The road towards community based ecotourism

As the quest for sustainability reaches the larger public, the sector of tourism also becomes subject to demands of sustainability. Where the notion of sustainability is effectively integrated, it results in ecotourism and community based development. Ecotourism is mainly linked with environmental sustainability, while community based development provides sustainability of culture and local livelihoods. This paper argues that the ultimate form of sustainable tourism is community based ecotourism, which combines both developments. The guidelines on Sustainable Development from the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development (1992) are used to explain how a more sustainable form of tourism can be reached, and why it is believed community based ecotourism is the only possibility to achieve sustainable activity. While the goal of sustainable development requires more promotion in large parts of the world, community based ecotourism could be an effective way to apply theoretical values in practice, thereby improving the preservation of both culture and nature