Your Guide to Ecotourism in the United States — Sea Going Green
When travelers visit new places they go out to eat, go sightseeing, and inject money into the communities they visit. But travel isn’t always good for communities, and it especially is not always sustainable for landscapes and the environment.
Mass tourism specifically does harm by creating environmental strain on different ecosystems and landscapes. When there is a lot of foot traffic to a natural environment, there is naturally a lot of wear and tear on the land.
That’s where ecotourism comes in.
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What is Ecotourism?
Ecotourism is essentially travel with sustainable practices. Forms of sustainable tourism like ecotourism support not only economic harmony for local communities, but also aims to preserve natural habitats of animal species while sustaining the natural beauty of landscapes.
There are plenty of ecotourism opportunities all over the world. There is even an entire committee dedicated to travel and sustainability: the international ecotourism society.
Recently many travelers have become more aware of not just their carbon footprint, but also the harm the tourism industry places on local culture, natural resources, and landscapes prompting an increased interest in Ecotourism.
What Does Ecotourism Look Like in the United States?
Ecotourism has long been practiced by national parks and state parks. In fact, on August 25, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed the act that created the national parks service we know and love today. National parks were created to aid in environmental conservation of different natural areas all over the US.
Ecotourism does exist outside of national parks though. It is just more commonly seen outside of these giant cities and densely populated regions. In fact, one big way the US is seeing a boom in the ecotourism industry is through the vanlife movement. The van life movement encompasses all adventurers who travel in vans and buses, but also includes overlanding and other mobile nomadic methods of transportation.
Beyond national parks and overland travel, tour operators and accommodations have implemented sustainable practices by transitioning to solar, traveling to natural areas instead of city destinations, and embracing the principles of slow travel.
Fun fact: It would take nearly 8 billion solar panels to power the United States with our current technology. That equates to almost 10,000 square miles of solar panels!
The Best States for Ecotourism in the US
It is undeniable that environmental impacts are being felt in the US as a result of tourism. One way to alleviate this is to travel to lesser known states and destinations while embracing Ecotourism or a sustainable mindset.
If you’re looking for the most sustainable ecotourism destinations to plan your next vacation, you don’t have to venture far to places like Costa Rica— here are the top US states to consider for your next ecotourism destination:
