What does ecotourism mean?
Ecotourism is a form of tourism centered on visiting relatively undisturbed natural areas in ways that support conservation and benefit local communities rather than degrade them. The term combines "eco-", referring to ecology or the environment, with "tourism", and emerged in English during the 1980s as awareness of environmental issues grew. In its strictest sense, ecotourism involves responsible travel that minimizes ecological damage, educates visitors about local ecosystems, and channels revenue into protecting wildlife and habitats — destinations such as Costa Rica's rainforests and Kenya's wildlife reserves are frequently cited examples. More loosely, the word describes any nature-based travel marketed as sustainable, which has led critics to apply it ironically to "greenwashed" tourism that offers little real environmental benefit. Ecotourism functions almost exclusively as an uncountable noun, appearing in phrases like "the ecotourism industry" and "community-based ecotourism." Its related forms include "ecotourist" for a person who travels this way.
nounTourism directed toward unspoiled natural environments, intended to support conservation efforts and observe wildlife while minimizing ecological impact and benefiting local communities.
- Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people.
- More broadly, any tourism marketed as environmentally friendly or nature-based (sometimes used critically to describe 'greenwashed' tourism).
"The island's economy has shifted from fishing to ecotourism, drawing visitors eager to see its nesting seabirds."
"Ecotourism in Costa Rica funds ranger patrols that protect the rainforest from illegal logging."
"Critics argue that much of what is sold as ecotourism amounts to little more than conventional tourism with green packaging."
Rarely used. When found at all, the plural typically appears in scholarly writing to distinguish between different models or types of ecotourism rather than multiple instances of travel.
"The study compared community-based ecotourisms across three regions of Southeast Asia."
"Ecotourism" was reportedly coined in the 1980s — yet within decades this feel-good word was being accused of enabling the very environmental damage it promised to prevent.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of ecotourism
Ecotourism was coined in English in the early 1980s, combining "eco-" (from Greek "oikos", meaning "house" or "household", via "ecology") with "tourism" (from the French "tourner", meaning "to turn"). Credit for popularizing the term is often given to Mexican architect Héctor Ceballos-Lascuráin, though several writers used similar coinages around the same time. The word spread rapidly through conservation and travel literature as sustainable travel became a mainstream concern. Its Greek root also underlies cognates such as "ecology", "ecosystem", and "economical".
Related word forms
How ecotourism is actually used
Generally neutral to positive in register; used in academic, policy, and travel-industry contexts. In critical usage it can carry an ironic or skeptical tone when referring to superficially 'green' tourism. Unusually for an -ism noun, it is commonly treated as uncountable, though 'ecotourisms' occasionally appears in academic writing to denote distinct forms or models.
Easily confused with ecotourism
Geotourism focuses on a destination's geology and landforms as attractions, whereas ecotourism centers on conservation of ecosystems and minimizing environmental impact.