What is Ecotourism?

Tourism Enriches

For many countries, ecotourism is not so much seen as a marginal activity intended to finance protection of the environment than as a major sector of national economy and as a means of attracting tourists. For example, in countries such as Costa Rica, Ecuador, Nepal, Kenya, Madagascar and Antarctica, ecotourism represents a significant portion of the gross domestic product (or in Antarctica's case, economic activity).

Ecotourism in the Philippines

The Philippines is regarded as one of the top 25 biodiversity hotspots in the world in view of high percentage of endemic plants and animals which are threatened by extinction.

Recognizing the diverse natural and cultural resources of the country, Executive Order (EO) No. 111 was issued on 17 June 1999 to establish the guidelines for ecotourism development in the Philippines. The EO likewise created the National Ecotourism Development Council as policy making body, and the National Ecotourism Steering Committee (NESC) and Regional Ecotourism Committees (RECs) as operating arms. In addition, the EO called for the formulation of National Ecotourism Strategy (NES) to provide an integrated management plan for the development of ecotourism.

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