The word ecotourism is a combination of ecology(he 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 wel being of the local people This means that walking through a tain torest isn't really ecotourism unless it benefits the area. perhaps by providing jobs to the local residents or by conserving the wildlife countries are slowly recognizing that it is possible 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 developed the Certification for Sustainable Tourism(CST program in 1999, which was then used by the United Nations World Tourism Organization as the model for the rest of Latin America Thanks to its conservation efforts, over 25 percent of Costa Ruca's land is covered lush national parks Its tourism industry generates over a billion dollars annually and provides jobs to thousands of people Unfortunately, people in the industry sometimes exploit the"ecotourism label in their drive for profit This brand of ecotourism isn't always conducted in the most responsible way and may damage the very environment it seeks to protect One concern is that natural the overwhelming number of visitors to these