Final answer:
Ecotourism refers to environmentally responsible travel to natural areas, aiming to conserve the environment, sustain the well-being of the local people, and involve interpretation and education. It provides economic opportunities while ensuring ecosystem conservation. Popular ecotourism destinations include Costa Rica, the Serengeti, and the Amazon rainforest, among others.
Step-by-step explanation:
Travel to natural areas that create economic opportunities for the host country while promoting conservation and sustainable travel is known as ecotourism. This form of tourism is designed to be minimally damaging to the environment and is often focused on visiting threatened environments and observing wildlife in its natural habitat.
Not only does ecotourism generate income for local economies, like the millions of dollars that come from visitors to Yosemite National Park, but it also provides funds for ecosystem conservation efforts and creates employment opportunities for local residents.
Some leading ecotourism destinations include Costa Rica, Panama, the Caribbean, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Serengeti in Tanzania, the Amazon rain forests, and the Galapagos Islands.
Governments in these regions often implement policies that share ecotourism revenues with local communities, effectively giving them an economic interest in protecting local wildlife habitats, which in turn fosters an appreciation for sustainable development over harmful alternatives like deforestation or overgrazing.