The word ecotourism is a combination of ecology(the study of systems of living things and tourism. The International Ecotourism Society defines ecotourism as"responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of the local people This means that walking through a rain forest isn't really ecotourism unless it benefits the area. perhaps by providing jobs to the local residents or by conserving the wildlife Courtres are siowly recognizing that it is possibie to make money while preserving their natural resources Costa Rica has been leading the ecotourism movement for some time, and was voted the most popular ecotourism destination by TripAdvisor com in April 2012. It developed the Certification for sustainable Tourism(cST program in 1999, which was then used by the United World Tourism organization as the model for the rest of Latin America Thanks to its conservation efforts, over 25 percent of Costa Rica's land is covered in lush national parks tourism industry generates over a billion dollars annually and provides jobs to thousands of people.