Study on the Benefits of Ecotourism as an Alternative form of Tourism

Abstract

Ecotourism is defined as the movement of tourist to the natural and undisturbed areas. It is emerged as the form of alternative tourism for the minimization of the adverse impacts of mass tourism. Eco-tourism is also referred as Community-based Tourism as the betterment of the community is one of the major principles of ecotourism. It has the appearance of being environmentally and socio-culturally sustainable, rather in a way that enhances the natural and cultural resource base of the destination and promotes the feasibility of the operation. The most obvious characteristic of ecotourism is that it is nature based. Ecotourism has started with an experimental idea that many expected to contribute for the conservation of natural resources worldwide. In this research the researcher has tried to find out the impacts of ecotourism on the life of host community. This research evaluate the benefits of the ecotourism as an alternative form of tourism and its effects on the life of people life of the people living in and around the natural area where the eco-tourist visit more frequently. This research focuses on Manali as the research area as it is the most important tourism site in India, famous for its natural beauty. This research focuses on the how the people got empowered socially and economically by adopting ecotourism practices.