Ecotourism and community-based tourism: why nature conservation cannot be separated from local communities.

During its online session on 13 January, the International Social Tourism Organisation (ISTO)'s Working Group on Community and Fair Tourism, coordinated by Coralie Marti, from the French Association for Fair and Solidarity Tourism (ATES) brought together 38 participants from across the world to discuss a key question: what are the complementarities—and also the differences—between ecotourism and community-based tourism?

Through a presentation by Eric Raulet from the French association Defismed and contributions from participants across Europe, Latin America and beyond, the discussion highlighted that truly sustainable ecotourism cannot be limited to the protection of natural areas alone. It must also recognise the rights, knowledge and essential role of the communities that live in these territories.

Ecotourism and Community-Based Tourism: Two Closely Related but Often Misunderstood Approaches

Over the past few decades, ecotourism has emerged as an alternative to conventional tourism. It is generally defined as a form of responsible travel that seeks to conserve natural environments, raise environmental awareness among visitors and minimise tourism's impact on ecosystems.

Community-based tourism pursues the same ambition of sustainability but follows a different path. It places local communities at the centre of tourism development, enabling them to design tourism experiences, welcome visitors, manage tourism revenues and make decisions about the future of their territories.

The two approaches therefore share many common values. However, discussions within ISTO's Working Group showed that they are still too often presented as distinct—or even competing—models. In reality, they frequently reinforce one another.

A Definition of Ecotourism That Continues to Evolve

The presentation by the French association Defismed highlighted that ecotourism remains a concept with blurred boundaries. While there is broad agreement on the importance of biodiversity conservation, the criteria used to define what constitutes genuine ecotourism still vary considerably between countries, institutions and tourism stakeholders.
This lack of a shared definition also leaves room for marketing misuse. The label "ecotourism" is sometimes applied to tourism products that simply take place in natural settings without demonstrating any meaningful commitment to environmental protection or tangible benefits for local communities.

Participants stressed that this ambiguity encourages greenwashing while making it more difficult for genuinely committed initiatives to gain visibility. At the same time, many small-scale tourism providers delivering exemplary practices remain largely invisible because they lack the financial and marketing resources needed to reach wider markets.

Putting Local Communities Back at the Heart of Ecotourism

One of the strongest messages emerging from the session was that

ecotourism cannot be reduced to its environmental dimension alone.

In many parts of the world, conservation policies have historically prioritised the protection of natural areas without always involving the people who live there. In some cases, the establishment of protected areas or national parks has even resulted in restrictions on access to natural resources or the displacement of local communities.

The discussions within ISTO pointed towards a different vision. Protecting ecosystems is essential, but conservation efforts become more effective and more sustainable when they are built upon local knowledge, traditional practices and the capacity of communities to manage natural resources collectively.

In other words, biodiversity conservation and social justice should not be seen as separate objectives. They are mutually reinforcing.

This perspective fully reflects the values promoted by ISTO, which advocates a socially sustainable model of tourism that cannot be conceived without respecting the rights of local communities, ensuring their participation in decision-making and promoting a fair distribution of tourism benefits.

International Experiences Demonstrating the Complementarity of Both Approaches

Another strength of the session was the diversity of experiences shared by participants from different regions of the world.

Contributors from Ecuador explained how the absence of a clear definition of ecotourism often creates confusion between nature tourism and genuinely sustainable ecotourism. As a result, many tourism initiatives adopt the language of ecotourism without changing their practices.

By conTrast, participants highlighted how community-based tourism initiatives across several Latin American countries successfully combine biodiversity conservation, cultural heritage preservation and alternative sources of income for local populations. In the Amazon, for example, tourism can strengthen communities facing growing pressure from extractive industries and agricultural expansion by creating new economic opportunities linked to the sustainable management of their territories.

Participants from Bolivia also emphasised that community-based tourism goes far beyond welcoming visitors. It is about sharing a way of life, transmitting a particular relationship with biodiversity and reinforcing collective governance systems rooted in Indigenous traditions.

Other contributions showcased inspiring initiatives led by community cooperatives in Italy and community homestay networks in Nepal. Although the contexts differ significantly, a common lesson emerged: the most resilient tourism initiatives are those where local communities retain control over tourism development.

Making Grassroots Initiatives More Visible

Defismed's presentation also highlighted another major challenge: visibility.

Most ecotourism initiatives are developed by small organisations operating in rural or remote areas. They rarely possess the resources needed to communicate effectively, access tourism distribution channels or reach international audiences.

Several initiatives were presented to address this challenge, including the creation of networks, free online training programmes, greater involvement of young people, audiovisual storytelling and dedicated events showcasing local ecotourism experiences.
Beyond these practical tools, one conclusion clearly emerged: ecotourism will only reach its full potential if its many small actors learn to work collectively.

The Strategic Role of International Networks

The session also demonstrated the unique value of international dialogue platforms such as ISTO.

By bringing together academics, civil society organisations, tourism professionals, community networks and NGOs from different countries, the Working Group creates opportunities for knowledge exchange that rarely exist elsewhere.

These exchanges make it possible not only to better understand local realities but also to identify common challenges, including defining ecotourism, combating greenwashing, improving market access, strengthening destination governance and ensuring meaningful community participation.

The discussions also opened up new opportunities for cooperation between members, illustrating ISTO's ability to build bridges between local initiatives and international reflection on sustainable tourism.

Towards a More Holistic Vision of Ecotourism

One conclusion clearly emerged from the discussions: setting ecotourism and community-based tourism against each other is no longer particularly useful.

The real challenge lies in developing an understanding of ecotourism that fully integrates the environmental, social, cultural and economic dimensions of sustainable development.
Protecting nature alone is not enough if local people remain excluded from decision-making and from the benefits generated by tourism. Conversely, community-based tourism demonstrates that biodiversity conservation becomes far more effective when it is led by the women and men who live in, care for and shape these territories every day.

This broader understanding of ecotourism fully reflects the principles promoted by ISTO: advancing a model of tourism that combines biodiversity conservation, social justice, citizen participation and local development. More than simply transforming tourism practices, it calls for a profound change in the way we understand the relationship between visitors, destinations and the communities that bring them to life.

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