Eco-Tourism- A Discovery Tool for Sustainable Development

While conceding that the uncontrolled growth of Tourism industry can result in serious environmental and social problems, recently, it has been contended that such negative effects can be controlled and reduced through the ecotourism. In India, where ecologically sustainable development is placed high on the political agenda, a growing number of government agencies, protected area management authorities, and conservation groups are committed to promoting nature-based tourism and ecotourism.

Although a plethora of plans and strategies are being developed in India to promote ecotourism, the long-term effectiveness of these newly formed programs and initiatives has yet be evaluated. To contribute towards sustainable development, these initiatives must be able to move ecotourism beyond simply a niche market within nature-based travel. Ecotourism must serve as a vehicle to transform unsustainable mass tourism practices towards genuine “greening,” not just “green washing” of the tourism industry. In a highly competitive marketplace, the ecotourism industry is likely to face immense challenges to live up to the promise of sustainable tourism.

The following sections of this paper outline the various ways in which the term ecotourism has been defined and the common dimensions contained within these definitions. The next section discusses the advocated benefits and the perceived costs of ecotourism as they are likely to apply to sustainable development of the nation. In the following section, various international and National policies designed towards the ecotourism will briefly be examined. The paper concludes by evaluating the suitability of ecotourism as a potential means of alleviating the considerable social, economic, and ecological hardship to achieve sustainable result.