Ecotourism is ecology-based tourism, focused primarily on natural or cultural resources such as scenic areas, coral reefs, caves, fossil sites, archeological or historical sites, and wildlife, particularly rare and endangered species.

The successful marketing of ecotourism depends on destinations which have biodiversity, unique geologic features, and interesting cultural histories, as well as an adequate infrastructure. In the United States national parks are perhaps the most popular destinations for ecotourism, particularly Yellowstone National Park, the Grand Canyon, the Great Smoky Mountains and Yosemite National Park. In 1999, there were 300 million recreational visits to the national parks. Some of the leading ecotourist destinations outside the United States include the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador, the wildlife parks of Kenya, Tanzania, and South Africa, the mountains of Nepal, and the national parks and forest reserves of Costa Rica.

Tourism is the second largest industry in the world, producing over $195 billion in domestic and...