Ecotourism is a relatively new concept, and it is still often misunderstood or misused. Some people have abused the term to attract conservation conscious travellers to what are simply nature tourism programmes which may cause negative environmental and social impacts. While the term was first used in the 1980s, the broadly accepted definition and one which continues to be valid, "nutshell" definition was established by The International Ecotourism Society in 1990.

Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well being of local people.

The Nature Conservancy has adopted the concept of ecotourism as the type of tourism that it recommends its partners use in most protected area managements. For the Nature Conservancy, ecotourism represents an excellent means for benefiting both local people and the protected area in question. Ecotourism has brought the promise of achieving conservation goals, improving the well-being of local communities and generating new business, promising a rare win-win situation.

Keeping in view all the factors, the present book wholeheartedly analyses the basic concepts and core elements of this complex phenomena otherwise known as ecotourism, in a simple language, making it ectremely useful for tourists, research scholars and the teachers working in this field.