WHY IS ECOTOURISM IMPORTANT TO ME?<\/strong><\/p>\n

My interest in ecotourism grew rather organically.\u00a0The more I traveled and observed and talked to local people,\u00a0the more aware I became of ecotourism issues. Through my travels, I learned that most tours are\u00a0run by corporate tour companies\u00a0who provide tours for\u00a0the masses, often consisting of bus rides\u00a0through popular\u00a0tourist sites\u00a0or poor communities.\u00a0Many of these\u00a0tours\u00a0provide little opportunity for cultural interaction and sharing, and are mostly viewed\u00a0by locals as deeply insulting and offensive (how would you\u00a0like to be peered at from a vehicle window like you’re a zoo animal).\u00a0\u00a0I\u00a0also observed that while global tourism is a multi-million dollar industry, few of those dollars trickle down to poorer communities or local companies, which don’t have the marketing\u00a0budget to compete with “the big guys”.\u00a0 Lastly, I became aware of issues involving the abuse and\/or captivity of wild\u00a0animals under the guise of entertainment\u00a0(i.e., swim with dolphins or pet a lion cub). I did not want to contribute to any of these negative aspects of travel so I started to educate myself.<\/p>\n