The United Nations has designated 2002 as the "International Year of Ecotourism" and rightly so.

Today only highly responsible tourism will help the world preserve and sustain its environmental and cultural heritage.

Fundamentally, ecotourisim means making as little environmental impact as possible and helping to sustain the indigenous populace, thereby encouraging the preservation of wildlife and habitats when visiting a place. This is responsible form of tourism and tourism development, which encourages going back to natural products in every aspect of life. It is also the key to sustainable ecological development.

Today the "Green Laws" of conservation are making people aware of how man and the environment can live symbiotically for more time to come and ecotourisim is the only way maximize the economic, environmental and social benefits of tourism. Everyone is a stakeholder in the process and we clearly need to avoid our past shortcomings and negative impact that they have had.

In India too the movement is gathering momentum with more and more travel and travel related organisation's are addressing the needs of the eco-tourists and promoting eco-tourism in the country.