce brocading, and traditional handmade boats of precious timber collected in the forest.

Because ecotourism is important for environmental education, maintenance of indigenous culture, and local economic development, both investment and government encouragement are required.

One research shows that 90 percent of ecotourist guides lack environmental knowledge about the flora, fauna, and natural resources in the area, and 88 percent would benefit from ecotourism guidebooks written especially for them. An illustration of wasted potential caused by this lack of training is Ha Long Bay, a world heritage site with immense environmental value - coral reefs, limestone mountains, thousands of flora and fauna species of high biodiversity, and rich cultural identity. But tourists in Ha Long Bay are presently visiting only the Bay and some caves, not accessing environmental information or local cultural activities. In general, the full potential of ecotourism has not yet been reached.

International visitors to Viet Nam often like to visit ethnic minority villages to observe the culture, meet local people, and participate in traditional activities. The ethnic minorities who live in or near nature reserves maintain distinctive lifestyles, cultural identities, and traditional customs. These features are part of the real value of ecotourism. However, local people are not much involved in ecotourism.

In addition, local people still live in poverty, their life closely associates with natural resources. The economic benefits of ecotourism need to be shared with them, but this will not happen without community participation.

As most potential ecotourist sites are inhabited by ethnic minorities, the principle of “encouraging community participation in ecotourism activities” should both create income and help maintain cultural identity. These communities have a deep understanding of traditional festivals, cultivation and land use customs, traditional lifestyle and handicrafts, and historical places. A trip to the limestone mountain of Cao Bang - Bac Kan, for example, is valuable not only for the Ba Be Lake, but for the opportunity to learn about cultivation customs, dying practices using endemic plants to produce brocading, and traditional handmade boats of precious timber collected in the forest.

Because ecotourism is important for environmental education, maintenance of indigenous culture, and local economic development, both investment and government encouragement are required.

One research shows that 90 percent of ecotourist guides lack environmental knowledge about the flora, fauna, and natural resources in the area, and 88 percent would benefit from ecotourism guidebooks written especially for them. An illustration of wasted potential caused by this lack of training is Ha Long Bay, a world heritage site with immense environmental value - coral reefs, limestone mountains, thousands of flora and fauna species of high biodiversity, and rich cultural identity. But tourists in Ha Long Bay are presently visiting only the Bay and some caves, not accessing environmental information or local cultural activities. In general, the full potential of ecotourism has not yet been reached.

International visitors to Viet Nam often like to visit ethnic minority villages to observe the culture, meet local people, and participate in traditional activities. The ethnic minorities who live in or near nature reserves maintain distinctive lifestyles, cultural identities, and traditional customs. These features are part of the real value of ecotourism. However, local people are not much involved in ecotourism.

In addition, local people still live in poverty, their life closely associates with natural resources. The economic benefits of ecotourism need to be shared with them, but this will not happen without community participation.

As most potential ecotourist sites are inhabited by ethnic minorities, the principle of “encouraging community participation in ecotourism activities” should both create income and help maintain cultural identity. These communities have a deep understanding of traditional festivals, cultivation and land use customs, traditional lifestyle and handicrafts, and historical places. A trip to the limestone mountain of Cao Bang - Bac Kan, for example, is valuable not only for the Ba Be Lake, but for the opportunity to learn about cultivation customs, dying practices using endemic plants to produce brocading, and traditional handmade boats of precious timber collected in the forest.

Because ecotourism is important for environmental education, maintenance of indigenous culture, and local economic development, both investment and government encouragement are required.

One research shows that 90 percent of ecotourist guides lack environmental knowledge about the flora, fauna, and natural resources in the area, and 88 percent would benefit from ecotourism guidebooks written especially for them. An illustration of wasted potential caused by this lack of training is Ha Long Bay, a world heritage site with immense environmental value - coral reefs, limestone mountains, thousands of flora and fauna species of high biodiversity, and rich cultural identity. But tourists in Ha Long Bay are presently visiting only the Bay and some caves, not accessing environmental information or local cultural activities. In general, the full potential of ecotourism has not yet been reached.

International visitors to Viet Nam often like to visit ethnic minority villages to observe the culture, meet local people, and participate in traditional activities. The ethnic minorities who live in or near nature reserves maintain distinctive lifestyles, cultural identities, and traditional customs. These features are part of the real value of ecotourism. However, local people are not much involved in ecotourism.

In addition, local people still live in poverty, their life closely associates with natural resources. The economic benefits of ecotourism need to be shared with them, but this will not happen without community participation.

As most potential ecotourist sites are inhabited by ethnic minorities, the principle of “encouraging community participation in ecotourism activities” should both create income and help maintain cultural identity. These communities have a deep understanding of traditional festivals, cultivation and land use customs, traditional lifestyle and handicrafts, and historical places. A trip to the limestone mountain of Cao Bang - Bac Kan, for example, is valuable not only for the Ba Be Lake, but for the opportunity to learn about cultivation customs, dying practices using endemic plants to produce brocading, and traditional handmade boats of precious timber collected in the forest.

Because ecotourism is important for environmental education, maintenance of indigenous culture, and local economic development, both investment and government encouragement are required.

One research shows that 90 percent of ecotourist guides lack environmental knowledge about the flora, fauna, and natural resources in the area, and 88 percent would benefit from ecotourism guidebooks written especially for them. An illustration of wasted potential caused by this lack of training is Ha Long Bay, a world heritage site with immense environmental value - coral reefs, limestone mountains, thousands of flora and fauna species of high biodiversity, and rich cultural identity. But tourists in Ha Long Bay are presently visiting only the Bay and some caves, not accessing environmental information or local cultural activities. In general, the full potential of ecotourism has not yet been reached.

International visitors to Viet Nam often like to visit ethnic minority villages to observe the culture, meet local people, and participate in traditional activities. The ethnic minorities who live in or near nature reserves maintain distinctive lifestyles, cultural identities, and traditional customs. These features are part of the real value of ecotourism. However, local people are not much involved in ecotourism.

In addition, local people still live in poverty, their life closely associates with natural resources. The economic benefits of ecotourism need to be shared with them, but this will not happen without community participation.