Eco-tourism is growing in popularity among American and European
vacationers, and it's not hard to see why. The Earth's natural wonders are plentiful, and although they're not always cheap to travel to they're usually free to look at once you arrive!
A very popular part of the world for US eco-tourists is Central America. Panama, Belize, Guatamala and other countries in the region are popular with US vacationers in particular because they are relatively close to home and they offer some of the most diverse and exciting eco-systems on the planet. If you want to explore a rainforest but you don't want to have to paddle up the Amazon in a dugout canoe to do it, Central America is great. It's also a good spot for discovering marine wildlife, from giant turtles to bottlenose dolphins.
One of the best things about Central American eco-tourism is that you don't have to disappear into the middle of nowhere to enjoy it. An eco-break can easily be combined with a few nights in a Caribbean or Pacific resort to strike a nice balance between saving the planet and having a really relaxing time.
If you're intending to book an eco-tour, there are surprisingly few major US vacation providers who can help you in any meaningful way. Many of them run vacations to places of natural and ecological interest, but as yet they haven't really dived head first into the eco market - possibly because they don't perceive it to be sufficiently developed. So, as usual, it's fallen to small businesses to do the pioneering work. These generally come intwo types: US or Euro-based outfits that organize specific itineraries of interest to the ecologically-minded traveler, and local businesses - usually small hotels and resorts - that make a good living out of showing visitors around the natural beauties of their surroundings.
One of the key themes of eco-tourism - and possibly one reason it's not caught on with major travel companies - is that the tourist should make only a minimal impact on the environment s/he is visiting. Eco-tourism companies often discuss this in terms of the environmental 'footprint' a visitor leaves behind when visiting a particular area. As is the way of things, places of great beauty are often very fragile environments, and therefore depend on visiting humans being considerate of the impact they're having.
Ecotourism and Sustainable Development, Second Edition: Who Owns Paradise?
The Business of Ecotourism
Ecotourism
Ecotourism: An Introduction
Critical Issues in Ecotourism: understanding a complex tourism phenomenon