Ecotourism, ethical travel & sustainable travel

If you spent all your time getting your head around all the terminology in the world relating to a better form of travel, you would never actually do what you love to do best. Travel. So, here is a quick glossary of the good and great, from ecotourism to sustainable tourism, and the reason why we opted for 'responsible'. Which to some is a mouthful. But we believe it is actually the most meaningful.

Ecotourism, ethical & sustainable

Ecotourism, ethical travel and sustainable tourism are terms that have become increasingly prominent in recent years – but what do they really mean? While each concept has its own unique definition, they all point toward a shared vision: a form of travel that respects the planet, supports local people, and enriches the travel experience in meaningful, conscious ways. They are also terms that carry a lot of weight, something that hasn’t gone unnoticed by companies looking to give their corporate image a caring, environmental edge. When used without evidence to support claims, businesses can face accusations of ‘greenwashing’, and in the UK, hefty fines. This article explores the definitions of ecotourism, ethical travel, and sustainable tourism, our thoughts on each term, and explains why we have chosen ‘responsible travel’.

Ecotourism

Ecotourism as a movement became more prominent in the 1980s, just as tourism was transforming from micro business to mass takeover levels. Ecotourism was considered the antidote to the rushed development of resorts happening all over Europe, the Americas and into Asia. Conservationists fought tooth and nail to protect important ecosystems and habitats around the world from destruction – and their argument was that tourism, or ecotourism left undeveloped. Because being pristine and prolific in wildlife was, in itself, the tourist attraction.

A wave of ecotourism began, with holidays that focused on bringing people back to nature. Although there were always people travelling to see wildlife, wetlands and the plethora of the planet’s natural wonders, ecotourism tours were now stretching beyond the bounds of bird watching clubs.

The most popular definition of ecotourism came from leading Mexican architect and environmentalist, Hector Ceballos-Lascurain in 1983. Although working for the government at the time in urban development, he was also President of Pronatura, an influential Mexican conservation organisation that succeeded in preventing, among various things, the building of marinas in important wetlands in the Celestún estuary of the Yucatan, an area much loved for its flamingo populations. At the time, he defined ecotourism, the proposed protector of the region, as follows:

"Ecotourism is that tourism that involves travelling to relatively undisturbed natural areas with the specific object of studying, admiring and enjoying the scenery and its wild plants and animals, as well as any existing cultural aspects (both past and present) found in these areas... the person who practices ecotourism has the opportunity of immersing him or herself in nature in a way that most people cannot enjoy in their routine, urban existences."

However, Ceballos-Lascurain extended his definition in 1993 to include the importance of supporting communities too, saying "Ecotourism is environmentally responsible travel and visitation to relatively undisturbed natural areas, in order to enjoy and appreciate nature (and any accompanying cultural features - both past and present) that promotes conservation, has low negative visitor impact, and provides for beneficially active socio-economic involvement of local populations", a definition that was then adopted by the IUCN (The World Conservation Union) in 1996. The International Ecotourism Society was also founded in 1990, celebrating tourism destinations that fitted with this definition.

Coined phrases are catchy, and a rash of ecotourism businesses and destinations appeared, many for the greater good but just as many calling themselves ‘eco’ because they were rural, remote or just a tad rustic. The term was, and still is, hijacked by companies and individuals who use it to ‘greenwash’ their businesses. Which is one reason why we take so much care to screen all the holiday companies we partner with at Responsible Travel.

Transparency is the smoothest road to responsibility, so we publish all of their responsible tourism policies, from wildlife to water, conservation to community enterprise. We also invite tourists to post their feedback, all of which is published unedited. We aim to present an alternative to ‘greenwashing’, where companies claim the great and the green but, in reality, fail to really have a positive impact on people or place. You can read our advice in our article ‘Greenwashing in tourism’.

Sustainable travel & tourism

Can travel really be sustainable? That is the question we probably get asked the most and which is why we need to look at the original definition of sustainability: “Being able to meet the needs of present generations without compromising the needs for future generations.”

Sustainability and sustainable development is about creating a balance. Putting back as much as we use, and more in some cases. So, not overdeveloping land that can’t be restored or extracting resources that can’t be renewed. The balance here is recognising that development and growth can be good, but not if it’s at the expense of future generations, who risk struggling for land to live on, resources to live off and jobs to survive on.

However, we are not convinced that, when it comes to terminology and tourism, the words sustainable and development are always compatible. Aviation is a case in point, because the minute we leave our homes to go on holiday, we enter the transport torment. The carbon conundrum... The minute you switch on any engine, to get to the airport, ferry port or railway station, your sustainability meter starts ticking. And so, sustainable tourism is a contradiction in terms. UK consumer laws agree, and as of 2025 will fine companies that make claims to sustainability, without the evidence to back it up. Which brings us back to definitions, and why we prefer the term ‘responsible tourism’.

Responsible travel is about accepting that tourism has positive and negative impacts on the environment and local communities, and taking responsibility for maximising the benefits and reducing the negatives.

In short, at Responsible Travel we don’t like to overclaim, or pretend that sustainable holidays are really possible. They aren’t, unless you walk, swim, cycle there, stay in a sustainably built hotel with only renewable energy, and eat nothing but locally sourced organic food. Then you might win the prize.

Ethical travel

Although this is a worthy term, the concept of ethical travel is problematic. It’s a weighty term, the implication being that to be ethical, travel should be somehow ‘blameless’. On this definition, most travel would be impossible. Should one travel to Burma or indeed, should one call it Burma or Myanmar? What are the ethics behind second homes in tourism? Should we have swimming pools in countries where people are deprived of drinking water? Are we turning a blind eye to human rights issues by travelling to China? Or the growth of the child sex tourism industry when travelling to places like Madagascar, to name just one of many where these atrocities are prolific? The issues are all important, and indeed charities like Travel Forward and The Code work to promote human rights and the ethical treatment of people in tourism. However, at Responsible Travel we believe that weighing up ethical choices is a fundamental part of becoming a more responsible tourist and so we tend not to refer to ethical travel as anything separate to responsible tourism.

Some of the ethical travel issues that we address on our site include the pros and cons of safaris; for example, staying at a private safari lodge which, although it contributes to conservation in Some of the ethical travel issues that we address on our site include the pros and cons of safaris; for example, staying at a private safari lodge which, although it contributes to conservation in terms of national park fees, may ignore land rights issues and income sources of indigenous people. At the same time, is it ethical to travel to Antarctica, observe rare gorillas in the wild, volunteer abroad, visit post conflict zones, swim with wild dolphins, travel in countries that punish you for being gay, and so on?

Some ethical issues are black and white in our view – including volunteering holidays that work with vulnerable children. In collaboration with child protection organisations, we have therefore created very strict criteria to be observed by travel companies offering these opportunities, such as ensuring that volunteers have professional qualifications and are subject to child protection checks. See our Volunteering Guide for more details.

The ethical travel issue list is long, which is why we created our responsible tourism travel guides. These not only detail ethical issues in all of the holiday destinations we visit, but give you options on how to do some of the things you dream of doing, seeking out companies that offer these activities but do so responsibly and ethically.

Community-based tourism

When communities come together and work as a cooperative to create a tourism destination that benefits them all, and offers tourism products that they, as a community, want to promote, you have in many ways a utopian, responsible tourism product. You can read more about our definition of community-based tourism (CBT) and its role in the creation of Responsible Travel as a business, here. However, some community-based tourism businesses get it wrong too, and just because the big corporate chiefs aren’t controlling from the board room, doesn’t mean that they are responsible or that their holidays are of a high quality.

At Responsible Travel we have chosen some exemplary community-based tourism holidays that do work, which our travellers have visited and loved, and you can find them here.

Putting them all together

At their core, these approaches share a commitment to minimising negative impacts and maximising benefits – for the environment, for local communities, and for travellers themselves. Whether it’s wildlife watching in remote regions, low-carbon adventures like hiking or kayaking, or culturally immersive experiences that directly support local livelihoods, responsible tourism draws from all these principles. It offers alternatives to exploitative practices such as sex tourism or wildlife poaching by creating meaningful, ethical economic opportunities. Most importantly, the responsibility lies with all of us – from government bodies to global corporations, small businesses to individual travellers – to shape a tourism industry that protects places and empowers people. When done right, travel becomes a force for good: making destinations not only better to visit, but better to live in.

Our company has been one of the champions of responsible tourism for many years now. Through our brand, awards and campaigning, we are proud to be part of a bigger movement. But everyone can be part of this movement. You can be big or small, profit making or a non-profit – you can still do it.