What is Ecotourism?
Ecotourism refers to responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment, benefits local communities, and includes education and interpretation
Ecotourism Internship
Engage, Empower & Inspire
All interns must be able to work independently and to take initiative; develop and implement creative ideas and solutions; and accommodate flexible work schedules. Very strong time management skills are required, especially for virtual internship positions. TIES expects individual interns to have the skills and capacity to add value to the organization without requiring handholding. TIES staff will not be able to consider internship positions that require extensive reporting or have specific project limitations.
The Definition
Ecotourism is now defined as “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment, sustains the well-being of the local people, and involves interpretation and education” (TIES, 2015). Education is meant to be inclusive of both staff and guests.
Principles of Ecotourism
Ecotourism is about uniting conservation, communities, and sustainable travel. This means that those who implement, participate in and market ecotourism activities should adopt the following ecotourism principles:
- Minimize physical, social, behavioral, and psychological impacts.
- Build environmental and cultural awareness and respect.
- Provide positive experiences for both visitors and hosts.
- Provide direct financial benefits for conservation.
- Generate financial benefits for both local people and private industry.
- Deliver memorable interpretative experiences to visitors that help raise sensitivity to host countries’ political, environmental, and social climates.
- Design, construct and operate low-impact facilities.
- Recognize the rights and spiritual beliefs of the Indigenous People in your community and work in partnership with them to create empowerment.