How has ecotourism evolved over the years?

Ecotourism first grew out of the global environmental movement in the late 1970s. While the development and growth of ecotourism took various paths in different parts of the world, by the early 1990s, ecotourism, along with nature-based, cultural, heritage and adventure tourism, had become among the fastest growing sectors of the tourism industry worldwide. More recently, ecotourism has helped to spawn a variety of new terms, such as sustainable tourism, pro-poor tourism, and responsible tourism, all of which encompass the concept that tourism can and should benefit conservation and host communities. An important trend within the development of sustainable tourism is initiatives to mainstream sustainability within travel and tourism, by taking the principles and good practices of ecotourism and applying them to wider swath of the market, e.g. hotel chains, urban tourist attractions, ski resorts, golf courses, and beach resorts.