ABSTRACT
As an extension or outgrowth of alternative tourism (AT), ecotourism has grown as a consequence of the dissatisfaction with conventional forms of tourism which have, in a general sense, ignored social and ecological elements of foreign regions in favour of a more anthropocentric and strictly profit-centred approach to the delivery of tourism products. This chapter presents an in-depth analysis of ecotourism from the perspective of history, definition, and linkages to other related forms of tourism (i.e. adventure tourism and cultural tourism). A brief discussion of tourism typologies is offered as a means by which to understand better the documented differences that exist between ecotourists and other types of travellers.
