Improvement of ecological tourism on the principles of sustainable economic development

The article reveals the essence and characteristics of ecotourism, identifies its problems and determines the directions and objectives of its development, provides comparative indicators of the number of protected areas in different countries of the world and the income that countries receive from tourism in specially protected natural areas. The main problems and aspects of its development in the context of recreational geography and tourism are highlighted, such as the lack of a common national concept for the development of rural tourism or the lack of a clearly formulated state policy. There are no standards and rules applicable to rural tourism, nor qualified personnel, knowledge and experience in the service of foreign and domestic tourists. There are no normative legal acts in the field of ecological tourism, which is aggravated by the reluctance and inability to effectively use private recreational resources. In this study was done key findings.In this article the author raises questions related to the current state of ecotourism and prospects of its development. Over the past quarter century, both supply and demand for ecotourism have increased significantly. At the same time, ecotourism, as a special form of tourism development, is increasingly recognized and legitimized as a means of achieving sustainable development in destination areas