Ecotourism has been known by many names: such as alternative tourism, sustainable tourism, community-based tourism as well as volun-tourism.
Alternative tourism does not necessarily prize responsibility, just the move away from purely recreational mass tourism, whereas ecotourism does not exclude mass tourism.
But more specific is sustainable tourism, focusing on economically, socio-culturally and environmentally sustainable tourist activities, recognized by some United Nations agencies as an effective economic tool for, and measure of, sustainable growth, especially in the world’s poorer countries.
Community-based tourism can be participation of local communities as the planners, managers and primary beneficiaries of sustainable tourism enterprises that support, dignify and respect local culture and resources.
Volun-tourism is a relatively new concept that sees visitors volunteering with local organisations, making sure that they give back as much as they can to the land offering them temporary hospitality.
Nature tourism
Nature tourism is often defined as visiting natural sites such as a coral reef, rain forest, or wet land to enjoy its natural beauty. It denotes tourism dependent on natural resources , but it does not include conventional beach tourism.
Importantly, the definition of nature tourism is broader than that of ecotourism, which requires that travel is in an environmentally friendly fashion, ie., viewing fauna and flora, or participating in adventure sports activities in which natural beauty is combined with physical exercise and other enjoyments.
