One of the basic tenets of ecotourism is to engage local communities so they benefit from conservation, economic development and education.
Ecotourism, in partnership with research, has the potential to significantly affect forest conservation in many positive ways. The question of sustainability remains unanswered because many sites with nature-based tourism are relatively new and the long-term impacts have yet to be measured.
Ecotourism has attracted increasing attention in recent years, not only as an alternative to mass tourism, but as a means of economic development and environmental conservation.
Definitions of both tourism and tourist are subject to debate, since a simple definition of tourism such as "traveling for pleasure" merely invites a second wave of questions.
Ecotourism development differs from mainstream development efforts in that, aside from startup loans, much or all of the continuing financial support comes from tourist rather than from goverments or development agencies.
The negative consequences of conventional tourism to local communities are well known, including excessive development, degradation of ecosystems, cultural homogenization, and the concentration of economic benefits in outside hands.