Eco tourism for sustainable development

The concept of ecotourism is widely misunderstood and it is often used as a marketing instrument in order to promote tourism businesses related to nature. It is well-known that from all sub-sectors of the tourism industry the ecotourism has experienced the fastest growth in the recent years, but we have to see beyond the appealing and fashionable “eco” label and “green-washing” of the travel industry. The true ecotourism represents only “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of the local people” (TIES 1990). This paper clarifies the definition of the ecotourism concept versus related concepts as “sustainable tourism”, “responsible tourism”, “nature based travel” or “green travel”, presents the principles and benefits of ecotourism, the relation between ecotourism and sustainable development, and the challenges for Romania as an ecotourism destination at international level. <p>Paper: http://ccefa.spiruharet.ro/materiale/dder.pdf