Global Ecotourism at the Start of the New Millennium

Ecotourism is booming around the world. The World Tourism Organisation (WTO) reports that ecotourism accounts for approximately 20 percent of total international travel and is now worth US$20 billion a year. This paper briefly explores the link between tourism and the environment in the time that has elapsed since the 1993 World Leisure and Recreation Association (WLRA) Congress held on Leisure, Tourism and Environment. It describes ecotourism development in a number of countries and argues that it is one vehicle which is assisting the transition towards the regeneration of natural and cultural environments through tourism. It then examines some of the current issues facing ecotourism and argues that ecotourism is at a crossroads. It may no longer be the preserve of a niche sustainable tourism market, but rather may reflect some of the same issues and trends exhibited by mass tourism