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The International Ecotourism Society

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Often times when people think think of the environment they think of fields, lakes, or wild animals. This, however, is no longer the reality of our world today. Because of human impacts on the environment, fields have been turned to shopping malls, lakes have been dried up, and undomesticated creatures are being wiped out by the thousands. One main perpetrator of this destruction is ecotourism. ecotourism is defined as, “travel to natural areas in ways that conserve the environment and improve the welfare of local people.” (“Significance of Protecting Natural Sites for Ecotourism Development”). The term “ecotourism” was first used in the 1970’s, but became popular only in 1990 when the International Ecotourism Society (TIES) was founded.The main goals of ecotourism were to have a means for people to tour natural places, but without having a negative impact on the environment. (“Ecotourism”). This, however, has not been the case. Preservation of the environment is no longer the main goal of ecotourism companies, for the great profits have become many of their main concerns. The positives aspects of ecotourism are not worth the extinction of endangered animals, the overuse of natural resources, and the disturbance of local communities.
Ecotourism has had a wide and vast history, spanning all around the globe. The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) was first founded in 1990 and is the world’s longest running ecotourism company. TIES has 5 main principles that it says it

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