1.1. Sustainable development of ecotourism sites
Ecotourism is usually considered to be more than just
nature-based tourism. The World Conservation Union’s
(IUCN) Commission on National Parks and Protected
Areas defined it as ‘‘environmentally responsible travel
and visitation to relatively undisturbed natural areas, in
order to enjoy and appreciate nature (and any accompanying
cultural features-both past and present) that
promotes conservation, has low visitor negative impact
and provides for beneficially active socio-economic
involvement of local populations’’ (Ceballos-Lascurain,
1996). The above definition indicates that ecotourism
development involves the integration of many factors
including tourists, residents, and managers (Ceballos-
Lascurain, 1993). It also suggests that natural areas and
local populations are united in a symbiotic relationship
through the introduction of tourism (Ross & Wall,
1999a).