Is Ecotourism an Appropriate Answer to Tourism's Environmental Concerns?

Tourism can be considered as a tool of environmental degradation, as well as an incentive to protect natural resources. Ecotourism, perceived as an alternative to mass tourism, is a fast growing industry segment that intends to preserve the environment as well as local communities and their culture. Ecotravelers are being heavily targeted by tourist destinations, tour operators, as well as by suppliers such as hoteliers. This paper examines the danger of over-marketing ecotourism and argues that tourism's environmental problems are not likely to be solved by ecotourism alone but by a general understanding of the tourism industry's responsibilities towards the environment.