Ecotourism is a growing niche market within the larger travel industry,with the potential of being an important sustainable development tool. With billions of dollars in annual sales to take advantage of market trends. At the same time, it frequenty operates quite differently than other segments of the tourism industry, because ecotourism is defined by its sustainable development results : conserving natural areas, educating visitors about sustainability, and benefiting local people.
Travel and tourism are among the world's fastest growing industries and are the major source of foreign exchange earnings for many developing contries. The Word Tourism Organization(WTO) reports that receipts from international tourism grew by an average annual rate 0f 90% between 1988-1997. The number of international tourist arrivals reached more than 664 million in 1999(well over 10% of the world's population),and internation arrivals are expected
The increasing economic importance of tourism has captured the attention of tourism has captured the attention of most countries. However, the global growth of tourism poses a significant threat to cultural and biological diversity.