ecotourism. One of the greatest negative environmental
impacts is the large carbon footprint of air travel, particularly to remote ecotourism destinations.
Tourism and environmentalism are also an uncomfortable pair – the more popular an ecotourism
destination becomes, the more difficult it is to limit the cultural and environmental impacts to the community. The local community also tends to face the disadvantages of ecotourism – crowding,
restricted access to pasture lands or water and increased prices of goods – without enjoying its benefits. Local politics and corruption often mean that only the elite or those in government positions experience significant economic benefits from ecotourism.
In order to address these concerns, more than 100 voluntary certification programs have emerged for sustainable tourism and ecotourism. These programs range from regional to international, mainstream to grassroots, and self-monitoring to process-based certification. A coalition of environment nonprofits, including the Rainforest Alliance, the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP), the United National World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the International
Ecotourism Society (TIES) and the Center for Responsible Travel (CREST), are working together to develop and implement a framework for sustainable tourism.
2
Ecotourists in